The Refrigerated Foods Association has named Douglas L. Marshall as its technical director. He has been a member of the RFA since January 2018. In this role, Marshall will preside over the RFA’s monthly open technical calls, respond to member questions via its technical hotline and keep the association informed of issues with RFA’s bi-weekly […]
Category: Association News
Posted inProduce News, Association News, National
IFPA Names Linney As Keynote General Session Speaker
International Fresh Produce Association has announced that Laura Linney will be the keynote speaker for the Women’s Fresh Perspectives General Session on Oct. 29 at IFPA’s Global Produce and Floral Show in Orlando, Florida. The session, titled “Women in Film: Navigating a Male-Dominated Industry” will feature Linney’s insights on her experience in Hollywood. Laura Linney is […]
Posted inSupply Chain News, Association News, National
IRI, Ajinomoto Foods Expand To Combat Supply Issues
IRI and Ajinomoto Foods North America, the maker of Tai Pei, Ling Ling and Jose Ole frozen foods, have announced the expansion of their partnership. Having utilized IRI’s market measurement solutions and consumer panel information since 2003, Ajinomoto Foods has added IRI’s Daily Out-Of-Stock Benchmarking tool to manage retailer expectations where it was experiencing low in-stock […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
FMI Releases The State Of Fresh Foods Report
FMI – The Food Industry Association has released its “The State of Fresh Foods” report, which highlights findings from the upcoming “The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2022” analysis of the fresh foods departments. Retailers surveyed detail investments for fresh foods departments in-store but also report an increase in the amount of sales online. Key insights from […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Differentiate From Your Grocery Competitors By Offering Unique Products In Your Assortment
by Megan Moyer Finding a niche in your community is a good way to build a competitive advantage. If you and your competitors carry many of the same brands and items, bringing in products that are unique to your store can be a strong differentiator. Start by reviewing your product assortment to see where there […]
Posted inAssociation News, National, Nonfood Items
IHA To Host Three New Events At Education Summits
Two International Housewares Association educational summits, Chess: Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession and the International Business Council’s Global Forum, will be held in-person this fall along with a new event by the recently formed Housewares Credit Group. Under the banner “Housewares Homecoming,” the three events will take place together for the first time, uniting industry alumni, veterans […]
Posted inPackaging News, Association News, Market Profile, Northeast
Rhode Island Retailers Readying For Reusable Bag Requirement
Retailers in Rhode Island are preparing for a major change in disposable plastics in the state. On May 27, Gov. Daniel McKee signed the Plastic Waste Reduction Act, according to a post on the Rhode Island Food Dealers Association’s website. The act will take effect one year after the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management issues […]
Posted inPackaging News, Association News, National
NGA Names ReposiTrak As Traceability, Compliance Partner
NGA has entered into a multi-year agreement with ReposiTrak in preparation of The Food Safety Modernization Act that will impose additional technical, financial and operational burdens on food retailers when Section 204 of the law is published in November. Specifically, retailers, wholesalers and their trading partners will need to maintain records of every movement of several […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Independents’ Role In Net Effective Spending Power
Many years ago, I taught economics to middle school students. Imagine the look on their faces, learning that first day they had to sit through a course on taxes, interest rates and monetary policy. Lots of yawns and eye rolls. Rather than teaching out of a dry textbook, I used stunts and games to help […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Southwest
As AGRMA Can Attest, Independents In Arkansas ‘Alive And Well’
The independent grocer is “alive and well” in Arkansas, according to Steve Goode, president of the Arkansas Grocers & Retail Merchants Association. Recent years have shown that “independent retailers have the ability to adapt and overcome almost any situation.” He said independents were able to overcome COVID, supply and transportation issues in the past three […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
IRI Releases Inflation Insights On Consumer Shopping Behavior
IRI has released new insights about food inflation and its impact on consumer shopping behavior using point-of-sale data from July, including data covering all U.S. food channels. July’s data shows that prices of consumer goods remain elevated across categories. Prices for food at-home rose 1.2 percent from the end of June to the end of […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Consumer Brands Releases Statement On July Jobs Report
The jobs report released on Aug. 6 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics more than doubled economists’ expectations, but also showed the consumer packaged goods industry to be a complete outlier with minimal growth, adding to concern about the need for a robust workforce. According to the Consumer Brands Association’s analysis of the July BLS […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Southeast
Panel Discusses Labor Challenges In Today’s Job Market
How do grocers attract employees and future leaders in today’s challenging job market? Those were the among the topics of a panel discussion at the recent Georgia Food Industry Association convention in Orlando, Florida. The inspiration for the panel came from a presentation at an NGA board meeting. GFIA President Kathy Kuzava listened to economist […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
5 Questions For Kristin Popp
by Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs The EVP of Janesville, Wisconsin-based Woodman’s Food Markets shares her thoughts on the current state of the industry and what the future holds for independent grocers. The pandemic, a widespread labor shortage, supply chain issues, high fuel prices and conflict in eastern Europe have created […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Floods Swallow Isom IGA In Kentucky
From IGA News The morning of July 28 hit different from other Thursdays for Isom IGA Owner and 2007 IGA International Retailer of the Year Gwen Christon. After a 12-hour deluge in eastern Kentucky brought 7-10 inches of rain overnight and raised the North Fork Kentucky River about 11 feet above flood stage – an […]
Posted inAssociation News, Market Profile, Southeast
GFIA Posts Record Attendance For Popular Annual Conference
More than 900 people attended the recent Georgia Food Industry Association convention, held in Orlando, Florida. The majority of those were retailers, wholesalers and suppliers, according to GFIA President Kathy Kuzava. She cited several highlights of the annual conference: Teross Young, VP of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs for Ahold Delhaize USA, received GFIA’s 2022 […]
Posted inAssociation News, Northeast
NJFC Holds Annual Golf Outing, Reveals Winners
The New Jersey Food Council held its NJFC Annual Golf Outing on July 25 at the Suburban Golf Club in Union Township. Members enjoyed meeting food industry executives representing retailers, manufacturers, brokers, wholesalers and convenience stores from across New Jersey. “This popular event always brings out a great mix of food trade associates and retail […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Taking A Look At Opportunities Ahead For Food At Retail Grocery
by Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO, FMI – The Food Industry Association Sharing a meal with loved ones is among our most physically and emotionally fulfilling daily rituals, perhaps more so in recent years given the upheaval to our routines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As FMI’s recently released U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2022 – […]
Posted inAssociation News, Executive News, West
WAFC COO Christianson Announces Retirement
Carole Christianson, COO of the Western Association of Food Chains, has announced her intention to retire later this year. Culminating a 50-year career in the food and beverage industry and more than 15 years at the helm of the WAFC, Christianson will be retained as an advisor to work with her successor to ensure a […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
FMI Releases Power Of Plant-Based Foods, Beverages Report
FMI – The Food Industry Association, has released the “Power of Plant-based Foods and Beverages” report which is the first comprehensive review of the broad plant-based topic, addressing naturally plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains and alternatives to traditional animal-derived items. FMI’s analysis found nearly half of shoppers put a lot […]