For those of you who have lost track of time in 2020, we are now in Blursday the thirtyteenth of Junevember of the pandemic with no clear end in sight. At least the exquisite fall colors are providing a bright spot in an otherwise dreary time. Cases are spiking in the Northeast. Despite the uptick, the âFab 4â governors of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have decided that even though there are quarantine rules about interstate travel when the metrics tell them to restrict it, they canât practically enforce those laws because the travel is so fluid between work and home in these neighboring states. They are letting their guard downâŠitâs going to be a crap shoot and hopefully they wonât roll a seven. PleaseâŠstay socially distant, mask up and continue to wash your hands!
So, how is this spike in cases affecting us in the retail food business? In a nutshell, my take is that, between COVID fatigue, political unrest and fear of another shutdown, consumers are still on edge and stockpiling dry grocery goods sooner than expected. Many shoppers are beginning to purchase that extra bundle of paper towels, rice, beans or soup each time they shop. Branded wipes are nowhere to be found and yes, shelves are looking somewhat bare, but that really depends on where one shops. I have noticed that self-serve breads and other items are making a comeback in some stores and Wegmans reportedly may bring back the Med Bar. Yet others, like ShopRite, have chosen to reinvent some departments and have introduced programs like the Fresh-to-Table section where shoppers can choose between prep & eat – ready-to-cook items; heat & eat – ready-to-heat and serve items; and grab & eat – ready-to-eat meals. That being said, consumer confidence is a bit better with IRI reporting that shoppersâ anxiety levels regarding in-store visits have decreased significantly, with 58 percent of shoppers feeling relaxed which is an improvement of 15 percentage points over the past three months. Consumer Brands Association (CBA) surveyed a group of about 1,300 people in late September and found that concern about access to food and household goods remains high, but trust in the CPG industry to get products to store shelves has grown. The upcoming election also played into some responses. Still out there is the looming question of what factors will have the greatest impact on Americansâ lives. I pay attention to shoppersâ carts and conversation when I am out and about. With the holidays coming and the virus making a comeback, look out retailers, here they come!
Even during the pandemic, the show must go on and new stores are opening without much delay these days. To that point,âŻSprouts Farmers Market opened a highly anticipated 30,000 square foot store on Welsh Road at The Promenade at Upper Dublin, PA on September 30. The store is located in a newly built mixed-use complex comprised of 400 rental apartments by Bruce E. Toll Investments, with lots of retail space, including a liquor store and restaurants on the ground floor. In addition, an active adult community is just across the street. The store employs 110 part time and full timers. Dan Croce, Dan Sanders, Ricky Pratt and even CEO Jack Sinclair were on hand to celebrate this beautiful new store. On opening day, every shopper received a free reusable shopping bag with their purchase and were then directed to the new storeâs page on the Sprouts website to win a $500 Sprouts gift card. Since opening in Philadelphia in 2018, Sprouts has supported organizations expanding food access and urban gardening programs throughout the area. To commemorate the new Upper Dublin store, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation donated $5,000 to the nearby Pennypack Farm and Education Center which will help supply locals with the resources and fresh food they need to lead healthy lives. âSprouts is pleased to support the important work of these organizations that are growing and distributing fresh food and leading educational programs to promote healthy habits in Greater Philadelphia neighborhoods,â said Lyndsey Waugh, executive director of the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. âWith more families facing food insecurity due to COVID-19, these partnerships meet an important need by reducing hunger, which makes communities stronger.â
Food insecurity is always an issue, even in normal times. With COVID-19 the need to supply food essentials to the underserved has been exacerbated and is a growing concern with the winter months just around the corner. According to USDA data and Feeding America, food insecurity rates could potentially climb from more than 37 million people facing hunger in 2018 up to more than 54 million in 2020. The supermarket retailers in our area continuously work to assist in eradicating hunger. The ShopRite Partners In Caring (SRPIC) initiative, ShopRite and its vendor partners are offering several ways to help fight hunger this fall. Each year, ShopRite recognizes Hunger Action Month in September with a special focus on raising awareness around food insecurity in the communities where its stores operate. While this yearâs fundraising efforts looked a little different and included more virtual components as a result of the pandemic, SRPIC kicked off the important fall fundraising period with three easy ways that let customers support food bank partners. The âHelp Us Help Our Food Banksâ campaign gave ShopRite customers the option at checkout to donate $1, $3 or $5 to support local food banks.
With âShopRite Salutes Brand Partners in the Fight Against Hunger,â SRPIC has joined with the brands ShopRite customers love in the fight against hunger. Together with vendor partners, SRPIC has donated more than $50 million to soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers and other organizations on the front lines of fighting hunger. Each time customers purchase products with the ShopRite Partners In Caring shelf tag, they support the brands that support ShopRiteâs fight against hunger. ShopRite associates who help their store raise the most money to fight hunger in September even get their photos on special-edition Cheerios box! Finally, the âHelp Bag Hungerâ events are often marked during Hunger Action Month in September with unique in-store fund-raising events. In the past, celebrated athletes, mayors and first responders have helped âBag Hungerâ at ShopRite stores. Many stores again worked with community leaders to Help Bag Hunger by bagging groceries at checkout and raising awareness about food insecurity. âGiving back and supporting our local communities are values that are ingrained in our ShopRite culture, and we are proud of the impact we have made in fighting food insecurity,â said Rob Zuehlke, ShopRiteâs manager of corporate social responsibility. âWe look forward to building upon the momentum of the last 20 years to further drive our hunger-fighting efforts to help people who are hurting during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We are working alongside our partners, dedicated customers and enthusiastic associates to ease the effects of hunger in our communities, and our resolve to help is only strengthened during this difficult time.â Twenty years ago, ShopRite made a promise to fight hunger. Through SRPIC, a year-round, community-based hunger-fighting initiative, the supermarket retailer supports more than 2,200 charities in the communities where ShopRite stores operate. For more information about SRPIC and its two decades of good work, visit www.shopritepartnersincaring.org.
Like most philanthropic organizations, the Mid Atlantic Food Trade Organization (MAFTO) has been hit hard in 2020. Every fund-raising event has been canceled due to the COVID-19 virus including its annual gala, which provides the revenue for MAFTO to give scholarships to worthy college students and supports other outreach and scholarship programs including Christmas For All Kids and the Saint Josephâs University Academy of Food Marketing. In lieu of these fundraisers and to give additional support to Philabundance, MAFTO has created the Community Care Package Program. This program is a means to provide over $100,000 to Philabundance and other food charities. MAFTO gathered support from 25 national, regional and local brands, and created a boxed âCare Packageâ filled with $150 in value at a price of $100 per package. They are asking for the industryâs support by purchasing any number of packages to distribute to your hard-working employees or give them to people in need. Buy one for yourself or 50 for your clients! The goal is to sell 2,000. In addition, Catalyst Experiential Monuments (billboards) has donated 4 million impressions of advertising to MAFTO and Philabundance throughout the Philadelphia region to recognize the companies that purchase the Care Packages. A special shout out to MAFTO board members: Andy Marfopoulos, ignite2x; John Brennan, JJ Brennan Company; and MAFTO president Mark Phander, Borden Perlman, for coming up with this fabulous idea and following through to make it happen. For more information and to purchase the care packages, please go to www.mafto.org/phlb.php.
On October 6, Kevin Gallagher, my colleague and partner in schmooze, and I were honored by the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) with the Max Stone Trade Relations Award. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the in person event in Atlantic City was canceled, so we did a Zoom presentation. I would like to share with you part of my speech as recognition of and as a thank you to everyone in the food industry who has gone above and beyond the call of duty during these stressful times. âA few years ago, I attended an industry event where Dr. John Stanton, chairman of the Department of Food Marketing at my alma mater, Saint Josephâs University was moderating a panel discussion. At one point, he looked out into the audience and said something that has been stuck in my mind since that time: âThe food industry is a noble profession.â What exactly does that mean? Dr. Stanton expanded on his claim – we should all be proud to provide the safest, least expensive, tastiest, and most available food in the world. Honestly, what better work is there than bringing nutritious and delicious food to the American people? The food industry is a noble profession. The past seven months have given new meaning to these words. Earlier this year, when it became obvious that we were going to be quarantined for more than a week or two due to the Covid-19 virus, consumers hoarded whatever food and household goods they could get their hands on. Americans were fraught with the idea that there was going to be a food shortage, or worse, that the food itself was tainted. Enter the knights in shining armor â the noble food manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, brokers and retailers who worked tirelessly to make sure that food was available in the darkest and most dangerous days of the pandemic. The extraordinary measures taken to safely keep products on the shelves and to keep employees healthy â these were monumental tasks, but each and every one of you made it happen. You also made sure the food insecure had full cupboards, either through monetary or product donations. The food banks were overwhelmed with requests and you came through. You are owed a debt of gratitude. You stepped up in ways for which you were never trained. No one could have imagined that the world, and of course, our industry which feeds the world â would have to contend with such a situation. A humble thank you, for at the end of the day, we are all consumers.â Indeed, a tip of the hat to you all along with sincerest thanks to Linda Doherty, president of the NJFC; Joe Sofia of Wegmans, chairman of the board; and all the NJFC board of directors for this acknowledgement.
Beloved Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame running back Brian Westbrook has signed on for a series of ads and promotions with GQM Inc., the maker of Godshallâs Turkey Bacon. Godshallâs president Ron Godshall expressed the companyâs excitement, saying, âMr. Westbrook is a natural fit for Godshallâs any way you look at it. His local, hometown image and enormous fan base were just the beginning for us. His second career as a farm owner is a perfect complement to Godshallâs fresh and wholesome products.â The first round of ads were, in fact, shot on location at the two time Pro Bowlerâs farm. Video ads and radio commercials will be followed by in-store promotional items, social media campaigns, print ads and contests to promote the real wood smoked turkey bacon brand. Westbrook has even agreed to make a guest appearance on the companyâs weekly recipe program to showcase a favorite game day snack. âThis campaign is going to reach everyone in the region with media buys that will span radio, cable, print and some very exciting outdoor placements.â Godshall explained. âThis partnership articulates our position as a great tasting part of a healthier lifestyle with Brianâs âMake the Switchâ themeâ which will be front and center through the football season into 2021.” Westbrook will promote the company’s classic recipe, uncured, maple, and fully cooked turkey bacons. Fans can get a sneak preview of one of Brian Westbrookâs video commercials at the company website, www.godshalls.com.
Birthday shout-outs for the spooky month of October go to: Chad Vilotti, Liscioâs Bakery; Frank Nardi, retired from Wakefern; Ray Nemeth, Snyderâs/Lance; Justine Giordano, Vincent Giordano Company; and Nina Weiland, FTN alumna. Buon compleanno a tutti!
Quote of the month: âFight for the things you care about but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.â Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Maria can be reached at [email protected].
