AAEA Webinar (Co-sponsored by FAMPS and AEM)
Register for the event here.
The meat sector is a well-established market, with a typical American consuming over 200 pounds of meat (either beef, chicken, and/or pork) per year. However, the growing demand for alternative proteins (e.g., plant-based, lab-grown) has captured the attention of investors, the media, and consumers. Plant-based “meats” are not only targeted toward vegans and vegetarians, but also consumers who do not subscribe to a specific diet, as plant-based meat companies attempt to mimic the look, feel, and taste of conventional meat-based products. Major food retail chains and fast-food restaurants, such as Carl’s Jr., Q’doba, and Burger King, are bucking the trend and have all introduced plant-based alternatives as a substitute to menu favorites. Additionally, new technologies to produce lab-grown meat, such as those derived from chicken feathers, are on the frontier. Infusions of investments by venture capital and large companies are being made, despite the fact that, historically, many investments made in growing food startup companies have ended up being divested at a loss.
Nevertheless, the controversy surrounding plant-based vs. lab-grown vs. the traditional meat sector has many wondering how the food system will evolve in this new choice landscape. This symposium brings together both sides of the conversation – the alternative and the traditional meat sectors – to discuss the meatless craze that has swept the nation and the broader implications for the food system.
The goal of the panel is to engage in topical discussions on relevant challenges and opportunities that the traditional and non-traditional protein sectors face, and discuss ways in which partnering with researchers would offer synergies with industry objectives. Participants will leave with information on data resources that may be useful for policy-relevant analysis.
We encourage all members of AAEA as well as non-members to attend, including but not limited to agricultural economics, public policy experts, industry stakeholders, educators, chefs, and health care experts.
The Webinar is entirely Q&A based. We have solicited questions to ask the panelists and picked, among them, six questions that will guide the discussion.
Christie Lagally is the founder and CEO of Rebellyous Foods. She is a mechanical engineer with nearly 20 years of engineering experience and holder of five patents in manufacturing technology. She spent much of her career in the aerospace industry working on commercial airplanes and spacecraft in testing, design, and manufacturing, and she served as the project manager for a $10M R&D effort for the 777X wing manufacturing unit at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Until January 2018, Christie served as a Senior Scientist for the Good Food Institute uncovering the technical barriers in the development of plant-based meat and cultured meat. Christie holds Bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Organizational Psychology and a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Monty Staggs is the Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE), a food manufacturing and distribution company servicing K-12 schools across the U.S., where he has been since 2012. SFE’s mission is to bring an exceptional dining experience to K-12 students through custom, chef-driven and culinary-based district partnerships. Staggs began his career as a chef in fine dining, serving as Executive Chef in critically acclaimed restaurants in Miami, Houston, and Los Angeles, and later incorporate research and development for fast-growing national restaurant chains, driving their Menu Master Award Winning concepts across the United States and internationally. Staggs has worked with the nation’s largest natural and organic beef producers where he held positions of VP of Foodservice Sales, Corporate Executive Chef, and VP of Prepared Foods Innovation. Staggs graduated from Johnson and Wales University Summa Cum Laude graduate and was the recipient of the distinguished President’s Trophy.
Paul Shapiro is the author of the national bestseller Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World, a four-time TEDx speaker, and the host of the Business for Good Podcast. Shapiro is the CEO of The Better Meat Co., a company whose goal is to help meat producers improve sustainability by blending in the start-up’s plant-based proteins in their ground meat products. Prior to publishing Clean Meat, he was known for being an animal protection advocate, both as the founder of Animal Outlook (formerly Compassion Over Killing) and a former Vice President at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Dean Klahr serves as Director of the Stockgrowers Division at the Kansas Livestock Association. Klahr concentrates his efforts on addressing issues that impact the association’s grass-based membership through legislative and regulatory efforts, along with the coordination of educational programs. Klahr joined KLA in the summer of 2019. He comes to the association with a diverse agricultural background, having served in various segments of the industry. While also being actively involved in his family’s small cow-calf and traditional crop operation, he has gained experience in the fields of soil conservation, food manufacturing, feedlot, agricultural sales and marketing. Klahr is a graduate of Kansas State University’s College of Agriculture, where he earned his B.S. in Animal Sciences & Industry.
Michael Nepveux serves as an Economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). His issue portfolio consists of livestock and dairy markets, farm bill and federal crop insurance, renewable fuels, and hemp issues. AFBF is the nation’s largest organization representing farmers and ranchers. AFBF is the unified national voice of agriculture, working through our grassroots organizations to enhance and strengthen the lives of rural Americans and to build strong, prosperous agricultural communities. Nepveux joined the American Farm Bureau Federation as an economist in May of 2018. He comes to AFBF from Informa Economics Agribusiness Group, where he was an analyst charged with conducting market, policy and economic research and analysis in several fields including agriculture, agricultural risk management, transportation and renewable energy. His prior experience also includes placements with the Agriculture Department’s Foreign Agricultural Service and the House Agriculture Committee. Nepveux earned a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness and economics and a master’s degree in agricultural economics, both from Texas A&M University.
Lauren Chenarides (Discussant) is the current Chair of FAMPS and an Assistant Professor at the Morrison School of Agribusiness at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on understanding barriers to accessing affordable, healthy foods and the consequences of poor food access on consumer spending, diet, and health; and analyzing trends and developments in food retailer competition, market concentration, and marketing strategies. Her current research examines how food retailers’ decisions might exacerbate or mitigate the hardships consumers face living in underserved areas. Dr. Chenarides completed her doctorate in agricultural, environmental, and regional economics at Pennsylvania State University in 2017.
Aleksan Shanoyan (Moderator) is the current Chair of AEM and an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. Dr. Shanoyan’s research is in the area of agribusiness economics and management with the focus on supply chain coordination, strategic management, and business development. His research projects have addressed issues across number of industries ranging from dairy, meat, and vegetables to grain and biofuel in local, regional, and international contexts. His most recent research projects examine contracting and vertical coordination strategies in beef and biofuel supply chains, resilience of agri-food systems, big data applications in agriculture, and facilitation of agri-food supply chains in developing economies. Dr. Shanoyan teaches courses in food and agribusiness management strategies at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
