2023 marks the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association’s 40th celebration of March Frozen Food Month.
Murray Lender, founder of Lender’s Bagels, developed the first promotion in 1984 as an initiative to increase frozen food sales. The promotion is now nationally recognized and promotes the benefits and importance of engaging shoppers and encouraging the purchase of frozen foods.
NFRA has sponsored March Frozen Food Month since its inception and continues to promote the frozen food aisles to consumers by sharing resources with its members, including recipes, point-of-sale materials, social content and tips. NFRA also administers the Golden Penguin Awards Competition, which honors the best marketing and merchandising in the industry during promotional periods.
The awards provide an opportunity for companies to be nationally recognized for excellence in merchandising and marketing frozen foods. This national competition is open to organizations of all sizes, including retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, sales agents and associations.
The program features categories that reflect today’s marketing practices, including in-store display, in-store event, community involvement, social media campaign, retail dietitian wellness programs, private brand campaign and overall marketing campaign with subcategories for: retailer, wholesaler, manufacturer, sales agent and local association.
Judged by a panel and based on final entry scores, winners receive a gold or silver award and will be honored for their work at the NFRA Convention, taking place Oct. 6-10 in San Diego. A segment of the highest scoring winners will be named top marketers, which is unveiled during the awards luncheon at the NFRA Convention.
Entrants can submit their supporting documentation online starting in March and can enter any category applicable to their business by May 5. Companies can also participate in the competition for NFRA’s other annual promotions including June Dairy Month and Summer Favorites Ice Cream and Novelties.
For complete awards competition details, visit NFRAweb.org.
