Watch the full episode on YouTube.
Protein is having more than a moment. We’re in a foundational shift – more GLP-1 use means more protein consumption; an aging population is leaning on protein for muscle mass and animal protein keeps winning on taste over the alternatives that tried to compete with it. But this isn’t just a demand story. It’s a supply story too, and one that’s been stress-tested at the start of the decade when COVID demand drove empty meat cases.
That’s what brought me to Donnie King, CEO of Tyson Foods, for our latest Shared Table conversation. I’ve called on Tyson for 40 years, and I’ve had the privilege of not only watching Donnie lead but also building a friendship. He started in a poultry plant in 1982 and rose to CEO of a company whose products sit in 70% of U.S. households. As he prepares to close a remarkable 43-year career, we sat down in the Tyson cafeteria to talk about leadership, legacy, protein and where our industry goes next.
Not a Trend – A Structural Shift
Donnie doesn’t see today’s protein demand as a fad. He pointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines flipping the food pyramid upside down, away from carbs and toward protein.
GLP-1s changed the game. 15% of U.S. adults have now used a GLP-1, and Morgan Stanley estimates that nearly 30% of the obese or diabetic population in the U.S. will likely be treated with GLP-1 therapies by 2035. Globally, 1 in 4 adults meet the eligibility criteria for GLP-1 weight management according to a study of data from 99 countries. That’s a lot of people who need – and want – better protein.
Why Plant-Based Lost the Race
Plant-based had its moment. Meatless Mondays, plant-based burgers on fast food menus, but consumers swung back. Donnie points to ingredient lists as “long as your arm” and a nutritional profile that just doesn’t match animal protein. That’s part of why he challenged Tyson’s own team to simplify their ingredient lists too, rather than waiting for consumers to demand a cleaner label. Taste, cost, nutrition: plant-based struggles to win on all three at once. Animal protein delivers on all of them.
Best Quote: “You can never lose sight of the consumer and what their expectations are. And I will say to the day I die that consumers buy based on taste first. If it doesn’t taste good, you can’t sell it.”
Meeting the Protein Demand
The U.S. has its smallest cattle herd in 75 years. Donnie’s read is structural – the money exists across the chain, but it isn’t distributed in a way so everyone shares the upside. Until ranchers and other parts of the chain have earnings consistency to reinvest, he doesn’t see the herd rebuilding.
Big Takeaway: The protein revolution is real and durable. However, it will take an industry willing to fix win-lose economics in places like beef, keep investing in animal health and never lose sight of what gets a consumer to buy: taste, cost, nutrition.
The Man Behind the Company
The stat that stuck with me wasn’t about protein – it was about people. Donnie shared his experience meeting Don Tyson in 1984, on a Friday night, at 22, on a factory floor. Tyson had just bought the plant and showed up unannounced to talk to everyone on the line. “He made me feel like the most important person in the world. He didn’t know me from anyone. There was no reason for him to do that.”
Moment to Remember: For Donnie, leadership isn’t about sitting in a corner office – it’s about being with the people. Pulling up a chair in the cafeteria to share a meal isn’t a routine; it’s how he keeps a genuine pulse on the organization and listens to what matters most. True connection isn’t something you lose at scale – it’s something you choose every day.
That’s the same instinct Donnie’s carried for 43 years. He still eats lunch in the Tyson cafeteria most days. He starts every morning in prayer, not just for himself, but for the 130,000+ people at Tyson. When asked what he wants his legacy to be, Donnie deflected credit to his team, not himself. “Doing this job has really never been a job. It’s always been a calling. I get to feed people. I get to work with people. I get to be a part of satisfying a need along with 133,000 other team members. You know, I love this place.”
Thank you, Donnie, for your unwavering support of science and animal health, your leadership and for sharing your table and wisdom as you transition into this next chapter.
Catch the full episode on YouTube.