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The Tech-Shaped Consumer: How a New Generation Is Rewriting Retail Meat Buying — And What It Means for Pork

A digital-first generation is changing the way meat is purchased, evaluated, and valued — and the pork industry will need more than tradition and price competitiveness to keep pace.

A Generational Shift in Buying Power

Today’s younger consumers — from late Millennials to Gen Z — are the first group raised in a world where every food choice is influenced by technology, instant information, and social validation. They aren’t just buying protein; they’re filtering it through values, budget, transparency, and convenience.

They expect cleaner labelssmaller portionshigher quality, and affordable pricing — all at the same time. They want recipes, reheating confidence, QR codes, and proof of value before they commit to repeat buying.

This is a major departure from the “buy what you know” mindset that guided meat case purchasing for most of the last century.

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Season 6, Episode 4: Technology in the Swine Industry

Video: Season 6, Episode 4: Technology in the Swine Industry

New equipment alone won’t solve every challenge in swine production. The real value comes when technologies and systems work together to improve efficiency. In this episode, three guests share their perspectives on how to make technology work smarter, not harder, and what producers should consider when making future decisions.First, Erin Brenneman and Jeremy Robertson of Brenneman Pork discuss the complexities of integrating different technologies, opportunities for overlapping data, and how success ultimately comes down to three essentials: air, water, and feed. You can also watch their full presentation from this year’s Iowa Swine Day