FMI - OMEGA - West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association

Still, challenges remain when it comes to both consumer and store associate seafood knowledge and preparation in order to sustain the momentum at the retail level. As part of FMI’s ongoing efforts to develop tools and resources most needed by our industry to create shopper engagement strategies, the FMI Seafood Strategy Committee created the FMI Seafood Calendar for the 2016-2017 calendar year, which is a solution for inspiring a more dynamic conversation each month around the importance of seafood.

Rudy Dory, president of Newport Ave Market and daughter Lauren Johnson, CEO, welcomed Cynthia Brazzel, director of member relations and advocacy for the western region at FMI to Bend, Oregon. The big news is that Newport Ave Market just transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Cynthia met many of the employees, all who are devoted workers and now proud owners.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Martin Wiedmann, Gellert Family Professor of Food Safety and Director of Graduate Studies for the Field of Food Science and Technology at Cornell University about his work and his thoughts on Listeria prevention.

Today’s shoppers want to buy from local growers and, whenever possible, know the source of the ingredients in their processed food. For food retailers and companies looking to respond to this consumer demand for healthy, locally sourced food, the task of providing the information about where the food you’re selling in the grocery aisles comes from might seem impossible, but I promise you it’s not.

Lucas Darnell, director of member relations and advocacy for the eastern region at FMI met with Tracy Anthony, general manager at the Clements Marketplace in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. This family owned and community oriented grocer has been in business since 1980.