How Food Companies Can Win Back Trust

I have spent my entire career in the food industry, working at the intersection of science, business, and communication. I’ve worked inside major food and agricultural organizations and now counsel leaders of both established and emerging brands on how to introduce themselves to the public. If there is one lesson I’ve learned along the way, it’s this: reputation always comes before sustainable profit. Without credibility, a profitable business simply won’t last.

For years, we focused on producing food, putting it on the shelf, and making it exciting to buy. What we didn’t realize in corporate America many, many years ago was that we also had a responsibility to communicate—clearly and consistently—how that food was made, where it came from, and why it mattered. By neglecting that responsibility, we left space for mistrust to grow and misinformation to flourish.

Mistrust and misinformation don’t just come from a lack of knowledge, however; they arise from a lack of connection. Most people don’t interact with branded food manufacturers in their daily lives. They see a package on the shelf but have no relationship with the company behind it.

Over time, as the food industry expanded and innovation accelerated, we lost the ability to build relationships with the everyday consumer. Yet their desire for connection never disappeared. Consumers still want to understand where their food comes from, how it’s made, and what’s in it. They want their concerns to be heard and respected.

There are many companies working on this and making major investments in this area—I call it reputational investment—and I applaud them because this is not a one-time investment. It’s a process; it’s a journey. Yet, too many companies come to me asking for a quick fix: Can’t you make the noise go away overnight—and without spending too much money? I understand the impulse. But trust cannot be built in a week, nor can it be bought on the cheap.

The reality is, if you don’t invest now in helping your marketplace understand your products and the science and technology behind them, you will eventually face a crisis. And when that happens, you’ll spend eight times as much trying to repair the damage—and you still likely won’t succeed.

I counsel companies to start with listening. Find out why people are having conversations about your product or your science. Where are those conversations happening? What emotions are driving them? When you peel back the layers and understand the human side of their concerns, you can begin to craft a strategy that brings people along with you. Listen with sincerity and—I know this can be hard—without judgment. Our job as food scientists and food industry experts is to take away the mystery but not to judge.

Alongside the basic cornerstone of listening, I would add these guiding principles:

Be engaged and relevant. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Become a part of the conversation. If your company forbids you from engaging on social media, have a conversation at the top about that. Social media is where the dialogue is happening. Right or wrong, that’s where ideas and perceptions are being formed.

Balance IQ with EQ. Food companies have always thrived on facts, data, and technical and scientific advances—the so-called “IQ.” But going forward, success will depend on whether we can translate those advances into stories that people can connect with. Lean into “EQ,” or emotional intelligence, too.

Recognize that we are all part of the solution. It’s not someone else’s job to protect the reputation of the food industry. Everyone, including scientists, needs to take ownership of connecting to and informing the public. Precompetitive collaboration is equally essential in order to create a stronger foundation for trust.

The future of food innovation depends on whether we, as an industry, can earn consumers’ acceptance. And that starts with honest communication, authentic relationships, and respecting every single point of view. After decades in this business, my belief in this has only deepened: invest in your reputation, lead with empathy, and never forget that trust is the real currency of food.ft

The opinions expressed in Dialogue are those of the author.