Apr 11, 2022
By Jill Hollingsworth, VP, Food Safety and Retail Industry Relations, Ecolab What is the Food Code? The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Code is a model code that encompasses guidelines and recommendations for best food safety practices to ensure that food offered at retail food establishments and in food service is safe, unadulterated, and honestly…
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Apr 1, 2022
By Jill Hollingsworth, VP, Food Safety and Retail Industry Relations, Ecolab A report released by FDA and a recent recall serve to remind us of the high priority we need to place on controlling Listeria monocytogenes in the retail environment. Let’s take a closer look at these two events. FDA Avocado Assignment The Food and…
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Mar 30, 2022
Jim Dudlicek, NGA Director of Communications and External Affairs A food safety program is only as good as your organization’s commitment to food safety culture. How do you assess your food safety culture? How do you change it? Why is food safety culture so critical to your food safety program? The National Grocers Association hosted…
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Mar 24, 2022
As tragic events continue to unfold in Ukraine, many Americans are looking for ways to help. Over the last several weeks, we have seen many stories of NGA member companies like SpartanNash donating $1 Millon in support of Ukraine and Harvest Market creating a “Sunflowers for Ukraine”, with 100 percent of proceeds being donated to…
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Mar 23, 2022
By Jim Dudlicek, NGA Director of Communications and External Affairs March is Frozen Food Month and I’m sure grocers have been leveraging the occasion to drive traffic in a category that has grown increasingly popular in recent years. There may be less than two weeks left in the month, but there’s no reason to be…
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Mar 16, 2022
By Patrick Jones, Project Coordinator One of the most crucial aspects of establishing a GusNIP (Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program) project is relationship-building. Grantees must form connections with interested retailers (and vice versa) that they can trust to serve as stewards for these vital programs. With the pandemic, this has been a difficult endeavor, but…
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Feb 22, 2022
By Jill Hollingsworth, VP, Food Safety and Retail Industry Relations, Ecolab We all know the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. But foodborne illness, outbreaks, and recalls have consumers, retailers, produce growers, and regulatory authorities concerned about the safety of these products. The challenges inherent in fresh produce safety are different from most other…
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Feb 18, 2022
By Jill Hollingsworth, VP, Food Safety and Retail Industry Relations, Ecolab A food safety program is only as good as the organization’s commitment to food safety and the actions of the people who make up the organization. An example Think about this…an associate sees a utensil fall on the floor. No one is around to…
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Feb 18, 2022
By Jill Hollingsworth, VP, Food Safety and Retail Industry Relations, Ecolab WHAT IS HEALTHY PEOPLE 2030? In August 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services launched Healthy People 2030, the fifth iteration of this initiative. The plan lays out a set of national goals and measurable objectives to guide policies, programs, and actions for…
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Feb 2, 2022
Jim Dudlicek, NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs A historic period of inflation has pushed grocery prices ever higher as the nation continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. A labor shortage, supply chain issues and other factors are driving up costs, but many consumers, as well as some in high levels of government, just…
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Jan 3, 2022
End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency In January, the Biden Administration announced the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency was to come to an end on May 11th. Independent grocers should take note of some of the major changes outlined below: Private Insurance is no longer required to cover COVID-19 vaccines,…
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Dec 22, 2021
By Eric Payne, NGA Manager of Communications RF Buche Testifies About Food Insecurity to House Committe The holiday season is always a busy time for independent grocers, as customers rely on them to supply their Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings. And while these demands draw much of our attention, NGA and our members have been advocating over the last two months for several important topics…
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Dec 16, 2021
By Ted Mason, Retail Technology Consultant Too often, retailers would like to implement a SNAP produce incentive program for the benefit of their SNAP shoppers, but their POS system is incapable of conducting electronic incentive transactions. Thankfully for SNAP shoppers in Greensburg, Pa., Tom Charley, co-owner of the Charley Family Shop ‘n Save Supermarket, persisted…
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Dec 15, 2021
By Jim Dudlicek, Director, Communications and External Affairs It’s no secret that independent community grocers have a lot to offer young workers who are seeking a meaningful, challenging and rewarding career. But when it comes to selling this younger talent pool on a career in grocery, independent retailers are battling both the competitive offerings from…
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Dec 14, 2021
By Robert Yeakel, Director of Government Relations The legal challenges to the Biden administration’s private sector employer vaccine-or-test mandate have been consolidated as BST Holdings, LLC, et al v. OSHA, et al and are now before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Following the 5th Circuit’s ruling in November affirming a stay of the Emergency…
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Dec 13, 2021
By Jim Dudlicek, Director, Communications and External Affairs How is NGA working for you? NGA hosted a recent webinar that served as a membership primer for new members or existing ones looking to reacquaint themselves will all the features and services the association has to offer. Member Services Manager Sarah Long and other department staff…
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Dec 8, 2021
By Eric Payne, NGA Manager of Communications NGA offers many webinars throughout the year that keep the independent grocery industry informed about the latest news on Capitol Hill, current industry trends, and updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. This is valuable content NGA members can use each day to improve customer service, safety protocols, and a variety of other areas…
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Dec 7, 2021
By Patrick Jones, Project Assistant For retailers interested in offering nutrition incentive programs to their customers, right now is the perfect time to get involved. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) yesterday announced the 2021 Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Award recipients. More than $34 million was…
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Dec 6, 2021
By Eric Payne, NGA Manager of Communications This year’s NGA Show was a testament to the strength and resolve of the independent grocery industry, as grocers gathered and recognized their work over the last year as the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the grocery industry. Grocers had to prioritize the safety of their employees and customers,…
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Dec 1, 2021
By Eric Payne, NGA Manager of Communications NGA and FMS Solutions release a joint study annually to benchmark financial and operational performance in the independent supermarket industry. This is a great chance to get an idea of how the industry is doing and what areas grocers can capitalize on. Here is a little background on…
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