By: Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, Food Marketing Institute  At a key point in the Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic musical The King and I, King Mongkut of Siam sings of his exasperation in being unable to reconcile various learnings by declaring, “Is a puzzlement!” I know the feeling. And I am hoping the readers of IdeaXchange can help me tease out some possible answers to a puzzlement I have.

Included in FMI’s The Industry Speaks research is a section affectionately known as the "Worry Index," which is comprised of the list of industry issues identified by the CEOs of FMI's retail members as the concerns they deem most impactful. The list provides a brief snapshot of the most significant issues confronting the industry, with some being obvious and others being a bit more subterranean. Often tracking the list from year to year provides insight into the nature of the times, but sometimes the list uncovers what Mongkut would call “a puzzlement.”

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