Myth or Treat: Correcting Food Retail Misconceptions

By: Heather Garlich, Senior Director for Media and Public Relations, Food Marketing Institute

Zombies, witches and monsters might give us goosebumps, but to a public relations professional, there’s nothing more disturbing than a risk to your company’s reputation – especially if the charges aren’t based on facts.

The food retail industry is accessible and customer-service-based, which are positive attributes that sometimes make a supermarket a susceptible target for unsolicited criticism. FMI remains your spokesperson on the public relations challenges that are often bigger than one business, and this October, we are launching a new resource to help FMI members set the rumors straight: Supermarket Myths. . . Busted. This online destination is designed to help you and your associates mitigate untruths that ultimately confuse shoppers or get perpetuated online.

Misconceptions abound in the food retail environment, from grocery cart sanitation to in-store marketing practices, so visit www.fmi.org/SupermarketMyths to see some initial, common myths that we dissected with the help of FMI’s industry experts across practice areas. We need your help to add to this growing list. Send us your myths in and we'll bust them!