June Dairy Month Promotions are Underway

With the support of ten sponsoring refrigerated dairy brands, NFRA is announcing June Dairy Month to 29 million consumers with FSIs dropping on June 5 and June 19. The first two-page FSI will feature coupons from the sponsoring brands and direct consumers to the www.BringUsToYourTable.com website where they can enter the $7,500 Cool Favorites Sweepstakes. The one-page follow-up FSI will remind consumers to visit their local refrigerated aisles for special deals and to enter the sweepstakes. Point of sale materials in retail stores will also direct consumers to the refrigerated dairy aisles. Click here for more information on the June Dairy Month promotion.

Merchandise Ice Cream and Novelties in June and July

There is still time to participate in the Summer Favorites retail display contest and to compete for the coveted Golden Penguin award. To help you get consumers in the aisle and excited about the promotion, NFRA is hosting a $32,500 Summer Favorites On-Line Instant Win Game. All you have to do is promote the Instant Win Game and participating brands. NFRA’s special Summer Favorites point of sale makes preparing a display easy. Click here for the complete contest rules and to order POS.

March National Frozen Food Month Sales Results Are In

Dollar sales were up 4% versus the prior year during the month of March, and units increased 2.4% according to Information Resources, Inc. Sales were heavily influenced by Easter falling in the final week of March creating a significant sales boost. Three frozen categories saw significant growth including Dinner/Entrees, Breakfast Food and Poultry. Click below for a full analysis and market breakdown.

Full Analysis (MS PowerPoint) | Market Breakdown (MS Excel)

Deadline to be in the First Pre-Registration List Approaching

Join the nearly 300 delegates who have already registered to attend the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention. You must be registered by June 3 to be included in the first pre-registration list, which is used by delegates to schedule appointments prior to the Convention. Don’t miss this premier networking event which draws over 1100 delegates including over 50 of the top supermarket chains. Click here for more details and to register.

Prepare Now to Enter the June Golden Penguin Awards Competition

Don’t forget to document all of your promotional efforts in support of June Dairy Month for entry into the Golden Penguin Awards Competition. Golden Penguin winners will be nationally recognized at a special Reception and Banquet at the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in San Francisco, CA. Entries must be received at the NFRA office no later than August 16, 2005. Click here to download the Golden Penguin rules brochure and entry form.

Newspaper and Radio Reach Millions of Consumers with Bring Us To Your Table!® Freezer Favorites Message in March

In support of March National Frozen Food Month, a press release and radio spots praising the benefits of frozen foods were distributed to media outlets nationwide. To date, 204 newspaper articles have appeared in 24 states reaching 8.2 million readers. A Spanish version of the release was also sent to over 650 Hispanic publications reaching an additional 1.7 million readers. Two radio spots have also reached a combined audience of 43.2 million listeners. These efforts are possible because of financial contributions to the Bring Us To Your Table! Freezer Favorites campaign. In order to continue successful public relations initiatives like this one, NFRA needs your financial commitment for 2005. Click here for more information and a 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/Refrigerated
Marburger Farm Dairy, Inc.
724-538-4752

Recent Certificate of Excellence Recipients

The Certificate of Excellence, the highest operational award in the frozen and refrigerated foods industry, signifies that a facility conforms to the highest industry and government standards, and strictly adheres to the Code of Recommended Practices for the handling and merchandising of frozen & refrigerated foods.

Renewal

Confederation Freezers
240 Nugget Court, Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Confederation Freezers
21 York Road, Brantford, Ontario, Canada

US Cold Storage
2901 Kenny Biggs Road, Lumberton, NC

US Cold Storage
125 Threet Industrial Boulevard, Smyrna, TN

U.S. Cold Storage
5150 Pulaski Street, Dallas, TX

Eastern Frosted Foods Association is hosting their 53^rd Annual Golf Outing August 10-11, 2005 at the Wild Turkey Golf Club at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, NJ. For more information 973-835-1710 or register on-line at www.effa.org.

Sysco Corporation announced that Marty E. Turner has been named president and chief executive officer of Sysco Food Services-Gulf Coast, Inc., a SYSCO subsidiary currently under construction in Geneva, Alabama. Turner currently serves as executive vice president of Sysco Food Services of Central Florida, Inc. He began his foodservice career in 1970 as an order selector at Sysco’s Memphis, Tennessee subsidiary.

The California Strawberry Commission announced according to the latest nutrition research, eating eight California strawberries a day may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers and improve memory. California Strawberries are being called a nutritional super food because they are an excellent source of antioxidants including Vitamin C, and high levels of potassium, folate and fiber. For more information: www.calstrawberry.com

CM Packaging, through its parent company Chicago Metallic Products, Inc., has acquired Packaging Direct, Inc. (PDI) based in Gladwin, MI. PDI has an extensive line of over 200 different packaging items focusing primarily on PET containers for the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable markets. PDI’s plastic products are sold throughout the U.S. by its direct sales force and brokers. For more information contact: Bill Fife, 608-833-8779.

Golbon announced the addition of Ray’s Wholesale Meats, Inc. of Yakima, WA and Southwest Food Distributors, LLC d.b.a. Fadler Company of Tulsa, OK, as their newest distributor members. Ray’s Wholesale focuses on center of the plate offerings and operates as a processing plant for custom beef products along with refrigerated and frozen products.

Hanson Logistics has launched a new pool distribution program. The new service, offered from the Benton Harbor, MI and Lafayette, IN logistics campuses, leverages the company’s location, expertise and technology to meet the need for more case intensive orders and LTL shipments. In addition to offering its customers the cost-effectiveness of load consolidation, Hanson also provides end-to-end supply chain visibility and event management through its web-based WMS and TMS technology. For more information: www.hansonlogisticsgroup.com

Ruiz Foods, known for its El Monterey brand, announced the expansion of operations to Denison, TX, where it will occupy the old Pillsbury plant. Once the plant is renovated, Ruiz is expected to employ nearly 450 employees with the first phase completion requiring nearly 100 employees. That eclipses the 300 jobs that were lost when the Pillsbury plant closed two years ago. In June 2004 Ruiz was ranked 17^th among the top 500 Hispanic-owned businesses by Hispanic Business Magazine. For more information: www.ruizfoods.com

A committee has been formed to manage the transition of the merger of Icelandic® USA, Inc. and Samband of Iceland’s operation in the United States. A targeted date of July 1, 2005 has been set to merge the two companies, and the committee will work toward a swift and uniform transition of the companies’ operations. The new company will go forward as Icelandic® USA, Inc. For more information: 757-820-4000.

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America recently announced that new research findings concluded that Wild Blueberry compounds have the potential to attack all stages of cancer -- initiation, promotion and proliferation. According to the study, different types of Wild Blueberry phenolic compounds are active during different stages of cancer, resulting in a broad spectrum of potential cancer fighting benefits. For more information: www.wildblueberries.com

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.