Voice of The Food Industry Blog

FYI: Additional SNAP Funds Headed to a State Near You

Congress implemented several changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the recently enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The emergency allotments for current SNAP beneficiaries is one we want to make sure your ...

Keeping the Food Supply Chain Nimble

Last Friday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an emergency declaration that allows for motor carriers to be exempted from existing hours of service requirements for those responding to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) support....

Grocery Stores Remain Constant in Times of Need

Even amidst numerous state emergency declarations relative to mass gatherings impacting restaurants and bars, the White House re-emphasized that grocery stores will remain open during this national emergency....

It's A “SNAP” To Order Online and Pay At Store

FMI members are watching the pilot closely and awaiting their turn to enter the ecommerce market. While others are experimenting with different ways to serve their SNAP customers, FNS has permitted retailers to enable “click, collect and pay” for ...

The Only Constant Is Change

The inevitability of change is especially true when it comes to food production — whether it relates to impactful events ranging from weather extremes to global virus outbreaks or shifting consumer tastes. All of the above have affected the market ...

How Skogen’s Festival Foods Created an Award-Winning Food Safety Culture

At our 2020 Midwinter Executive Conference, we honored Skogen’s Festival Foods with the FMI Food Safety Innovation Award. Festival Foods has demonstrated a responsibility to strengthening its food safety culture using a multi-pronged ...

How Is the Grocery Supply Chain Responding to Coronavirus?

We live in a global economy, which is evident every day in the aisles of a grocery store. In times of crisis, most notably the current situation with increasing cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., shoppers are taking control of their environment – and ...

You Eat with Your Eyes First

Visual appeal may be even more important in this category, in fact, than in other types of foods, fresh or packaged. Like many (most?) shoppers, I’ve been known to take my time picking out an avocado or a bunch of bananas, based on what appeals to ...

The 2020 Strategic Playbook For The Food Industry

FMI and Oliver Wyman’s annual journal publication Boardroom provides a starting point. In fact, volume 5 of the journal is a strategic playbook for the emerging issues a food retailer or supplier should be discussing in their boardrooms—that’s how ...

It’s Messy, but Worth it: Trial and Error in Food Waste Mitigation

In business, trial and error often lead to valuable observations and even successful programs. Trial and error can also be expensive, especially when attempting to shift a cultural norm or make the business case for a new process or philosophy. With ...

What Shoppers Say About Produce Packaging

Shoppers are pushing back on plastic waste, but many consumers do recognize packaging can be important when it comes to product shelf life, food safety, in-store conditions, product information, portability and more. This is particularly true for ...

Coronavirus Dual-Preparedness Mode

I have a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol sitting on my desk at work. It’s half-full, and I’ve used it more in the last two weeks than the last two years. I am also washing my hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. ...

Food Industry Leaders Must Learn, Unlearn and Relearn

The trick to navigating this new landscape is being smart about what you need to learn, what you must unlearn and then what you need to relearn. And the key to effective leadership during this era of evolution is first, knowing the degree to which ...

Current Congressional Rundown of Super Tuesday

We are just days away from Super Tuesday. Yes, we’re hearing a lot of news about the presidential election but let us not forget that there are 35 Senate seats and 435 House seats up for election, ...

Aligning Federal Programs with the Evolving Marketplace

FMI is focused on ensuring our members can reach and serve all their customers, regardless of how they pay or shop for their grocery items. FMI's Omnishopper Imperatives for Food Retailers study estimates online and in-store spending for food and ...