Sustainability

Coupons, Packaging and Home Meal Prep – Oh My!

I‘m not a grocer, but I am a marketing professional who loves to grocery shop. That’s part of why I’m passionate about my work to support the food industry. A bright spot in my project portfolio is the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference. I recently ...

3 Easy Ways to Jumpstart Your Plans for Supermarket Employee Day 2.22.23

There are more than 40,000 stores that sell food and grocery items in the U.S. alone. Millions of supermarket employees come to work daily to keep shelves stocked and to provide communities with essential services that help them survive and ...

We Are Living in a Material World

Part of the reason sustainability can feel so difficult is that you have a seemingly endless series of obstacles, limited resources, and constantly moving goal posts. Under these conditions, how do you know if you’re moving in the right direction? ...

The Next Ice Age in Grocery Will Be Green

Given recent improvements in refrigeration technology and growing consumer preference for businesses that demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, more and more grocers are exploring how to make their refrigerant systems more cost-effective ...

How Did That Seafood Get On Your Plate?

To start off National Seafood Month, FMI’s Seafood Strategy Leadership Council held our Fall meeting in Seattle. The weekend started early on a sunny Sunday morning (not the norm in Seattle) as Trident Seafoods, our host, took us on a tour of their ...

Taking AIM at Hydrofluorocarbons

Supermarket refrigeration systems are on the cusp of major change following passage of the the AIM (American Innovation & Manufacturing) Act. The AIM act directs EPA to spearhead phasedown of HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) production and use by 85% by ...

Engaging with Shoppers on Animal Welfare

Shoppers say they seek out product claims that showcase ethical practices, and this activity has been consistent over the last two years, even during the pandemic. Having transparent standards and best practices in place allows for more meaningful ...

What’s Next for Sustainable Packaging

When you think of innovation, what comes to mind? It’s not often we think about the innovation that goes into creating a more efficient design for the packaging that protects the goods and products we buy and use every ...

The Need for Grocery to Focus on Sustainable Packaging

Customers are passionate about sustainability and expect industry to lead the way in developing more efficient, responsible, and circular packaging. To assist companies in developing their own strategy for sustainable packaging, FMI developed the ...

How Does FMI Know the Current State of the Food Industry?

The answer is from YOU. We know because the industry tells us each year when we ask, as we have been doing every year for more than 70 years. The first ever The Food Retailing Industry Speaks (Speaks) report appeared in 1949. Seventy-three years ...

Eyeing Greater Urgency on Key Issues

As we near what we hope is the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, FMI and Oliver Wyman have reconvened and published Volume 7 of our annual journal to provide a future-focused roadmap for the food industry that harnesses the wisdom and insights learned ...

Reassessing Problematic and Unnecessary Materials in the Supply Chain

Over the last year, stirrers that are non-reusable, non-recyclable and non-compostable were deemed as one of 11 items in a list of “problematic and unnecessary materials” by the U.S. Plastics Pact. FMI and more than 100 other organizations on the U....

What is Operational Sustainability Anyway?

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 ...

Food Scraps - The Ultimate (Re)Gifts?

Last year, I put a kitchen compost bin on my wish list for the holidays. I was surprised and elated to unwrap it on Christmas morning and have used it every day since. Returning inedible food scraps back to Mother Earth throughout the year has been ...

Equal Opportunity Through Supplier Diversity

E pluribus unum, meaning “Out of many, one.” This iconic Latin motto speaks to the heart of the American ethos. Put another way, one could interpret the phrase as “We’re all in this together,” which is not only an apt description of democracy, but ...