By Heather Garlich, Senior Vice President, Communications, Marketing & Consumer/Community Affairs, FMI and Nathalie Etori, Manager, Events Marketing, FMI
Protein perceptions have been on a proverbial pendulum over the last 20 years, especially as we consider our own eating habits and how various diets and culinary trends have affected our personal relationships with plant and animal proteins.
The food industry has been sharing in this journey with the consumer, as evidenced by increased investments in fresh departments that align with shoppers’
values; nutrition and taste demands; and engagement strategies among products and brands. Of course, culture influences palates and purchase behavior, especially when we consider that the center of the plate in our respective, traditional family meals
were meatloaf versus Cameroonian-style soya meat.
When it comes to protein, meat continues to lead perishable areas in grocery in terms of store sales by fresh department, and for well over two decades, we’ve partnered with the North American Meat Institute on a high-impact forum – The Annual Meat Conference, or AMC – to encourage strategic trading partner experiences and better deliver on the demands for the meat customer.
Virtually all American households (98.5%) purchase meat, and personalized preferences among shoppers are playing a bigger role, as we’ve witnessed in our annual Power of Meat consumer research.
Our pulse on the shopper has never wavered, but we recently made some new discoveries about our organizations, the businesses we represent and how we deliver an event experience to support our members’ goals for innovation and growth. We decided
with our partners at North American Meat Institute that 2023 is our year to design a brand with the team at Midan Marketing that evokes a modern, personalized protein experience.
AMC 2023 is a dynamic annual event gathering retailers and suppliers to explore protein’s attributes and advantages according to attendees’ unique business needs.
We’re investing in a brand promise by:
- Supporting your storyline to help define, market and sell your brand and products.
- Hosting world-class education session regarding the most pressing issues facing the meat industry.
- Re-establishing connections with potential partners, contacts and opportunities – both within and throughout the industry.
- Delivering data, trends and insights to give your brand and products a distinctive point of view to differentiate and position your business.
- Providing an extensive range of food and sensory experiences, product demonstrations and exciting presentations that can only be experienced in-person at AMC.
Mark your calendar to attend the Annual Meat Conference (AMC), March 6-8, 2023 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX.
We’re prepared to embrace the changes in our industry and support this exciting profession. Let’s discover what’s different about our brands and ourselves together at the newly reimagined AMC.
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