Last Chance to Order March Point of Sale
March National Frozen Food Month is just around the corner. NFRA has many specially-designed point of sale items including some featuring the Ice Age 2 characters. You must order now for delivery by March. Click here if you would like to download the online catalog.

Retail Executive Conference Features Keynote Address by Bashas’
NFRA’s 14th Annual Retail Executive Conference, April 24-26 in Tempe, AZ, will feature many top industry speakers including Mark Barnett, Sr. VP Sales and Merchandising and Christie Frazier-Coleman, Sr. VP Marketing for Bashas’. Mark and Christie will discuss what sets Bashas’ apart from other operators and how they thrive in one of the most competitive food markets in the U.S. Attendance at the Conference is limited to the first 150 participants, so register today. Click here for the detailed agenda and registration form.

Promote 5 A Day the Cool Way in March and Year-Round
The nutritious 5 A Day message can also be used in the frozen food aisle through NFRA’s The Cool Way to Get 5 A Day! promotional effort. This initiative brings additional consumer awareness to the nutritious fruit and vegetable options in the frozen food aisle. As part of the Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites campaign, the 5 A Day effort works toward consumer education while benefiting the frozen food industry with increased sales. Point of sale materials with the 5 A Day message can be found in the March POS Catalog. Click here to download the online catalog.

Go for the Gold During March National Frozen Food Month!
Now is the time to start planning and documenting all your March National Frozen Food Month promotional plans to enter into the Golden Penguin Awards competition. The Golden Penguin Awards honor excellence in promoting and merchandising frozen foods during March. Winners are nationally recognized at the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in October. Find all the criteria needed to create a winning entry in the official rules brochure. Click here to download the brochure and entry forms.

NFRA Membership Directory and Annual Report Mailed to Members
Two of NFRA’s most useful reference books, the 2005 NFRA Annual Report and the 2006 NFRA Membership Directory have recently been mailed to all NFRA members. The Annual Report is a retrospective of NFRA events during the last year. The Membership Directory includes comprehensive, detailed contact information on all member companies of NFRA. Every member company receives two copies of the Membership Directory and Annual Report mailed directly to the key contacts. Additional copies are available for purchase. Click here to order additional copies and see other resources available from NFRA.

NFRA Plans First "Back to Cool" Refrigerated Promotion
A new refrigerated promotion running from August 14 – September 22 will debut this year. The End of Summer "Back to Cool" promotion will help the refrigerated department capitalize on consumers’ preparations for going back to school and returning to busy fall schedules as well as the final blowout of the summer – Labor Day. The promotion will include an On-Line Instant Win Game for consumers and a retail display contest. NFRA is currently developing resources including an Idea Book and POS catalog to help members with promotional plans. New point of sale material is being designed which showcases Chillin’ the "cool" penguin mascot. Click here for more details on plans for the promotion.

Get Ready for the 2006 Ice Cream & Novelties Event
NFRA will create excitement in the aisles during this June and July promotional event with a $50,000 On-Line Instant Win Game for consumers. A retail display contest will promote the Instant Win Game and offer members another opportunity to win the prestigious Golden Penguin award for the best merchandising efforts. Special point of sale materials will be available to support the display contest. Participating in this event is a great way to promote these key categories during their peak season. Details on the contest will be mailed to NFRA members shortly.

Plan Now to Attend the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention
NFRA has been busy planning the 2006 Convention to be held October 7-10 in Orlando, FL. The Convention will maintain its face-to-face business meeting agenda while offering more opportunities for interaction of our frozen and refrigerated members. More information will be mailed to all members and previous attendees next month.

Funding Needed for Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites
NFRA is still seeking financial commitments for the Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites public relations/marketing campaign. Last year the campaign reached over 190 million consumers with positive messages about frozen foods through print and radio releases alone. Contributions to the campaign provide funds for developing the year-round Planning Guide, point of sale materials, consumer e-newsletter, radio spots and press releases. Click here to see a complete list of sponsors, read more about the campaign or download the sponsor commitment form.

NFRA Welcomes Our Newest Members
Please welcome the companies listed below who have met the qualifications of membership and have joined the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association.

Manufacturer

Zatarain’s
www.zatarain.com

Logistics Provider

Preferred Freezer Services
www.preferredfreezer.com

Suffolk Cold Storage
www.suffolkcoldstorage.com

ConAgra Foodservice Specialty Potato Products® recently announced the appointment of Lisa Bescherer, Helene Clark and Bonnie Urresti as new Marketing Directors. Bescherer will develop national strategy and marketing initiatives for Lamb Weston® brand value-added products. Clark assumes the new position of Director of Marketing/Health & Wellness, and will be responsible for the Lamb Weston® brand health communication strategy. Urresti assumes the position of Director of Customer Marketing, she will expand her role in national accounts and special segments.

Hanson Logistics recently announced the promotion of James A. Reits to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Andrew B. Janson to Executive Vice President of Business Development. Their promotion to these newly created positions is designed to strengthen the company’s executive management team as Hanson expands their logistics services.

Bob Popple has been promoted to Director, Retail Frozen Food Sales at Lakeside Foods’ Corporate Office. Popple will be responsible for developing and administering Lakesides’ program of frozen food sales to the retail market.

Bakery Chef, Inc. recently introduced Easy Split Buttermilk Biscuits. Made with real buttermilk, these biscuits come in oven-safe trays and overwrap to ensure a perfectly baked biscuit. Available in 3" (2.5-ounce) and 3.3" (3-ounce) sizes. For more information: www.bakerychef.com

Old Orchard Brands recently announced the addition of Healthy Balance Prune Juice Cocktail with 65 percent less sugar, 25 percent more fiber and fortified with calcium. Old Orchard Brands has created a lighter, crisper 100% prune juice by removing the pulpy consistency that is typical of 100% juices. The Healthy Balance Prune Juice joins the successful line of Healthy Balance fruit juice cocktails that currently include such flavors as: Cranberry, Cranberry Raspberry, White Cranberry and Cranberry Grape among others. For more information: www.oldorchardjuice.com

Produce for Better Health Foundation has announced they will team up with Wal-Mart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets to present a national promotion featuring Curious George and his friends. Universal Studios is giving the character new life with the Feb. 10 theatrical release of the movie "Curious George". Children visiting Wal-Mart produce departments will receive a Curious George-themed fun and games book, designed for kids 2-8 years; their parents will also receive a recipe booklet featuring fruits and vegetables. For more information: www.pbhfoundation.org

Produce for Better Health Foundation recently collaborated with The Culinary Institute of America to hold Produce First! American Menus Initiative. Chef’s and foodservice leaders from America’s top chain restaurants, volume foodservice, hotels, supermarkets and key members of the produce industry joined forces to develop options for making fruits and vegetables more available to the growing number of consumers who rely on away-from-home purchases for meals and snacks. The meeting highlighted culinary strategies from the Mediterranean, Asia, Latin America and the United States. It also featured a dialog on meeting the challenges of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. For more information: www.pbhfoundation.org

RFID Journal LIVE! 2006: Putting RFID to Work will be held May 1-3, 2006, at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Whether you’re just starting to research RFID’s potential for your business or are looking to learn best practices, the 4th annual RFID Journal LIVE! has the educational content, technology solutions and networking opportunities you need to put RFID to work. The event features tracks focused on using RFID in five key vertical industries, plus three tracks that show you how to get started, how to deploy RFID and how to develop an RFID strategy. For more information and to register: http://www.rfidjournal.com/live2006/

Colorado-based WhiteWave Foods has started a $7 million expansion of its Jacksonville, Florida plant. WhiteWave, which processes and distributes soy milk, whipping cream and half-and-half throughout the Southeast, will double its cooler space as part of the expansion. The company will have 9,800 square feet of dry storage and 16,300 square feet of cooler space.

Keep the industry updated about news and staff promotions at your company. NFRA will publish your company highlights monthly in the NFRA Update. Send your company news to us at info@nfraweb.org; via fax to (717) 657-9862; or via mail to NFRA, 4755 Linglestown Rd., Suite 300, Harrisburg, PA 17112.