FMI - OMEGA - West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association

You pay for it now or you pay for it later – that is, when it comes to your health. These are the words from a consumer recently interviewed by IRI for our 2018 Top Trends in Fresh, which point to a struggle that is playing out every day in the food retail environment. Sixty-five percent of consumers indicate that holistic health is important to them this year, and the wellness trend is growing across generations, but they need solutions for how to make their aspirational goals more accessible.

Our FMI Private Brand Council singled out the trend in clean eating due to consumer’s yearning for transparency, trust, authenticity and integrity in the food system. Still, we recognize that there are numerous inconsistencies relevant to the clean label phenomenon.

While the role of a store manager still requires a friendly face and a strong work ethic, just like the evolving marketplace, their duties are being redefined.

FMI members are on the front lines of food safety. Food safety professionals in our industry interact daily with customers to answer food safety questions, train associates on food safety best practices, and work with local regulators to help ensure the safety of the food we sell. It’s a big responsibility and we rely on those food safety experts who are on the ground, day in, day out, to direct our priorities for the year ahead.

I’ve worked with our food retail and wholesale members on a gamut of labeling issues – from nutrition facts to Facts Up Front to bioengineering – but no issue has been more confusing for food retailers than menu labeling, a regulation originally designed for the chain restaurant industry.