Hormel's cultural anthropologist discovers what consumers really eat and why we love Spam

Technology has helped food companies look closely at what consumers are buying. But when it comes to what they are actually eating — and why — Tanya Rodriguez is at the table.

As a cultural anthropologist working for Hormel Foods since 2007, Rodriguez has spent time shopping, cooking and eating with families and listening to their food stories.

"It's a delicious and hearty job," said Rodriguez, whose official title is senior human experience research manager.

The Star Tribune recently asked Rodriguez to share some of her insights. The conversation has been edited for length.

Q: Tell me about your journey. How did you end up looking in people's refrigerators for a Fortune 500 company?

A: Actually, that wasn't my intent. I was educated to basically become a professor, and I was studying medical anthropology — so how people are navigating their native culture and biomedical interventions. That could be about mental health or physical health, in hospitals or botanicas. So I got interested a lot in the marketplace, what that looks like. And I was a student at UW Madison when this opportunity came across the job board, and I was like, "Far out!"

The reason it resonated with me is because I grew up on some Hormel products. Spam and egg tacos, that was like a staple in our household in Texas. My grandma had a bunch of grandkids and that was a really tasty and value-laden option. Also my grandpa was a big-time hunter. And he would tell us, "Hey, if I don't bag a buck, I'm gonna eat Dinty Moore."

Q: What's the typical week or month look like for your role?

A: My bread and butter is ethnography. So that's doing custom research with consumers — I'm actually going out to the marketplace, going into their houses, cooking with them, looking in their pantry. Or with a foodservice customer I might be going onto a college campus, studying students and so forth. So those are big projects for different brands. But then a lot of my other work is in analysis. We've got all these insights, all of this data, and I do a lot of analysis.

So OK, we did the research. We did the analysis. Now let's go and use it, let's put them into action. Either we revamp our product, make a new product or change the way we do things with consumers.

A major thing that's an everyday kind of a pulse that I'm keeping is in cultural intelligence. So I'm always finding new sources on the internet, social media sites, just to check the pulse on what consumers are doing around food.

Q: What are some things that have surprised you or upended your assumptions during your time with consumers?

A: A major thing is snacking. So I started in 2007 and that was one of our major initiatives way back then. And a lot of our foodservice customers were saying, 'Hey, something's going on. I'm not getting a lot of action at breakfast.' So it was really interesting to see how people were "snacking their meals." And that's a quote from a consumer. They really started to shift from three meals a day at a table to much more like, OK, and now I'm snacking, I'm much more portable, much more convenience-driven. So I think that was pretty surprising.

There are other dynamics. I love the idea of the emerging consumer. Diverse consumers have always been here. We've always been interested in them. But I think there's been such a rapid change in the demographics of the world. And so it's been beautiful to be able to see all these food diasporas coming together to converge.

And then the last one I would say is food-as-medicine — really trying to look at those intersections between food and what is going on with people in terms of their health. We did a project on cancer. So I worked with people who were in treatment, and just being able to see all their pain points and being part of a team process to develop Vital Cuisine to address some of those pain points. That was fabulous work to be a part of.

Q: You're watching trends develop in real time, in terms of ingredients, meals and snacking. What are you seeing out there right now? What are you keeping an eye on?

A: I am definitely keeping an eye on food and technology. That includes AI and looking at how it's going to be used not only for its ability to identify new flavor profiles but new combinations of ingredients, recipe development and an ability to help people out in a pinch.

I really am interested in information technology as it relates to the kitchen as a whole, but also as it relates to innovation. What can it do for us, how can it build efficiencies? How can it push the culinary landscape, in terms of menus and so forth?

The other thing is, again, changing demographics. So as we see populations really come onto the scene in terms of their culinary diaspora, they're bringing so many beautiful new ingredients and new ways of cooking. Right now it's interesting how K-Pop and Korean dramas have really brought to light a lot of culinary staples like kimchi and gochujang. I always try to see what are people looking at in terms of pop culture, and how is that reflecting back on what people eat?

Q: What does authenticity mean to you? And how does it compare to a phrase like culturally relevant?

A: What is authentic? I think it's really important that we decolonize food, and I think Hormel is really doing a great job at that. What does that mean? It means giving credit to where credit's due. And so if there are recipes and things that come from certain cultures, that we recognize that they come from certain cultures ... and try to show the history behind these dishes.

At the same time, we have to understand that sometimes when things are really authentic, they're not always approachable, right? So you have to kind of find this nice, soft middle. For instance I'm from a Mexican background, born in Texas, but I don't really like spicy food. So I think that's another thing we have to consider with some of the more authentic dishes — again, giving them credit — may not resonate necessarily on the palate. So how can we make them a little bit more approachable?

Q: In your years in American kitchens, are there any sweeping conclusions you've been able to reach about the role of food in our lives?

A: We look for those universals. Everybody loves food that tastes good. But what I would say is that food is a love language, no matter where you go. It's a different language depending on where you go, but it's a love language for sure. Whether it's parents trying to get just weekly dinner on the table, it's out of love. It's people trying to get it done, but get it done mindfully.

We see a love for people's culture and homeland. So when we study Spam, people talk to us about how it transports them home. And it can be that maybe they're just a few blocks down from their mom or something. But when they cook something her way, they cook Spam fried rice or something, they are transported.