Ep. 154 – Interviewing the Interviewer with Elaine Watson, Editor at Food Navigator USA

I’ve been following Elaine Watson ever since I started working on the food industry. Every time I wanted to know a new trend or something happening in my industry, I read her articles. I’ve even commented in a few of her articles but most recently, I had the honor of being interviewed by Elaine when we debuted our article for Better Meat Co. Paul and I planned to get Elaine to debut Better Meat Co, we had this master plan to do a tasting with Elaine with our blended products only to learn she was vegetarian! So we just went with a phone interview. Over time, I’ve bumped into Elaine in conferences such as the Good Food Conference and so I decided that she would be an amazing guest for the podcast! In this episode, you’ll be introduced to what an editor for, what Elaine quotes, a technical magazine does for a living, how she organizes and prepares writing articles, and we have a great discussion on food trends and technologies. If you are in the food industry and do know Elaine from her articles, this interview also dives into some really cool hobbies Elaine does in her spare time. Namely listening to history podcasts and singing in a barbershop quartet. About Elaine Watson, editor, FoodNavigator-USA An award-winning journalist with more than 18 years’ experience in multimedia business-to-business journalism and events management on both sides of the Atlantic, Elaine has covered a diverse range of topics from nutrigenomics to corporate espionage. Elaine moved from the UK to the US in 2011, and as editor of FoodNavigator-USA.com – a leading online b2b title in the US food and beverage industry – she has helped to establish the site as a pre-eminent source of news and analysis on hot button issues from novel sweeteners to labeling conventions in plant-based foods and beverages. Elaine has also organized and chaired face-to-face and online events from seminars and round table debates to conferences for William Reed Business Media and other companies on topics from food for kids to investing in cell-based meat. About FoodNavigator-USA An award-winning online business-to-business publication covering start-ups and industry giants, FoodNavigator-USA provides a 360-degree view of the North American food and beverage market, spanning food investment and incubation, labeling, litigation, and legislation, to consumer trends, new products and new technology, from new shopping or nutrition apps to synthetic biology and personalized nutrition.  A multimedia publication with 200,000 unique visitors a month and a daily newsletter with 47,000 subscribers, FoodNavigator-USA provides daily news, features, analysis, online events, face to face events, a weekly podcast and video coverage of the issues and stories impacting CEOs, marketers, brand managers, R&D execs and regulatory affairs experts. FoodNavigator-USA also runs the annual FOOD FOR KIDS event in Chicago, a three-day conference that shines a spotlight on the companies – large and small – that are doing most to drive innovation and champion change in foods and beverages for children; and TRAILBLAZERS, a new initiative designed to celebrate early stage food & beverage companies that are bringing something genuinely new to the table from a formulation, sourcing, branding, marketing or business model perspective. Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Show Notes FOOD FOR KIDS What do you do in a sentence or less?: I write for a technical publication. It’s hard to say I’m a food writer. Food Navigator Kids Nutrition Conference Chobani Kids Line Fred Hart Justin’s Nut butter Edible Insects and Jeff Flake Just Date Syrup Better Meat Co Article La Croix lawsuit Evaporated Cane Juice DH Lawrence The National Grocer What skills do you need for a reporter?: Develop a thick skin History Unplugged Tides of History American History Tellers Hardcore History – Black Death What else would you do besides reporting?: Talk about history Why does your food job rock?: I get to interview smart, talented people who might change the world and learn something new in any day What are your favorite food trends?: Many things: Plant based proteins on how to replace meat, Cell-based meat and sustainability, meal kit subscription models, Triton Algae Corporation Geltor JUST framed the question right so people like it GMO was an example of bad framing Soylent Pink Slime Kid’s food versus niche things What should we really be focusing on? Korean Yams Gochujang Keto Paleo Tasty the Art and Science of what we eat By John McQuaid Krave Jerky What is one thing you’d like to know about the food industry?: There is still so much about the food industry. But I really want to learn about Plant-Breeding or Wine/ alcohol industry Saskatchewan Canada How do you find the best way to get information from people?: Research the topic and the person. You need to look technically competent to talk to people because it opens the discussion a lot better. Favorite Kitchen Item: Marmite – Unilever - British Vegemite – Kraft - Australia Good source of Vitamin B12 Siracha Poutine Sonoma Brands Krave Jerky Any advice for people in the food industry?: You don’t need to create the iPhone of food. Elaine does Barbershop Quartet Sweet Adelines Pentatonix Pitch Perfect Where can we contact you?: LinkedIn and email. My email can be found on food navigator