Today we’re interviewing Fiona Fleming, CEO of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology and Director of FJ Fleming Food Consulting
You know, people say this is a food tech podcast and I’m quite flattered I’m considered one but one thing I pride myself in is the diversity of our guest list. So I’m really excited to interview Fiona because her vast array of knowledge about the Australian food industry is really enlightening.
You’ll get a big breakdown on some really interesting stuff such as the farming industry in Australia, or how bush fires and floods affect the food supply down under, and my personal favorite topic, demystifying regulatory hurdles in Australia.
Also, shout out to Imelda Novita for connecting me with Fiona. Imelda is a food scientist working in Melbourne and we actually had lunch at a hotpot place. Was super good. It’s one of those where you kind of build your own and they cook for you. I don’t think they have them in America. I guess, think Mongolian Barbeque (haven’t seen those around for a while) with hot soup.
Themes
Farmers and Scientific Disconnect
Curiosity and Questions
Australian Regulatory – Just ask them!
New trends for Australia – Gut Health and Mental health
Bushfires and floods affecting the food supply
Learn as much as you can by talking to as many people as you can
Show Notes
Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology
FJ-Fleming – Consulting Business for Food Safety Regulation
IFT – loosely associated with AIFST
Fiona’s Linkedin
What’s Up with Adam
Ok, what’s up with Adam? I’m currently in Hanoi Vietnam. I just got back from a cruise from Ha Long Bay. Tourist much? Yea I’m on vacation.
Anyways, if you listened to last week’s episode, I couldn’t go to Japan. I was communicating with an old podcast guest/college friend Andrea Zeng about Vietnam. So I reached back out to her to see if I could visit. She said her and 3 friends were going to Ha Long Bay and I decided to tag along. Wow, a memory for the books. Sometimes it’s not just the actual destination, but the journey it took to get there. It’s one for the books.
Anyways, I’m off to South Korea next week. Apparently, you have to get a COVID test when you land. If you’re positive, they send you to a hotel for 7 days. That’s crazy and makes no sense. There’s a chance of testing positive because of residual stuff in my throat so I’m a bit anxious but look at the bright side. If I get 7 days in a hotel, I’ll be doing a lot of podcasts in there.
A good chunk of this episode is also about career advice. Fiona’s been in the industry for a while and has gone far in it and she says it’s really thanks to her curiosity that helped her in her career. Let’s dive into that a bit.
Fiona is a prime example of someone who’s used her curiosity to connect and learn. The best part is, she has always been able to keep in contact with her crew. When you’re curious, you generally learn the best way to acquire knowledge when working? Connect with people and ask them.
Connecting isn’t just going to an awkward networking event and trying to smooze, it’s a lot more than that.
I used to have a lot of anxiety trying to network but I started to change that when I actually joined organizations and eventually lead them.
The best connectors are the ones who take initiative and actually make the events. Fiona for example leads AIFST in Australia and is branded as a reliable person in her industry.
My Food Job Rocks follows a similar vein. The original intent of My Food Job Rocks was to selfishly be a way for me to network. It’s a win-win situation. I’d interview cool people and share it. This two-pronged networking approach helped me in my career and my well-being.
Most importantly, connecting grows exponentially. It’s similar to compound interest. Why? Because reputation is extremely valuable. When people know you as a nice person in the industry, and say it again and again, it starts to become true. The connections I’ve made in college paid dividends as I kept in contact with them over the years.
If you want to truly become a connector, create something valuable that allows you to meet people. This can be as simple as a monthly dinner, or a conference, or well, even a podcast. There’s so many ways. The most important thing is that you need to make something where people see you as the go-to person
Enjoy this episode with Fiona Fleming. I couldn’t meet Fiona in person, so I switched to online
End of Episode
Sometimes I read posts on a platform called subtle Asian mental health. The anonymous posters here have so much anxiety at work and are so scared to find another job.
I know a ton of friends who have impostor syndrome, or that you feel you’re not good enough to do the job and therefore it scares you to advance or take risks. I’ve been there before. It really sucks.
It takes time for you to be competent in your skills. You’ll figure it out in different ways.
The best advice I’ve gotten to know your worth is to actually talk to other people and try and find stories that are similar to what you are either going through or want to achieve. Once you realize that everyone’s human, everyone’s scared, everyone wants to just live, life gets a bit easier.