Government Relations

Speaking from the Heart on Valentine’s Day

I am seizing this opportunity to issue this blog as my heartfelt Valentine’s Day card to the food industry, the community I have always admired and respected, but have come to appreciate and dare I say, love, in some new and more profound ways over ...

Test Your Industry Trivia Knowledge

Let’s test your food and industry knowledge. If you answer correctly, then you could probably compete against our inaugural LEAD Trivia Tournament champions, who were crowned at our FMI Executive Midwinter ...

What is Happening With SNAP?

There have been several developments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)over the past several weeks. Since these developments are happening on multiple fronts, we thought it would be helpful if we compile the most important ...

How the Food Industry Can Write the Next Normal

At our 2021 Midwinter Executive Conference, Leslie Sarasin, FMI president and CEO, addressed how the food industry can write the next normal post-COVID-19....

You Are Essential: COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Toolkits

For nearly a year, we have been navigating a national health emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As part of an industry deemed essential to the nation’s COVID-19 response, FMI members have been and continue to be a critical component ...

Celebrating Supermarket Employee Day

On February 22, 2021, I will be celebrating the hard-working heroes of the supermarket by joining with the industry to proclaim it Supermarket Employee Day. The supermarket has long been acknowledged as the backbone of our communities, but its role ...

Resolutions Re: Solutions for 2021

I found it refreshing to read David Orgel’s recent article How to Be Ready for Anything in 2021 in Drug Store News. It isn’t so much a piece about predictions and resolutions for a new year. It’s more of a preparedness “how-to” for retailers as they ...

Public Advocacy Landscape in 2021

While 2020 has presented a once in a lifetime challenge for the food industry, FMI’s public policy team in conjunction with our members, state association leaders and others in the industry have been able to tap into experience and connections to ...

2020: The Year of the Food Industry

From the cashiers and stockers to the store managers and executives, the drivers and food processors and pharmacist and nutritionists, to the data analysts, delivery experts and farmers, our industry is filled with true Food Industry Heroes who have ...

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)....

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 ...

Elevating the Role of the Supermarket Pharmacist During COVID-19

Throughout the pandemic, FMI has worked closely with federal agencies and Congress to both elevate the critical role of supermarket pharmacists and advocate for our industry’s other essential workers, who together touch the lives of more than 100 ...

Four Common Misconceptions About Food Prices

A number of misconceptions regarding grocery prices regularly permeate both the news and our water cooler conversations. These are due to a combination of outdated ideas that should have been put to rest long ago and high profile “examples” that are ...

A Tale of Two Years: A Look at The Food Retail Industry in 2019 and Early 2020

The most recent The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report identifies a striking similarity between ”A Tale of Two Cities” and a tale of two years, 2019 and 2020, for the food industry. Both relay the story of how stark change and challenging times ...