Politics of Food: ConAgra asks Feeding America to help dispel myths of packaged food

Gary Rodkin, President and CEO of ConAgra, a leading US food manufacturer, gave a presentation labeled the "Politics of Food" at the Central Region Feeding America Conference on October 6 in Omaha, Nebraska. During the keynote address to attendees he acknowledged understanding "it's tough out there" for people seeking services and jobs, but also pointed out it's tough from a retail business standpoint.

His talk focused on ConAgra's signficant contributions to food assistance organizations like Feeding America, but included some surprising comments that seemed at odds with the direction of US food banks.

For background he explained ConAgra's roots going back to 1867, operating the largest flour milling operation. It's now a Fortune 200 company with 20,000 workers. It's products are found in 97% of US households.One-third of ConAgra's business is with commercial businesses, like milling for Pizza Hut. It's the largest potato producer in the world, mostly through non-retail businesses.

ConAgra was the first to fund the Kids' Cafe after-school feeding program and donates vehicles to fund summer feeding programs. He went on to explain that for-profit businesses are structured to guarantee profits for shareholders, adding it's not enough to deliver taste. ConAgra must be good stewards of the environment, support employees, and support the community where it operates: "we're a company you can truly feel good about."

One of the important elements of ConAgra's food products in a difficult economic time, he noted, is price-value. Discounts have been established to generate more revenue. ConAgra is working to deliver "nutrition dense" foods -- they are also winning food business through "strong messaging," such as "price-value." Maximizing profits helps keep jobs for employees, he stated, noting the Hunt's ketchup's price value over it's larger competitor.

At one point in his talk he apologized for "corporatespeak" yet provided frank remarks about the food industry's focus. He stated a big challenge for the food industry -- where "we could really use your help here" -- was with perceptions that packaged food was less safe, less nutritious than fresh produce. Rodkin said ConAgra has been battling the perception of food safety, countering they have the "safest food" in history. He emphasized that claims of packaged food as a leading cause of obesity was misguided.

He went on to explain it's "not economically viable to eat 100% fresh food," adding that "canned tomatoes are actually more nutritious" than fresh tomatoes. After his presentation, he answered questions about food industry support for legislation to improve food safety oversight: "More resources to keep us all accountable is a good thing."


"We could use your help in debunking the myth that packaged food is less nutritious and safe."

Rodkin was aware of Feeding America's goal to increase fresh produce distribution to food pantries to a total of 25% of all food distributed, a sizeable increase. However, he beseeched food banks to do "anything you can do to drive the message home" about processed food. "Canning is really back to the future" is a perception that ConAgra has got to deal with, he pointed out. Packaging reduces spoilage, in fact, he said, "we don't consider it processing," referring to canned or processed food products.
Location: Omaha, NE, USA

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