When my toddler grabbed a Navel orange at the supermarket and I swapped it for Valencia oranges on the shelf behind them instead, a 19-year-old commented "those ones taste better", speaking of the Navels.
I replied, "But these are currently imported from the US. I want to buy Australian produce", pointing to the label.
He shrugged and joked, "nothing's going to be grown in Australia in the next 10 years". Could Generation Z be resigned to a future in which we will be importing all our food to Australia?
Have they given up believing that we can do anything about it? Are they not aware of the significance of this type of future?
Generation Z (born mid 1990s and mid 2000s) are generally more risk-averse in certain activities. Statistically they are more sensible than their predecessors with under-age drinking, smoking and wearing a seatbelt.
Gen Zers are determined to "make a difference" or "make an impact". Social entrepreneurship (the use of start-up companies and other entrepreneurs to implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues) is one of their most popular career choices.
They are active volunteers and the next biggest foodies, exploring their cooking skills.
Why should we care? Because this generation is larger than the Baby Boomers, overtaking the Millennials, and is currently 32 per cent of the global population.
They are on the cusp of being our biggest consumers for the next 50+ years. They also prefer to shop online, seeking fresh produce and ingredients they can cook themselves.
They are looking for social causes they can fight for, accessing information immediately from their smartphones.
How can we enrol this generation, so they can be engaged in our cause, not give up on it?
How can we share that processing and retailing causes damage to our raw product, that food production in our safe and biosecure island of plenty is the best cause you could be fighting for?
How can we share that locally grown produce leaves the smallest global footprint?
It can be a very optimistic outlook if we recognise how crucial this generation is for our agricultural industry. Are we positioning ourselves proactively?
- Sara Westaway, livestock and property marketing
