Retail Operations

Our Voice of The Food Industry blog offers commentary from FMI subject matter experts on timely and important topics to the food industry.
  • Emergency Preparedness: Recognition Can Stop a Problem Before It Starts

    Jan 11, 2022
    We’ve all seen the viral videos of irate customers, often in grocery and convenience stores, getting into heated altercations with staff and customers. While these situations can be meme-worthy fodder online, they are often intense and potentially ...
  • FMItech Pitches: Curated Innovation for the Food Industry

    Jan 10, 2022
    To help food retailers keep up with the latest food technology innovations, FMI and the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART), held an online pitch competition. Through an expert set of judges, we identified the top six food technology ...
  • VIDEO: Grocery Innovations in Health & Well-being

    Dec 21, 2021
    FMI Chief Food and Product Safety Officer Dr. Hilary Thesmar and FMI Director, Health and Well-being Krystal Register discuss the innovative ways food retailers are supporting customers in meeting their health goals, including meal planning, virtual ...
  • VIDEO: An Ecommerce Revolution in Food Retail

    Dec 17, 2021
    FMI Chief Collaboration Officer Mark Baum and Vice President, Industry Relations Doug Baker discuss the investments food retailers made to scale up their online shopping operations, such as click-and-collect and home delivery, as well as employee ...
  • VIDEO: Food Industry Supply Chain in Focus

    Dec 16, 2021
    FMI Vice President, Industry Relations Doug Baker and Senior Director, Supply Chain & Sustainability Marjorie DePuy discuss some of the supply chain challenges impacting the food industry like port disruptions and labor shortages, their impact on ...
  • Healthy Eating Meets Budget-Friendly – Introducing a New Tool from USDA

    Dec 15, 2021
    With many consumers leveraging food for better health with a cost-conscious approach, there’s a new tool available from USDA, premiering as the first of its kind. With the tagline “Healthy food choices don’t have to cost a lot” the Shop Simple with ...
  • VIDEO: Food Retailers and Government Work Together during COVID-19 Pandemic

    Dec 14, 2021
    In this video, FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin and Chief Public Policy Officer Jennifer Hatcher discuss the significant investments food retailers made in enhancing store safety measures and the industry’s partnership with government agencies ...
  • What is Operational Sustainability Anyway?

    Dec 13, 2021
    FMI recently hosted a discussion featuring the Ratio Institute, a nonprofit focused on achieving sustainable food retailing through expert collaboration, industry resources and practical tools. The discuss was designed to provide members of our ...
  • VIDEO: Grocery Workforce Front and Center

    Dec 7, 2021
    FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin discusses the contributions and investments our industry has made to support its workers, contribute to the economy and meet the needs of Americans throughout the ...
  • How To Express Your Love on That Special Day in February

    Dec 6, 2021
    No, we’re not talking about Valentine’s Day. February is when we celebrate Supermarket Employee Day on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (2.22.22). Here are some action items for preparing to express our love and appreciation for those supermarket heroes ...
  • VIDEO: The Impact of Tax Increases on Food Retailers

    Dec 2, 2021
    Over the last year, America’s grocers stepped up and made the necessary investments to safely keep stores open and shelves stocked. Now, after one of the most challenging years for the food retail industry, lawmakers are proposing raising business ...
  • 5 Awesome & Easy Ways to Celebrate Supermarket Employee Day

    Nov 23, 2021
    Supermarket Employee Day is the official day created in 2021 by FMI to give back to the people and teams who are the unsung heroes of the grocery store! Building on the energy from the inaugural start, for Supermarket Employee Day 2022, here are ...
  • Being the Champion of Supermarket Employees

    Nov 22, 2021
    Reflecting back on 2021, it reminds me of the final scenes of that original award-winning movie, Rocky, where Sylvester Stallone’s character has the chance to face the biggest challenge of his career and is knocked down again and again only to ...
  • Food Retail Meets Tech

    Nov 17, 2021
    From frictionless checkout to inventory controls to mobile payment apps, today’s food retail business owners face a lot of technological opportunities. In addition, thankfully, recent advancements in food technology—the branch of science dedicated ...
  • The Boost We Need to Be a Better Version of Ourselves

    Nov 16, 2021
    Almost one-third of Americans saw our National Family Meals Month messaging either in store, through social media, on package, in print or on television. Of those who saw it, nine out ten reported that the messaging impacted how they shopped or what ...