State of the Plate – Details, episodes & analysis

Two of our 2025 Trends Episode predictions come to life in one interview: the rise of beef tallow and the year of women in agriculture. In our latest State of the Plate podcast, we talk to a couple of “mompreneurs” riding the beef tallow wave with their own product line—Farm Wife Tallow. Hear how these wonderful women of agriculture, Katie Carothers, Amanda Kather and their other partners, turned an inspired idea into a successful Farm-to-Table product that they can’t seem to keep in stock.

Is X on the decline? What’s the current word on TikTok? Do Threads and Bluesky have staying power? With so many uncertainties swirling around in the world of social media, we thought it would be a good time to sit down with our all-knowing social media director Kelli Calkins to bring answers to your most pressing questions.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the world’s leading food technology conference, we have you covered. In this episode we cover off on the coolest things we saw at the show and share interviews we had with some of food innovation’s most interesting people. 

00:00 – Our IFT Highlights

26:26 – Interview 1, Corny Red Dye: Meghan Jacobs, Global Marketing Director, Givaudan

33:29 – Interview 2, Shroom Boom: Linda May-Zhang, VP Science & Innovation, Blue California

41:35 – Interview 3, Mango Bricks: Adeel Jawed, Business Development Manager, Ingredyum

54:39 – Interview 4, Vertically Integrated Duck: Olivia Tucker, Director of Marketing, Maple Leaf Farms

In this episode we discuss major supply challenges facing some of our favorite fruits and veggies, the celebrity beverage phenomenon and the curators of the world’s seed vault getting much deserved accolades. Plus, we preview an upcoming special episode on corn cutting into petroleum’s pie. 

00:00 – Intro 
08:48 – Produce Supply Problems 
26:43 – Celebrity Hooch 
39:30 – The World’s Seed Vault 
47:00 – Corn-Based Fabric Preview 

In this episode we look into the rise of secret menus and the fast food influencer, customers fighting back against food prices and farm bill proposal finally hitting the floor. 

00:00 – Intro 
2:01 – Fast Food Influencers 
29:26 – Food Inflation Tipping Point 
39:35 – A Farm Bill Proposal 

Grilling season is upon us, which means plenty of backyard barbecues. But which brands deliver the most flavor when it comes to some our favorite cookout foods? We conducted a blind taste test among our Charleston Orwig Collective employee-owners so you know what to buy to guarantee your most flavorful festivities.  

In our one-year pod-iversary episode, we nibble on Florida’s lab meat ban, leading chicken chains turning to “some antibiotics sometimes” and nutritional updates to the USDA’s WIC package.

00:00 – Celebration!

11:02 – Lab Meat Chopped

20:18 – Chicken Chains’ New Standards

31:06 – WIC updates 

In this episode we chat about a proposal for more Climate Smart money, reveal the food trends that Gen Z is biting into, celebrate Earth Month by giving props to some food and ag sustainability leaders and comment on the latest Hellmann’s hijinks.

00:00 – Intro

06:30 – Climate Smart Update

11:57 – Gen Z Food Trends

22:22 – Celebrating Earth Month

37:43 – Hellmann’s Clickbait

In this episode we dig into the impact of Ozempic®-like drugs on the food market, interview an expert about a fascinating super-grain, cover off on the latest bird flu threat and dive into the gen-z hydration craze. 

00:00 – Intro 
9:20 – The Ozempic® Impact 
23:18 – Sorghum the Super-grain 
42:22 – The Bird Flu 
50:20 – The Hydration Craze 

In this episode we talk about the impact of Proposition 12 on the pork industry and consumer market, how the new nostalgia flavor trend takes us back to tastier times, and the movement toward a breakfast-less existence. 

00:00 – Intro 
05:20 – Proposition 12 
17:30 – Nostalgia Flavor Trend 
28:33 – Bypassing Breakfast