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Today Crystal MacKay, CEO of Farm & Food Care pleasantly converses with us the importance of stories. She’s a farm girl and has worked with food all her life.
Her job at Farm & Food Care is to really inform the Canadian people about their food system. Kind of what this podcast and foodgrads are doing. I loved talking to Crystal because she really emphasizes how stories are the best way to convey information.
Within this episode, you’ll learn a lot of facts such as the “new definition of local” and why it’s hard for the whole world to become completely vegetarian
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About Crystal MacKay
Crystal is the CEO for Farm & Food Care Canada with a vision for building public trust in food and farming in Canada. Farm & Food Care represents a coalition of farmers and associated food and agri-businesses proactively working together with a commitment to provide credible information on food and farming.
Crystal is a dynamic presenter who has delivered hundreds of presentations to a broad range of audiences from farmers to university students to CEOs across North America.
Crystal was raised on a farm in the Ottawa Valley, where her family still farms today. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph and several executive leadership programs. She is a past President of the University of Guelph OAC Alumni Association, and a former director of both the Ontario 4-H Foundation and the Poultry Industry Council.
She enjoys spending time with her young family and playing hockey whenever she gets the chance!
Key Takeaways
- Crystal and I’s passion about sharing stories
- How Crystal progressed from intern to CEO
- The amazing trend about Canadian Agriculture
- In a global sense, 2/3s of land can only raise meats
Question Summary
Uber Drive Question: I talkn to people about food and farming and where it comes from
Job Title: CEO of Farm and Food Care. A Charity to inform people about food.
Typical Day: Management and presentations
Favorite Topic to talk about: Talking about the people, especially with people with heart
Most important skill in your industry: people skills. The ability to collaborate
My Food Job Rocks: I get to talk to people about food and farming every single day
Food Trends and Technology: The transformation from “local” to
Opinion on GMO: GMos will produce more food with less
Opinion on Fake Meat: Choice is great. There is some data that alters things
Opinions on Crickets: It’s a good idea but I’d be a bit desparate to eat that
What’s the biggest challenge the food industry has to face?: Feeding more people with less resources
One thing in the Food Industry you’d like to know more about?: I’d ask this question to more people
What do you consider a food expert?: Everyone is a food expert
Who inspired you to get into food?: My family are farmers
Favorite Quote: Quoteoftheday.com; Do your best until you know better, then when you know better, then you do better – Maya Angelou
One meal to eat for a month: Dill Pickles, but also pizza. Briny foods
Advice in the food industry: Find out what you love and then go for it. You gotta start somewhere
What’s Next?: Building the team
Other Links
4H Club – Do by doing
Univeristy of Guelph – Animal Science; Rural Extension – Communications
Ontario Pork
Canadian Center of Food integrity
Leclerc Foods
California
Support local when you can
Farm-to-Table
In 1900, 1 farmer= 10 people, 1 farmer = 140 people
Precision farming
Impossible food or Beyond Meat
2/3s of all farmland can only be used to make meat. Think globally
Salty fish- Cate lin briny fish chips
Farmfoodcare.org