There is an advantage to looking at the larger retail landscape and applying the lessons learned to food retail. I had the pleasure of speaking with Rod Sides, vice chairman, U.S. retail and distribution leader, Deloitte LLP about how changes in retail are impacting the way we measure how we do business.

The backhaul challenge in transportation is characterized by an imbalance in transport flows between locations. A backhaul, as it relates to trucking capacity and logistics, is the return trip of a commercial truck that is transporting freight back over all or part of the same route it took to get to its current location. Empty trailers are not ideal for anyone in the supply chain and empty miles are expensive. They aren’t as safe to drive, put drivers at increased risk and they aren’t filled with product, so it drives up the cost in the supply chain in labor, empty miles and fuel emissions.

A few years ago, local and regional industry partners approached Niagara University in Buffalo, NY about the need for strong young professional talent in the food retail and consumer products goods (CPG) industry. The result of these initial discussions is Niagara University’s Food and CPG Marketing program, which in its third academic year is already the third largest program of its kind in the United States.

This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a federal interagency strategy to address food waste, and among the priority areas specified in the strategy, opportunities abound for our members to share best practices. Apropos to the agencies’ plan, “Winning on Reducing Food Waste.” I had an opportunity to interview Group VP Corporate Affairs Jessica Adelman, The Kroger Co., regarding a progress update on the company’s aggressive goals of ending hunger in their communities and eliminating food waste across their business by 2025.