If you are familiar with the 1982 cult classic film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” you probably know that under most circumstances, it is not recommended to be like the movie’s iconic surfer dude character, Jeff Spicoli.
Jon Hixson, chief sustainability officer and vice president, global government affairs, Yum! Brands, gave attendees of the 2024 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit in Kansas City one specific example of why you shouldn’t do as Spicoli did.
No, he didn’t advise against going into a Yum! Brands KFC or Taco Bell location and immediately removing your shirt, like Spicoli and his buddies did at All-American Burger, violating the “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Dice” policy. He also didn’t suggest not having a pizza from Pizza Hut (also a Yum! Brands subsidiary) delivered to a high school history class.
He had something totally different in mind: Don’t say “I don’t know.”
If you need some context, that was the response Spicoli gave history teacher Mr. Hand when asked why he was continually late for his class. Mr. Hand, in turn, wrote “I don’t know” on the chalkboard, underlined those words, and then sarcastically told Spicoli how brilliant his words were.
Those words aren’t only ill-advised to use in response to a grumpy teacher who ponders students’ fascination with truancy, they also are discouraged as a response to a difficult question about specific animal production practices.
Jon Hixson, chief sustainability officer and vice president, global government affairs, Yum! Brands, took part in a panel discussion at the 2024 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit.Roy Graber
Critics or opponents of the animal agriculture industry will often want hard data, at times when all of the data isn’t there.
An example given by Hixson deals with antibiotics in beef production. There are situations in which Taco Bell may use beef from a commingled herd. He said there are “some really good antibiotics in some of our supply chains where that measurement isn’t there,” he said.
Yum! Brands might not know all of the answers regarding the feed those cattle ate, but that doesn’t mean they just say, “I don’t know.”
“We try really hard to work with great supplier partners on at least getting (enough data) to directionally tell the story,” he said.
When you do say “I don’t know,” Hixson said, “That gives your critics the upper hand in a way that is extremely powerful.”
Hixson said all stops along the supply chain “need to find those challenging spots and lean into them.” He said he believed there are a lot of ways the industry can add a layer of technology that lowers the cost of getting desired data that he thinks will be helpful in providing solid answers.
