By Julie Pryor, Director, Emerging Brands, FMI I work with emerging brands and have found that many of these newer brands focus on health and well-being, sustainable food production and sourcing ethical ingredients. These traits are revealed in the 2019 U. …
By: Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RD, CFS, Chief Food and Product Safety Officer and Senior Vice President Food Safety, FMI New Year’s resolutions often start with plans to be healthier. What if a shopper’s new year, new you goal to be healthier could be achieved …
The Capitol Christmas Tree is a tradition that dates back to 1964 when House Speaker John W. McCormack (D-MA) placed a live Christmas tree on the Capitol lawn. In 1970, the Capitol Architect asked the U.S. Forest Service to provide a Christmas tree and …
By: Adam Friedlander, MS, Food Safety and Technical Services, FMI Amidst old friends and new colleagues, SQFI, a division of FMI, proudly hosted over 850 food safety professionals, including over 40 retailers, at the 2019 SQF Conference in San Antonio, …
By: Stephanie Harris, Chief Regulatory Officer, FMI Since Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill, there has been widespread confusion in the marketplace concerning hemp-derived products, especially those containing cannabidoil (CBD). Although the Farm Bill …
By: Adam Friedlander, MS, Food Safety and Technical Services, FMI Grocery shoppers deserve a safe shopping experience. In fact, the FMI U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2019 reports 74% of customers expect a store to be clean and neat, an 11% increase from the …
By: Hannah Walker, Vice President, Political Affairs, FMI ‘Tis the season of family turkey feasts, Christmas trees and card fraud? OK, so maybe the third one doesn’t really fit into the theme of the season, but let’s face it, card fraud is real and …
The FMI Supplier Diversity Committee met in Washington, DC, this week. The Committee, chaired by James Harris, director, diversity and inclusion and supplier diversity for H-E-B, discussed several issues and initiatives including partnership opportunities …
By: Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations - Private Brands, Technology, FMI It’s not often you get to be a fly on the wall of a conversation between a food retailer and supplier, but that is what attendees experienced during a recent Groceryshop …
By: Chad Ross, Manager, Industry Relations & Total Store Collaboration, FMI The “founding father” of the concept of inherent safety, Dr. Trevor Kletz, a chemical engineer and process safety expert, said it best, “There's an old saying that if you …
By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh, Industry Relations, FMI Plant-based food products are no longer just a trend – they are here to stay in an industry that is growing incrementally each day. FMI’s Power of Meat 2019 report finds that plant-based meat …
By: Mark Baum, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations, Chief Collaboration Officer, FMI The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report annually includes some important figures that help benchmark the grocery industry’s performance, including: Number of SKUs …
By: Tom Cosgrove, Senior Manager, Program and Development, FMI Foundation/Health & Wellness, FMI Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season and a very full calendar of special days: You probably know about Black Friday (11/29) and may even …
By Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI A few days ago, I was waiting to deplane on an FMI business return flight and the gentlemen in the aisle ahead of me was struggling to put on his coat, so I reached up to help him manage the maneuver in the cramped …
By: Elizabeth Tansing, Senior Director, State Affairs, FMI Before the 24-hour coverage of the presidential impeachment hearings, the majority of the news this fall surrounded e-cigarettes, their safety, and the many flavors in which they come. In response …
By Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations - Private Brands, Technology, FMI Many in the industry can’t hear it yet, but artificial intelligence voice assistances (AI-voice) – on a home-based smart speaker, smartphone or a car dashboard – are on …
This week, FMI hosted international member Auto Mercado, the leading family-owned supermarket in Costa Rica, operating 17 large stores, 19 smaller format stores and one commissary. Priscilla Leiva, food safety manager for Auto Mercado met with FMI’s food …
By: Hannah Walker, Vice President, Political Affairs, FMI This past summer, the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) made an announcement that didn’t quite garner the attention it did when announcing rate reductions, but it was still exciting for food retailers …
By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh, Industry Relations, FMI According to the 2019 Power of Meat Report, eating meat is still the norm with 86% of shoppers classifying themselves as meat eaters, 5% following a vegetarian or vegan diet and 10% describing …
By: Marjorie DePuy, Senior Director, Supply Chain and Sustainability, FMI We’re written before about the headaches long dwell times can cause for both food retailers and suppliers. Long dwell times can strain carrier relationships, increase costs and hurt …
