Food futurist and keynote speaker at E Tipu New Zealand Future
Food and Fibre Summit, Jack Bobo, argues the food system’s hardest
problem is social. When no one can trust what you say, why would
they buy your product? He argues framing and language can
determine whether industry and advocates collaborate or reach a
deadlock. In a wide-ranging conversation, FoodHQ asks Jack to
reflect on the future of food to 2100.
- Opportunity: Rebuild trust by changing the story. We have an opportunity to move from argument to problem solving, and from volume to value, by making credible claims the centre of the food story. If communicators start with what the system has achieved, then name what still needs fixing, they create an on ramp for industry to engage rather than resist. For New Zealand, that same shift supports a premium strategy, quality, provenance, and trust, instead of chasing scale. It also makes room for innovation and multiple pathways to a better 2050, provided leaders stay clear on the goal and flexible on the route.
- Threat: Polarisation is the hidden blocker. Once the food debate becomes a story of heroes and villains, farmers, companies, and advocates are pushed into defensive corners, and collaboration collapses. That, in turn, accelerates the erosion of trust in food claims and institutions, right when the system is also being stressed by harder-to-manage shocks, climate disruption, geopolitical instability, and trade fragmentation. In that environment, hyper-efficient supply chains become fragile, and fragile systems fail.
