It’s time to Warm Up to Frozen with the October Frozen Food Festival!
A one-page ad in the Valassis FSI dropped on October 1, 2006 and the $10,000 consumer sweepstakes accessible on the Bring Us To Your Table! website is underway. Take advantage of this national announcement by promoting frozen foods this month and competing in the retail display contest for the Arctic Crystal Award. Point of sale materials are still available. Click here for contest rules, POS and all the details of the promotion.

Deadline for Back to Cool Display Contest Entries
The End-of-Summer Back to Cool promotion created excitement and traffic in the refrigerated dairy department. Don’t forget to enter your best display in the retail display contest to win a Chillin’ Award. Entries are due at NFRA October 20, 2006. Click here for an entry form.

Last Chance to Register for the Premier Business Meeting in the Industry
It’s not too late to register for the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention October 7-10, 2006, at the Orlando World Center Marriott, Florida. Over 1,100 delegates have registered including 150 retailers. Maximize your productivity by meeting with the largest number of frozen and refrigerated industry contacts in one location. Click here for more information and a registration form.

Mark Your Calendar for the Annual Retail Executive Conference
The 15th Annual Retail Executive Conference will be held April 29 – May 2, 2007, at the Tempe Mission Palms in Tempe, AZ. This conference is designed to provide attendees with useable information on the latest consumer and industry trends. The keynote speaker will be Henry Michon, Sr. VP Dairy Refrigerated and Frozen at Safeway. Additional sessions will include a frozen and refrigerated department review, trends in the European market, and new product successes and failures. Look for more information next month.

NFRA Annual Membership Directory Updates Due
Don’t forget to update your company’s membership record online for the 2007 NFRA Annual Membership Directory. You must update your listing online at www.nfraweb.org in order to have a current listing in the printed Membership Directory. Listings should be updates 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.

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

Global Supply & Logistics Inc.
www.gsl-inc.us

Pride Transport Inc.
www.pridetransport.com

MANUFACTURER

Challenge Dairy Products
www.challengedairy.com

RETAILER/WHOLESALER

Spartan Stores, Inc.
www.spartanstores.com

SUPPLIER

Howells Motor Freight Inc.
www.howellsmotor.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
100 Railroad Avenue, Haines City, FL

Hanson Cold Storage
3440 Concord Road, Lafayette, IN

Hanson Cold Storage
2150 S. County Road 125 W, Logansport, IN

Interstate Cold Storage
7725 Nelson Road, Ft. Wayne, IN

Minnesota Freezer Warehouse
1907 Fourteenth Street NE, Austin, MN

United States Cold Storage, Inc.
3300 East Park Row, Alington, TX

The Frozen & Refrigerated Assn of the Northeast (FRANE) and the family of Ryan Marrocco recently announced the 34 winners of its 2006 Scholarship Program. Since 1978, FRANE has awarded over $365,000 in scholarships to member company employees and their families. This is the second year that FRANE has partnered with the Marrocco family to help deserving students.

ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston recently introduced new Lamb Weston® brand Tantalizers® Appetizers available in five flavors including: Battered Jalapeno & Onion Strips, Battered Jumbo Onion Rings, Beer Battered Zucchini Oval Slices, Breaded Cheddar Cheese Curds and Breaded White Cheddar Cheese Curds. All five varieties cook up crisp and golden. Beer Battered Zucchini Oval Slices are also fit for conventional and convection ovens providing additional convenience. For more information: www.lambweston.com

ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston announces new turnover flavors for Lamb Weston® brand Holly Ridge® Turnovers. Currently available in Apple, Cherry and Lemon flavors, the seven new varieties include Peach Crescent, Pineapple, Candy Apple, Lemon Marshmallow, Chocolate Marshmallow, Chocolate Banana and Sweet Potato. They are wrapped in both pastry and bubbly crust styles and are ideal for food courts, snack bars, c-stores and more. Their quick preparation, versatility and low cost help build sales and profits. For more information: www.lambweston.com

Golbon recently announced the addition of the following companies as distributor members. Flavor Foods LLC in El Paso, TX distributes within a 100-mile radius of El Paso, TX and into southern New Mexico. Product offerings include all temperatures and foodservice. Hearn Kirkwood located in Hanover, MD was a founding charter distributor member and recently resigned their affiliation with another group to come back to Golbon. Hearn Kirkwood is a renowned further processor of produce. Hillcrest Foods, Inc. of Fairfax, VT is a specialty distributor of bakery, dairy and bulk food service products to independent bakers, restaurants, pizzerias, and even manufacturers. Hillcrest Foods distributes canned, dry, refrigerated, frozen and non-food products. River City Provisions, Inc. of San Antonio, TX established in 2001 as a C.O.P. distributor servicing San Antonio, TX. Over the past five years, they have expanded their product offering to include refrigerated, frozen, canned, dry, and non-food categories. For more information: www.golbon.com

J & J Snack Foods recently introduced their new frozen novelty line, Tio Pepe’s Hot Ice (Congelada Picante) squeeze tubes. The spicy kick brings new life to the frozen novelty market. The squeeze tubes are available in two blends: tamarind, a popular fruit in Mexico, and chamoy, a blend of apricot and chili flavors. The tamarind variety is sweet and spicy with the fruitiness similar to grape. The chamoy has an apricot’s fruity sweet taste but with a spicy kick the longer you eat it. For more information: www.jjsnack.com

Ralcorp Frozen Bakeries recently introduced TranSense™ Biscuits. This biscuit has a made-from-scratch taste and a flaky buttery texture. Made with 0 grams trans fat with like real buttermilk, for the oven-fresh taste of homemade. Available in Premium Buttermilk and Easy Split Premium Buttermilk, TranSense Biscuits are sized just right with a consistent shape and weight. Heat in a conventional or convection oven in under 25 minutes from frozen, and under 15 minutes thawed. For more information: 708-349-8400