Voice of The Food Industry Blog

Tackling the Tough Topic of Race Relations

Just because something is difficult does not excuse us from tackling it. In fact, FMI believes the tougher the topic is, the deeper the need to address it. Consequently, FMI is partnering with the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) in an initiative to ...

New Twists on Retail Differentiation Strategies

Food retailers have been adapting their product and service differentiation strategies. In 2019, they pushed the boundaries to enhance strategies in specific areas. Then, in the pandemic period, they have pivoted on some strategies to accommodate ...

2020: Undeclared Allergens Continue to be the Leading Cause of U.S. Food Recalls

The retail food industry plays a significant role in assuring a safe food supply for the public. Individuals with food allergies rely on the information provided via product label or signage when making their purchasing ...

A Look at the 2020 Congressional Election Results

Female congressional candidates crushed records. There will be at least 142 women serving in the House and at least seven women serving in the Senate. The previous House record was 102 women (set in 2019) comprised of 89 Democrats and 13 ...

Why the Food Industry Cares About Climate Change

Addressing food and environmental concerns across the supply chain isn’t simple work. It will quite literally take farm to fork working together to make change. For this reason, FMI was pleased to join the Food and Agriculture Alliance (FACA)....

What’s for Dinner? Try the Menu of a Supper Bowl Contender

The battle for a semi-final berth was incredibly tight with only three votes separating the covenanted eighth place slot advancing to the next round and the ninth-place finisher left with thoughts of what could have been and hopes for next ...

Consumers Are Weary. Foodservice Retail Programs Can Help.

Food retailers can come to the rescue – as they have throughout this year’s pandemic – with solutions. In addition to being a resource for household staples and health and wellness products, retailers can provide ready-to-cook, ready-to-prepare and ...

Implementing a Strong Omnichannel Strategy to Avoid Supply Chain Waste

Today’s retailers need a strong omnichannel strategy in place to meet rapidly changing consumer needs resulting from the pandemic. As more people choose to take advantage of ecommerce for delivery of their essential food items, retailers must ensure ...

The SNAP Online News That Few of Us Saw

A great deal of time and energy went into authorizing additional retailers to accept SNAP online, and while this work wasn’t front page news, it has been steadily progressing. In addition to announcing the independent retailer in North Carolina ...

Our 2020 Grocers Doing Good Winners

Each year at FMI, we take a moment to recognize food retailers and the innovation they bring to acts of kindness. It’s my pleasure to announce this year’s winners of recognition we call Grocers Doing Good in their Neighborhoods. Our Community ...

Innovation Takes on New Meaning in Private Brands

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, many companies temporarily put at least some private brand product innovation on hold to address the crisis. More recently, we’re starting to see a renewed commitment to innovation. Food retailers saw the pandemic ...

Food Retailers Put Technology Front and Center

Consider how technology experimentation has played out in the food retail industry. In recent years, retailers have made progress in fits and starts, going after use cases ranging from better customer experience to improved efficiency. ...

How the Food Industry Prepares to Keep Shelves Stocked

We continue to experience a convergence of challenges in this country – the COVID-19 pandemic; a historic hurricane and fire season; economic distress; and heightened political and social expression – all of which are influencing changes in the way ...

Innovation is the Future of Food Safety

As we move into the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, innovation in food safety will be the foundation of maintaining consumer trust and confidence. FMI supports the advancement of food protection technologies and best practices throughout the supply ...

Witnessing the Food Industry

Recently, I was able to share insights gleaned from my experience by speaking at the Retailing Summit hosted by FMI’s newest university member, Texas A&M and the Mays School of Business Center for Retailing Studies. My talk at the virtual event was ...