The Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA) has named the Silver Plate Award winners of its 2018 Bag Hunger Campaign contest (listed below). The contest is part of a statewide campaign coordinated annually by MGA that engages Minnesotans in the fight to bag hunger in their neighborhoods. The 2018 campaign donated $10,000 to Second Harvest Heartland with […]
Category: Association News
Darigold Introduces High-Protein Milk With Less Sugar
Darigold is expanding its portfolio of milk products to include Fit, an ultrafiltered, lactose free, high-protein milk. Fit delivers Darigold’s same taste with 75 percent more protein and 40 percent less sugar than regular 2 percent milk. The farmer-owned co-op’s ultrafiltration process naturally concentrates protein and removes sugars. As research indicates, nearly half of Americans strongly […]
GMDC Reimagines The Retail Experience At Selfcare Summit 2019
Retail industry trade association Global Market Development Center (GMDC) is launching a new business development and educational event focused on the consumerization of health care and its impact on the future of retail: the Selfcare Summit. Taking place Oct. 3–7 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, the summit will replace GMDC’s annual Health Beauty Wellness Conference […]
URM Continues Upgrading Operations, Adding New Members
Ray Sprinkle, president and CEO of URM in Spokane, Washington, sat down in mid-November with Shelby Publishing’s president and publisher, Ron Johnston, at Sprinkle’s office in Spokane. URM Stores Inc., formerly called United Retail Merchants, began in 1921 when five retailers banded together to form a corporation. Today, URM comprises many more retailers than that, […]
Blueberries Gain American Heart Association Heart-Healthy Certification
As American Heart Month kicks off, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council has announced that blueberries now are certified as heart-healthy through the American Heart Association Heart-Check Food Certification Program. The Blueberry Council and its grower members can use the official heart-check mark on blueberry packaging and throughout online, print and other promotional materials and activities. The American Heart […]
NGA’s Larkin Examines Issues Facing New Congress
The 2018 mid-term elections changed the makeup of Congress, with 100 new members who took office in January. National Grocers Association (NGA) President Peter Larkin told the grocers in attendance at the November 2018 ROFDA Fall Conference in Arizona to invite these new members to their stores and talk about the issues impacting them on […]
Study Finds Health Benefits Of Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice
Montmorency tart cherry juice helped lower systolic blood pressure and LDL or “bad” cholesterol in older adults by reducing certain biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in older adults, according to a new study published in Nutrients. Larger and longer follow-up studies are needed to confirm these findings. Montmorency tart cherries are the most common variety of tart cherries […]
Chicago Meat Authority’s Bennett Named To IPPE’s 30 Under 30 List
Chicago Meat Authority’s HACCP/SQF coordinator, Liang Bennett, is one of the 30 people under the age of 30 to be recognized as someone who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in the meat processing industry by the International Production & Processing Expo and the North American Meat Institute. Bennett, who earned a master’s degree from Illinois […]
Cast Your Vote For IGA’s Top Sales-Building Best Practices
Sponsored content by the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) Did you hear the news? IGA has handpicked 13 IGA Best Practices for their creativity, ability to save money/increase sales and adaptability by fellow retailers. Now it’s up to the industry to vote for the best. When all the votes are in, the top three will be […]
First Power Of Bakery Report To Debut At ABA 2019
The first annual Power of Bakery 2019 report, developed in partnership with the Food Marketing Institute and supported by Corbion, aims to bring an understanding of consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviors regarding the bakery category in a grocery retail setting to help the industry optimize production, marketing, merchandising and branding decisions. Bakers will be able to utilize the […]
IDDBA: Grow The Bakery Category With Bagel Superconsumers
Some consumers are heavy users of a particular product. Some are passionate about a product. The sweet spot is superconsumers: those who are heavy users and highly involved. These are the most profitable and insightful consumers. IDDBA commissioned The Cambridge Group to begin exploring superconsumer opportunities in bakery, cheese, dairy and deli. The goal of the project was […]
Now-Thriving Arizona Seeing Grocers Investing In Stores And Growth
by Treva Bennett/staff writer Competition is alive and well in the Arizona grocery industry, and it looks to become even more so in the future. With a strong economy and growing population, Arizona—one of the hardest-hit states during the recession—is becoming more attractive to national retailers, according to Tim McCabe, president of the Arizona Food […]
NJFC To Honor Industry Leaders At Night Of Distinction
The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) will host a “Night of Distinction” reception Thursday, March 28, at 5:30 p.m. at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, New Jersey. The event will draw more than 500 guests, including food industry executives. “This is the perfect time to celebrate the industry and its leaders who have made […]
Alabama’s Economy Bolstering All Kinds Of Businesses, Including Grocery
by Treva Bennett/staff writer Home to the Rocket Capital of the World in Huntsville, the state of Alabama is blasting off in terms of its business climate. Overall, Site Selection ranked Alabama No. 8 in its 2018 Business Climate analysis, tied with Indiana. Another economic development-focused publication, Business Facilities, ranked the state No. 1 for […]
Food Marketing Institute Elects New Directors To Its Board
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) introduced new directors to its board during its annual meeting at the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference in Miami this week. FMI Board Chairman Joe Sheridan, president and COO of Wakefern Food Corp, announced the following appointments: Incoming directors John Alston, Brookshire Bros. Inc. John Derderian, Allegiance Retail Services LLC Nick Graham, Heartland […]
National Grocers Association Calls For Review Of Pharmacy DIR Fee Structure
The National Grocers Association (NGA), the national trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, has filed comments on a proposed rule with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on pharmacy Direct and Indirect Remuneration (DIR) fees that negatively impact the independent supermarket industry. “NGA commends the Administration and CMS for proposing regulations that […]
IGA Opens Voting For Top Sales-Building Best Practices
Sponsored content by the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) How do independent grocers even the playing field in a highly competitive, always-evolving retail environment? They use their independence to their advantage, moving at a rapid pace to create and test innovative, localized solutions to the challenges they face. Sure, not every solution works every time, but […]
MGA Honors Senator Chamberlain As 2019 Legislator Of The Year
The Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA) presented its 2019 MGA Legislator of the Year award to Sen. Roger Chamberlain (R – Lino Lakes) at its annual legislative dinner on Jan. 22 at the St. Paul Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. Each year, MGA acknowledges a lawmaker who demonstrates outstanding commitment to the retail food industry. The 2019 […]
Viva Fresh Open Golf Tournament Continues To Expand
Registration is open now for the fifth annual Viva Fresh Open in San Antonio, Texas. Presented by BEBO Distributing Inc. and Wonderful Citrus, this year’s charity golf tournament will kick off the 2019 Viva Fresh Produce Expo on Thursday, April 25, and will be held at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort’s TPC golf club. […]
Harps Food Stores Thrives In Walmart’s Back Yard
Affiliated Foods President and CEO Randy Arceneaux, the current chairman of ROFDA, said asking a retailer to speak at the organization’s fall conference was “one of the beautiful things that we started a few years ago. They’re the true heroes of our business, especially independent operators.” Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) President and CEO David Smith […]
