June Dairy Month Surfs into
Refrigerated Aisles
All across the country, consumers are catching the buzz that June is Dairy Month. NFRA’s two-page FSI featuring the Surf’s Up movie characters dropped on June 3rd, and the Catch the Cool Wave $7,500 Sweepstakes is live on EasyHomeMeals.com. NFRA is further communicating positive refrigerated messages with a mass distributed media release and radio spot and through our consumer e-newsletter. Be sure to document your in-store programs for entry in the Golden Penguin Awards Competition. Entries are due August 14.

Ice Cream & Novelties Promotions are Heating Up Sales
Kick off your summer selling season with the Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties promotion which runs through June and July. There is still time for you to create a cool display with themed point of sale from NFRA. Displays should feature any of the 23 participating brands and direct consumers to EasyHomeMeals.com to play the Summer Favorites $100,000 Instant Win Game. Enter your best display for the chance to win the Golden Penguin Award. Check the Rules & Entry Form for details. Entries are due by August 17.

Join a Record Number of Registrants
for the Premier Business Event in
the Industry
Over 560 delegates have already registered and begun scheduling business meetings at the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention, October 13-16, at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter. The Convention offers a valuable opportunity to meet one-on-one with multiple customers in just a few days. Register before July 13 to be included in the next pre-registration list, used by delegates to schedule business appointments prior to arriving in San Antonio.

Give Consumers Fresh Ideas for
Frozen Foods in October
Participate in the October Frozen Food Festival to give your frozen sales an end-of-year boost. NFRA will drop a one-page ad in the Valassis FSI on September 30, 2007 and direct consumers to enter the Fresh Ideas in Frozens $7,500 Sweepstakes on EasyHomeMeals.com. NFRA has developed many resources to help you produce a coordinated promotion. The October Idea Book and Point of Sale Catalog contains all the details of the promotion and will be available online in a couple weeks.

Frozen Foods – Fresh Ideas. Great Taste. Campaign Reaches Millions of Consumers in March
As part of the Frozen Foods – Fresh Ideas. Great Taste. marketing/public relations campaign, NFRA developed a press release and radio spot in support of March National Frozen Food Month which was distributed to newspapers and radio stations nationwide. A Spanish version of the release was also sent to over 650 Hispanic publications. To date, these combined efforts have reached over 61 million consumers in as many as 37 different states with positive messages about frozen foods. In order to continue successful public relations initiatives like this one, NFRA needs the financial support of the entire industry. Read more about the campaign or download the sponsor commitment form.

Meal Prep Videos for Your
Website at No Cost
NFRA has created the Cool Chef Video Library, a series of 12 online streaming videos, for our members use. The videos feature a cook preparing meals/recipes with frozen and refrigerated foods. A printable recipe and shopping list will take consumers from browsing to shopping. These videos are simple to add to your website and all the production and hosting costs are paid by NFRA. There is also a video available for to promote June Dairy Month. To get started, contact Marlene Redden at 717-657-8601 or marlene@nfraweb.org.

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.

SALES AGENT

Mid Atlantic Impact Co., Inc.
570-668-1282

SUPPLIER

R. L. Booth Consulting
415-990-9990

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

Burris Logistics
111 Reese Avenue, Harrington, DE

Burris Logistics
451 Fletchwood Road, Elkton, MD

Hall’s Warehouse Corp.
330 Oak Tree Avenue, South Plainfield, NJ

Produce for Better Health Foundation recently elected their 2007 Executive Committee and Officers at their annual meeting in San Francisco, California. Mike O’Brien, vice president of produce for Schnuck’s Markets, Inc. was elected chair, Mark Munger, of Andrew Williamson Sales Company, was elected vice chairman, and Paul Klutes, of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. was elected secretary/treasurer. Mary DeGroat, director of public relations for California Strawberry Commission, was elected to PBH’s Consumer Marketing and Communications Committee. For more information: 302-235-2329

United States Cold Storage recently announced the appointment of Bart Smith as National Sales Manager. Smith will be responsible for sales and customer development in the Southern United States. In addition, Michael Radnoti was promoted to Vice President, National Sales and will be responsible for sales and customer development in the mid-west and northeast regions. Mickey Hoffmann was also promoted to Assistant Director Corporate Development. He will be responsible for supporting corporate development initiatives in this newly created position. For more information, contact Jerome Scherer, V.P. National Sales and Marketing, 510-471-1705.

F.A.B., Inc. has announced the addition of Newman & Ullman as members of the cooperative. Founded in 1859, Newman & Ullman is one of the oldest companies in the United States. Located in Pekin, IL the distributor offers thousands of items including snack items, institutional foods and other items for retailers and restaurants. For more information: www.frostyacres.com

Golbon announced the addition of Chambers & Owen, Inc. Chambers & Owen is a c-store distributor serving Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa markets. The company provides customers with a full menu of product selections suitable for c-stores and offers beverage service and systems, dry, refrigerated and frozen products. For more information: www.golbon.com

Icelandic® USA, Inc. has become a registered buyer with the leading aquaculture certification organization, the Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC). The mission of Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc. is to certify aquaculture facilities that apply best management practices to ensure social and environmental responsibility, food safety and traceability throughout the production chain. The ACC currently certifies shrimp hatcheries, farms and processing plants to Best Aquaculture Practices standards. As a benefit to foodservice and retail operators, Icelandic® is now listed on the ACC website under registered buyers. “It is critical to let our customers know that we source from quality, certified suppliers that are dedicated to Best Aquaculture Practices,” stated Thomas Sherman Vice President of Marketing for Icelandic® USA, Inc. For more information: www.icelandic.com

Lamb Weston® Brand LW Private Reserve® French Fries deliver maximum flavor in every bite. Made from Pacific Northwest potatoes, the fries are cut with the skin-on for chef-made appearance. Quick and easy to cook, going from freezer to table in minutes. Available in a dozen different cuts, including large steak house fries, wedge cuts, shoestrings, Juliennes and CrissCut® Fries. For more information: www.lambweston.com

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) recently presented their 2006 National Excellence Awards for outstanding commitment to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption through corporate, employee, and community efforts. Ahold USA is among the winners whose store activities focused on encouraging children to eat more fruits and veggies through a new innovative in-store program with PBH & Nickelodeon. For more information: www.pbhfoundation.org

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) recently celebrated the launch of their new Fruits & Veggies-More Matters™ health initiative. A contest is being held issuing the Fruits & Veggies-More Matter Challenges to families across America. The contest will award families with cash and prizes, including two grand prize trips to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA for a family cooking weekend getaway. The Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Challenge is a unique opportunity to reach out to Americans and alert them about this important health initiative, and how to improve this consumption gap in fruits and vegetables. For more information: www.pbhfoundation.org

Unified Western Grocers, Inc. (Unified) recently announced it has signed a letter of understanding to purchase certain assets and assume certain liabilities of Associated Grocers, Inc. (AG), Seattle, WA. The transaction is subject to completion of due diligence, the execution of a definitive purchase agreement, approval by Board of Directors of AG and Unified, AG Shareholders, as well as federal and state regulatory agencies. The transaction should be complete by late this summer. For more information: 323-264-5200 (ext. 4150)

The USA Rice Federation recently announced the winner’s of the 2006 Retailer Promotion Contest. An overwhelming 500 chains and independent retailers built displays increasing rice sales by an average of 94%. A total of twenty-two prizes were awarded to both the winning chain and independent retailers. The grand prize was $2,500 and runners up received $500 each. The Grand Prize, Chain award  was awarded to Bi-Lo #284 in Moncks Corner, South Carolina who took the gold for the second year in a row with their “Survivor: Rice Island” theme. The Rice Retailer Promotion Contest runs each year during September’s National Rice Month. For more information: www.usarice.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.