Over the course of 2018, FMI’s CEO and staff made personal visits to more than 150 members, providing resources and information to help grow their businesses by serving their needs. This year we expanded our reach even further. New for 2018, FMI created a new membership category for product suppliers. By welcoming product suppliers into a new membership structure, FMI brings together CEOs, senior executives and future leaders to create a fully integrated organization driven by retail, wholesale and product supplier members.

Unless you’ve been in a coma, kidnapped by aliens or trapped in a sensory deprivation chamber for the last few years, it’s not news that the food industry is experiencing disruption at an unprecedented pace. Challenges and opportunities presented by these game-changing innovations must be addressed and embraced by food retailers and their trading partners if they are to survive, indeed, to thrive, in this climate of accelerated change.

Without a doubt, we are knee deep in the age of radical personalization, with consumers anticipating food retailers’ ability to know and serve each customer’s shopping preferences regarding cost, convenience, taste, experience, health and wellness, food safety and social responsibility positioning.

At a conference in June, a young man spotted “FMI” on my nametag and struck up a conversation. “I’m interested in the food industry and want to be part of it, but I don’t understand where sustainability lives.” I was a little taken aback at this and asked what he meant. “I want to work on sustainability at a company, but I don’t want to get caught up in the economic and number games that go along with business. So, I want to know where sustainability lives in the industry?”