May 26, 2020 By Chad Ross, Manager, Industry Relations & Total Store Collaboration, FMI As the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic take hold on the consumer pocketbook, one trend has become clear–coupons are in high demand, and in a more …
In front of a small group of food industry executives, political and agricultural leaders, and members of the media, Vice President Mike Pence commended the industry for its extraordinary efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, “You’ve done an incredible job …
By Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI The following is amended from a presentation given during Progressive Grocer’s 87th Annual Report on the food retail industry. Access the recording for the full comments. The most frequently used description I’ve …
By Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI Your summer plans are likely looking a bit different than you had envisioned. For the past nine weeks you have been worrying about the safety of your employees and the resilience of your supply chains, ramped up …
By Steve Markenson, Director, Research, FMI Even in the best of times, most of us would like the ability to take a peek into the future.However, during these unprecedented times, the desire to know what is going to happen next increases dramatically. Since …
Sign Up for the FREE daily briefing on top stories in food retailing. Sign up
By: Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, FMI Unprecedented online grocery shopping growth because of COVID-19 has dramatically increased the need for efficiency and better understanding of online retail fulfillment operations. Last week, in a …
By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh – Industry Relations, FMI Commodity supplier seeking grocer for short-term collaboration with the potential for long-term relationship. Local food retailer is expanding its team and looking for new suppliers for …
By: Steven Harris, Director, Policy Development & Regulatory Compliance, FMI While the country continues to take effective actions to fight the growing coronavirus pandemic, certain areas of the country are beginning to move forward with reopening …
By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh – Industry Relations, FMI Two months ago, I had just returned from the SEPC Produce Conference, and the hottest topic from my perspective was what mattered most to shoppers when it came to fresh produce packaging per …
By Gwen Lee, Senior Manager, Food Safety Programs, FMI In today’s circumstances, reinforcing critical concepts of food safety, as well as worker health, are more important than ever. There are several lessons from SafeMark® Food Handler Training that …
By: Allison Febrey, Specialist, FMI Foundation On day twenty-five of home-sheltering, I attempted to make a caramelized onion-mushroom tart. I went off-script and did not use a recipe—I had onions and mushrooms and thought they’d make a nice tart together. …
By: Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI It is understood in communication circles that it takes seven pieces of good news to offset the effects of one negative report. Apparently, humans are simply hardwired to give bad news more emotional heft. So when …
By: Mark Baum, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations, Chief Collaboration Officer, FMI We know from our U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends COVID-19 tracker that 25% of Americans are especially worried about having enough money to pay for food. Questions about …
Ashley Eisenbeiser, MS, CFS, Senior Director, Food and Product Safety Programs, FMI What’s for dinner? It is one of those age-old questions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the question has evolved and it’s not just what’s for dinner, but what’s for …
By: Dan Ratner, Senior Director, Member Services, FMI I’m new here. In late February, (only two weeks into the job) I was assigned to the Crisis Management Team, a cross-departmental group focused on the looming coronavirus outbreak. It was just a month …
By Steve Markenson, Director, Research, FMI March 7, 2020 was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. My wife and I jumped in the car for a relaxing afternoon doing our weekly grocery shopping. We started at a club store for our bulk purchases, proceeded to a …
By: Hannah Walker, Vice President, Political Affairs, FMI Let’s start with a quick story. When it became evident that we were headed for a nationwide directive to stay at home, I headed home to West Tennessee to be with my mother and sisters. During my …
By: Marjorie DePuy, Senior Director, Supply Chain and Sustainability, FMI I took a break from self-isolation at home the other day and went for a walk. Just outside my apartment building I watched a 48’ foodservice truck make a U-turn, mid-block, after …
By: David Fikes, Executive Director, FMI Foundation The family meal has always faced its challenges. Traditionally, those challenges have been mainly in the realm of juggling schedules and mustering the energy at the end of a busy day to pull off a …
