Get Back to Cool in the Refrigerated Aisles in September
Increase your end-of-summer refrigerated sales and win the Chillin’ Award for the best display. There is still time to participate in the Back to Cool retail display contest that runs through September 29. NFRA has “cool” point of sale available that will draw attention in the aisle and create excitement by promoting the $50,000 Online Instant Win Game. Click here to order POS, see the contest rules and download the Instant Win Game artwork.

June Dairy Month Golden Penguin Winners Announced
NFRA has awarded 26 Gold Penguins and 15 Silver Penguins in honor of excellence in promoting and merchandising the refrigerated food department during June Dairy Month. Click here for more information and a complete list of winners.

Golden Penguins Awarded for Ice Cream & Novelties Display Contest
The Family Freezer Pleasers Ice Cream & Novelties Retail Display Contest winners have been chosen. NFRA honored 24 Gold Winners and 34 Silver Winners in six different regions – Northeast, Southeast, East Central, West Central, Southwest and Pacific/Western. Click here for more information and a complete list of winners.

Warm Up the Frozen Aisles in October with Ice Age POS
Leverage the excitement of the upcoming DVD release of Ice Age The Meltdown in the frozen food aisles this October. Retailers can compete for the Arctic Crystal Award in our retail display contest. NFRA has Ice Age themed point of sale that is sure to drive traffic and increase sales. Order now to ensure delivery by October. Don’t forget to direct consumers to the Warm Up to Frozen $10,000 Sweepstakes on our consumer website at www.BringUsToYourTable.com as an added bonus. Click here for contest rules, POS and all the details of the promotion.

Update Your Directory Listing Online
NFRA is preparing the 2007 Annual Membership Directory and it’s time to update your company’s listing. The information that appears in your online listing is the same as will appear in the printed directory. You must update your listing online in order to have a current listing in the printed Membership Directory. Listings should be updated by October 20, 2006 to ensure your correct information is included in NFRA’s 2007 Annual Membership Directory. You will need your member number and password to update your listing. Click here to make your updates.

Don’t Miss this Incredible Business Opportunity
Time is running out if you haven’t yet registered for the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention, October 7-10 in Orlando. This is not your typical Convention. Over 120 retailers have registered and booked meeting rooms to meet one-on-one with Convention delegates. Nowhere else will you get as much business done in as little time. Meet with a couple dozen companies in just a few days without leaving the hotel! Click here for more information on the Convention and to register.

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.

LOGISTICS PROVIDER

JNJ Global Logistics
www.jnjgloballogistics.com

MANUFACTURER

InnovAsian Cuisine Enterprises LLC
www.innovasiancuisine.com

Modern Foods
www.modernfoods.net

Natural Harmony Foods, Inc.
www.naturalharmonyfoods.com

SALES AGENT

Schraad  & Associates
www.schraad.com

SUPPLIER

dunnhumbyUSA
www.dunnhumby.com

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.

RENEWALS

Burris Refrigerated Logistics
1229 Fleetway Drive, Chesapeake, VA

Burris Refrigerated Logistics
383 Mount Torrey Road, Lyndhurst, VA

Hall’s Warehouse Corp.
601 Kentile Road, South Plainfield, NJ

New Orleans Cold Storage
1091 Remount Road, North Charleston, SC

US Cold Storage - Plant 2
1600 West Calton Road, Laredo, TX

US Cold Storage - Plant 3
1602 Island Street, Laredo, TX

F.A.B ., Inc. (Frosty Acres Brands), recently announced the appointment of Cindy Naes to the new position of Senior Vice President of Procurement. In this role, Naes will be responsible for all procurement operations for the company. Naes has over 30 years experience in the foodservice industry, most recently with Monarch Foods. For more information: www.frostyacres.com

Lakeside Foods recently announced the appointment of Jennifer Sabee as Manager, Total Health and Wellness. In this capacity, she will be responsible for directing and providing assistance to the health promotion and consumer education program for all Lakeside locations. Melissa Mecca has been named Sales Representative in Lakeside Foods Frozen Food Sales Department at the corporate office in Manitowoc, WI. In this capacity, she will be responsible for representing the entire line of Lakeside frozen food products to retail customers throughout the nation. For more information: www.lakesidefoods.com

Golbon recently announced the addition of the following companies as distributor members. Acme Food Products Co., Inc. has a long time presence in the New Jersey market. They handle all temperatures, focusing on government and school bid and caterers in metro New Jersey. Compasa LLC, located in McAllen, TX sells to distributors and foodservice accounts in Mexico. Known for Center of Plate sales in Mexico, Compasa LLC has joined Golbon to expand their product mix. Reichert's Distributing, Inc. founded in the late 1980’s as a meat company has grown from servicing grocery and C-stores into a full line distributor, servicing a wide array of customers including independents and casinos. SunLine Food & Supply Company came into existence in 2003 when it purchased Golbon member Sunbeam Foods facility and business in Houston, TX. SunLine Food’s primary business focus is to expand their product offering into a broadline distribution.

Hanson Logistics recently extended a helping hand to Maple Leaf Farms after a straight line wind damaged the company’s refrigerated distribution center ripping the siding off and exposing racks of frozen duck entrees. The day of the storm Hanson launched an around the clock shuttle and warehouse operation to move fresh and frozen ducks and poultry from the damaged Milford, Indiana facility to Hanson’s Benton Harbor, Michigan refrigerated warehouse 71 miles away. The intense, short-term project would eventually require product relocation to two other nearby Hanson facilities. More than 3,800 pallets were relocated and Hanson warehouse staffing was more than doubled, with crews working 24/7. Maple Leaf Farms then relied on Hanson Logistics to resume shipping of more than 60,000 cases of frozen entrees per week. For more information: www.hansonlogisticsgroup.com

Old Orchard Brands recently introduced the first frozen pomegranate fruit juice concentrate to the premium “super juice” class of juices, called simply, 100% Pure Pomegranate. In addition, the company will introduce three additional premium frozen juice concentrates including: 100% Pure Tart Cherry and 100% blends of Pomegranate/Blueberry and Pomegranate/Cherry juices. For more information: www.oldorchardjuice.com

Rosina Food Products, Inc. recently announced the acquisition of certain assets and labels from High Liner Foods (USA) Incorporated. This includes the brand names Italian Village®, Floresta®, and Gina Italian Village® (collectively known as Italian Village). Recognized as a premier manufacturer of frozen-filled pasta under the Celentano® brand name, Rosina Food Products, Inc. will compliment this line with the addition of the Italian Village brands. The production of Italian Village products will be transferred to the Rosina Food Products, Inc. production facilities in West Seneca, NY. For more information: www.rosina.com

Unified Western Grocers recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary of the Summer Youth Employment Program. Forty-eight high school students are learning how the supermarket industry works. The students, 31 of whom are from the Los Angeles metropolitan area, 8 from Portland, Oregon and 9 from Northern California (Stockton, Livermore and Hayward area), are spending six weeks working at various departments and divisions located at Unified’s regional offices throughout the West Coast. Paid for the time they spend working on behalf of the company, the students also spend a major portion of their time learning how the grocery business works. Students also have the opportunity to win scholarships to further their education. For more information: www.uwgrocers.com

VersaCold recently announced the expansion of their La Porte, Texas facility for the second time in four years to keep up with customer demand. The expansion was necessary due to the growth of the Port of Houston itself and the traffic it generates, along with the growth of many customers, who needed additional facilities for their products. The expansion increased VersaCold’s capacity by approximately one-third – from less than 7 million cubic feet to more than 9.7 million cubic feet. For more information: 310-900-7080

Wegmans Food Markets recently announced the sale of irradiated fresh ground beef. Wegmans is the only retailer in the nation to offer the beef. The beef can be cooked as the customer may wish because it has passed through a concentrated beam of electrical energy to destroy any illness-causing bacteria in the meat. Traditional ground beef must be cooked at 160 degrees to be sure any bacteria is killed. Wegmans irradiated fresh ground beef comes in 1 pound rolls, in 80% and 90% lean varieties. For more information: www.wegmans.com.