Let the 2022 golf season begin! The Mid Atlantic Food Trade Organization (MAFTO) held the unofficial season opener at Commonwealth National Golf Club in Horsham, PA on May 2. Photos are on page 24 of this issue. More than 95 golfers hit the course on a day that had a damp start but a sunny end. For the record, it never rains on the MAFTO golf outing thanks to Knauss Foods’ Bill Carter’s connection to the weather gods. Although many clubs were a little rusty, there were some notable accomplishments. Christine Hixon of Acme Markets hit the women’s longest drive on hole 13, and Pete Ammons of Ammons ShopRites hit the men’s longest drive on hole 1. For registering and paying early, Fran Dolan of Herr Foods won a free foursome at Commonwealth National Golf Club. The biggest news was that Bob Kilpatrick from Gruppo Bimbo eagled the 5th hole! Word has it from several witnesses that he was running around screaming like a maniac. Who wouldn’t? His foursome, which included Chris Krammer, Pat Sullivan and Tom O’Hara also won the tournament with a group score of 12 under par. The food and prize table are always top notch, and this year was no exception. Kudos to the golf committee for a job well done. Next up for MAFTO is the annual Gala at Resorts Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City the weekend of November 4 honoring the Advantage Marketing Group: McCaffrey’s Food Markets, Murphy’s Fresh Markets, Graul’s Markets and Hennings Market. The fun-filled weekend will begin with a welcoming party on Friday night at LandShark, Saturday afternoon activities, the Gala Saturday evening and a good-bye brunch on Sunday morning. Registration for sponsorships and tickets is open now at https://mafto.org/events/. See you on the “Boardwalk in Atlantic City”!
If you are like the rest of us, your pocketbook is feeling the pinch of rising food costs coupled with empty shelves. While there isn’t a panacea to make the problem go away, just before press time, Weis Markets announced it is making a multi-million-dollar investment to reduce prices on hundreds of its best-selling frozen products as part of its Low, Low Price (LLP) program. This lower pricing includes brand-name as well as Weis quality products. The retailer’s LLP program, which launched in 2019, includes more than 7,000 grocery products and nearly 80 produce items. “We will offer customers in the markets we serve the lowest everyday prices on hundreds of our best-selling frozen items. Given recent increases in consumer costs, saving money is extremely important to our customers, and we are confident these reductions will generate significant savings for them,” said Bob Gleeson, SVP-merchandising and marketing. “Since 2019, our LLP program has helped customers save approximately $10 million dollars. They’ll now save millions more in our frozen department.” The LLP frozen program includes price reductions between 13 and 33 percent on select branded items, including: Birdseye; Klondike Ice Cream bars; DiGiorno frozen pizzas; and Marie Callender’s dinners. For more information on Weis Markets LLP program, go to www.weismarkets.com. Thanks to Weis for helping consumers keep their pantries full.
Got COVID? Now there are therapeutics to battle this dreadful virus and The Giant Company (TGC) has made them available in the pharmacies at all Giant and Martin’s stores throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. All stores have either Molnupiravir or Paxlovid in-stock. These medications to treat COVID-19 must be prescribed by a customer’s healthcare provider. If anyone is more likely to get very sick or be hospitalized from COVID-19 and tests positive, these are the only products available to be taken orally and can be dispensed from a retail pharmacy. Therapeutics are free for everyone regardless of insurance status or coverage. Customers will be asked for their insurance card to cover the dispensing fee, but those without insurance will be given the product free of charge. COVID-19 vaccines are also available at all 133 in-store pharmacies to those who are currently eligible. Initial doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to booster doses are available at all Giant and Martin’s pharmacies to adults 18 and above. COVID-19 vaccine type may vary by location. Pharmacies offering the Pfizer vaccine can administer to teens ages 12-17. Parental consent is required, and parent/guardian must be on site.
No appointment is needed, walk-ins are welcome. Customers can save time by booking an appointment online at www.giantfoodstores.com/pages/tgc-vaccines or www.martinsfoods.com/pages/tgc-vaccines. Customers must bring photo ID and prescription insurance card. Both initial doses and boosters are administered at no out-of-pocket cost. Folks are really benefiting from these therapeutics. They say within 24 hours of taking these medications most symptoms are gone.
I had the opportunity in April to guest host “Taking Stock, The Podcast.” My guest was my friend of many years, Jeff Brown, chairman and CEO of Brown’s ShopRites. Jeff is a pioneer even though he is a fourth-generation grocer. To listen to our conversation about what he’s doing in food deserts and how he is helping the people in these communities who are re-entering society plus giving entrepreneurs a shot at success in the business world, go to www.foodtradenews.com.
Kudos to the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) as it celebrated four food industry notables on May 17 in person at the Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, NJ. After a two-year absence, the signature event was more than well attended by industry glitterati who came out to honor Gordon Reid of Stop &Shop, Kevin McDonnell of Price Rite Marketplace, Gus Libiak of Krasdale Foods and Christine Curtis of C&S Wholesale Grocers. Photos are on pages 16 and 17 of this issue. Congratulations to the honorees on their industry accomplishments! In other NJFC news, now that the May 4 deadline has passed and food retailers in New Jersey are no longer able to provide single-use plastic or paper carryout bags, NJFC members have inquired about opportunities to donate their extra stock of these bags. As you may be aware, a newly enacted law provides food banks and food pantries a six-month extension from the single-use bag ban, meaning they may continue to use these bags until November 4. NJFC encourages members to donate their extra single-use bags to food banks or food pantries. Below are the larger organizations that have expressed interest in receiving these donations, and there may also be local food pantries near your stores who would like to receive bags. Food Bank contacts: Carlos Rodriguez, Community Food Bank of New Jersey – [email protected] or 908.355.3663; and Julie Kinner, Table to Table – [email protected] or 201.681.0862. Questions about donations can be directed to NJFC’s Mary Ellen Peppard at 609.392.8899 or via email to [email protected].
National Food Sales has some employee announcements to share with the trade. Taking a walk into the sunset is Jacque Porter, who is retiring after being with the company for 19 years. The management is extremely grateful for everything Jacque has done over the years and they wish her luck in retirement! She will be missed. Happy trails, Jacque! In addition, Scott Drumheller recently celebrated his 35th year with the company. Scott started with National Food Sales in 1987 and has been a key member of the sales team ever since managing the business at several retailers and distributors across Pennsylvania. Congratulations!
Celebrating another trip around the sun this merry month of May are: George Endrigian, George’s SNB; Bill Hinderer, National Food Sales; Robert Melfi, Mrs. T’s; Anthony L Maglio, retired from Maglio Sausage; Bob Kilpatrick, Gruppo Bimbo; Rita Neczypor, Procacci Brothers; JM Procacci, Procacci Brothers; Doug Buchanan, Brandywine Marketing; Jan Gabriel, retired from Paul G. Nester and Co.; and special best wishes to Best-Met Publishing’s own Beth Pripstein, office manager, and Dick Bestany, co-founder and now chairman emeritus. Buon compleanno a tutti!
Quote of the month: “It is our past that tells us who we are. Without it, we lose our identity.” Stephen Hawking