It’s that time of year when we’re all encouraged to give back a little. Maybe you’re running a store promotion to raise money for a local charity or working with a local food back to provide families holiday meals. However you’re giving back this holiday season locally, it’s important to keep in mind how you can also pay it forward to the overall food retail industry through the FMI Foundation.

Built on the foundation of trust and security, blockchain is a technology framework that stores, updates and verifies data across a decentralized peer-to-peer platform. This data is stored in encrypted, timestamped records – or blocks – that link to previously approved blocks, thus guaranteeing legitimacy and creating a continuous chain of information accessible by all users. Distributed ledgers are adaptable and variable depending on the needs of the businesses sharing and accessing data.

Food retailers know that digital and mobile technology are influencing shoppers’ expectations for experiences and convenience. Meeting consumer needs will ultimately transform the size, layout and offering in retail spaces.

It’s undeniable that these food retail professionals possess a unique quality of leadership, and an incredibly diverse skill set that, in a single day, ranges from being a professional circus ringleader to a strategically, savvy business operator. But, above all else, it’s clear that they’re ingrained in the hearts of the communities they serve.