This talk will offer timely perspectives from the head of The GIANT Company, a retailer with a strong commitment and proactive approach to health and well-being.

Fresh departments have new openings to meet consumers’ increased demands for health and well-being solutions. These needs advanced during the pandemic and fresh foods is in the sweet spot for health and well-being. Speakers will outline the latest health and well-being strategies, including innovative Food as Medicine programs, to explore how to successfully leverage messaging across the store to connect back to fresh foods and healthy eating solutions.

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Join us for key insights on sustainability from an executive leader of Albertsons Company, a retailer focused on maximizing the company’s positive impact across four pillars: Planet, People, Product, and Community.  Through their ESG framework,  “Recipe for Change” Albertson's has made a commitment to using its national presence and resources to drive meaningful, proactive change in several areas including sustainability.

Introduction from Kurt Vetter, President, Wonderful Sales at the Wonderful Company.

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The fresh industry and consumers have continued to prioritize sustainability, even in the face of pandemic challenges. Retailers are stepping up sustainability initiatives in areas ranging from packaging to food waste. However, they face hurdles in measuring the results of their efforts across supply chains and communicating their initiatives to consumers and other stakeholders. Speakers at FreshForward will relay the latest strategies for building momentum in the fresh sector and overcoming challenges.

• Being accountable towards sustainability goals
  James Cascone, Risk & Financial Advisory Partner, Deloitte
  
  
  •  ESG is a lot more than a good corporate citizenship initiative. Consumer industry stakeholders, including Investors, government, consumers, activists, are increasingly demanding accountability towards companies’ ESG investments. These demands are causing companies to recognize sustainability issues as a major business risk that should be managed like other major risks. At this stage, if companies want to see more results in “E,” they would do well to focus more on the “G” in ESG. So what should they change in their processes to become more accountable for sustainability? James Cascone, Deloitte’s Risk & Financial Advisory Partner and the author of papers such as “5 actions to integrate into your corporate strategy” and “Accountable Sustainability” will share his insights in this session.
• Want sustainability in fresh? Think technology!
  

  Matt Schwartz, CEO and co-founder, Afresh

  • As an industry we all want to position our businesses as proponents of sustainability. In today’s  business cases sustainability is often the afterthought—but thinking about technology as a core driver of sustainability has the potential to change that. Empower retailers to better measure and communicate sustainability successes in the fresh category. Learn how technology innovations, more than anything else, can be a powerful tool to drive your sustainability outcomes.
• A Harmonious Partnership: How Grocery's Finance and Sustainability Divisions Can Work Together to Advance Both Profitability and Environmental Goals
  Stefan Kalb, co-founder and CEO of Shelf Engine
  

  John Burry, Partnership & Strategy, Shelf Engine

  • The relationship between a grocer's finance and sustainability divisions can often be complicated. A common assumption is that they're diametrically opposed. However, the good news is that altruism and profitability can work in concert when innovation, courage and thought leadership are prioritized. How can these divisions partner to achieve their goals of profitability and sustainability? This educational panel will feature a frank conversation about how retailers can drive growth and be profitable while realizing their sustainability initiatives, bringing positive change to the environment and their communities. Attendees will leave with actionable takeaways including how to frame the interplay between profitability and sustainability in a new way. This discussion will break down challenges and emphasize useful insights for the audience.

Offsite Dinner at The Hanger at Stanley

Our Wednesday evening dinner, generously sponsored by Sunset takes place at the Hangar at Stanley located at 2501 N. Dallas Street, Aurora, CO.

Meet in the hotel lobby of hotel located on the 4^th floor at 5:15 p.m. for prompt departure of 5:30 p.m. The event will conclude at 8:30 p.m. for return to hotel by 9:00 p.m.

The leader of Hy-Vee, a company with a strong commitment to progress through collaborative efforts, shares essential insights on collaboration and the power of partnerships. From food service partnerships with Wahlburgers to support from tech companies offering cloud-based technologies and robotic automation tools, Hy-Vee continues to demonstrate that retailers don't have to go it alone in today's business landscape.

The industry has growing opportunities to form collaborative partnerships in fresh foods at a time when organizations no longer have the capacity and skill sets to handle all needs on their own. Partnerships can help retailers to boost consumer engagement, drive innovation, leverage the latest technologies, reduce costs and advance efficiencies. Speakers at FreshForward will outline best practices for these partnerships and recent examples of successful collaborative efforts.

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In 2022, the world has faced significant challenges that have continued to disrupt the world of food production and distribution.  We have seen inflation, war, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, climate, supply chain challenges, changing government policies, and even increased talk about deglobalization.  In this presentation, Dr. Ira Kalish, Deloitte’s Chief Global Economist, will discusses these issues as he offers his view on continued evolution and what retailers can expect in the future.   

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