<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Food retailers can enhance the holiday experience
by offering affordable, convenient meal options, supporting evolving health and
nutrition needs, motivating retail teams for effective execution and applying
these successful practices beyond the holiday season to improve fresh food
retail year-round.</em><o:p></o:p><br /></p><p>By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, FMI <br /></p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/apples-in-snow.tmb-large-350-.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=860525a2_1" style="float:right;margin:10px;" class="-align-right" alt="Apples in snow" sf-size="100" /><p>I view the holidays as a magical time for fresh foods. The season evokes images of families and friends gathered around tables to enjoy fresh entrees, sides and desserts.<br /></p><p>However, magic doesn’t necessarily come easy. It takes a lot of work behind the scenes. Shoppers and hosts rely on food retailers to help foster delicious, nutritious and affordable meals and provide supportive customer service. This ties into three key topics spotlighted at FMI’s <a href="https://www.fmi.org/fresh-forward">FreshForward</a> conference in August: meals, labor and health and well-being. Insights from the conference’s speakers and attendee breakout groups can help guide retailers’ fresh strategies during the all-important holiday season. <br /></p><h5>Making Meals Manageable</h5><p>Food retailers are focused on delivering affordable meals and helping customers simplify preparation. At FreshForward, speaker Jeremy Gosch, chairman of the board and CEO, Hy-Vee, Inc., outlined how this mission plays out during the holidays at his retail operation. <br /></p><p>“Holiday meal occasions look different these days as consumers seek easy, convenient and budget-friendly options,” he said. “At Hy-Vee we offer heat-and-eat holiday meal packs, ranging from a party of two to 20, to simplify the holidays so families can spend less time in the kitchen, and more time together.”<br /></p><p>He noted that this past year the company introduced a budget-friendly Thanksgiving holiday meal deal, so customers could purchase all their traditional holiday ingredients to feed up to six people for as low as $30. He emphasized that family dinners remain a cherished tradition, with 82% of families prioritizing shared meals despite their busy schedules.<br /></p><h5>Supporting Health and Nutrition</h5><p>Shopper consumption patterns are quickly evolving but health and well-being remains a crucial factor in their decisions. Holiday meals are often nutritionally dense. Think about the starring roles played by vegetables and lean protein during Thanksgiving.<br /></p><p>At <a href="https://www.fmi.org/fresh-forward">FreshForward</a>, speakers and attendee breakout groups identified how retailers can stay on top of the shifting health and nutrition needs of customers. A case in point is the growth in consumer usage of GLP-1 medications, which has led many to follow nutrition-centered eating strategies. Retailers have opportunities to further support the nutrition needs of these shoppers through product offerings, education and marketing. <br /></p><h5>Helping Teams Succeed</h5><p>The holiday period is a highly busy time in stores. Retail associates are striving to execute well on meal preparation, merchandising and customer service. <br /></p><p>Execution is more complex when it involves fresh foods. Employees need direction on how to prioritize their time and efforts. Retail leaders should keep things as straightforward as possible to help achieve success. Managers can help motivate employees by emphasizing the crucial mission of providing thousands of meals for holiday shoppers. <br /></p><h5>Keeping it Going Beyond the Holidays</h5><p>Even as I offer ideas on how to outperform during the holidays, I must say that food retailers are often at their best during this season. Speakers and attendees at FreshForward observed that retailers can succeed by taking their best practices from the holidays and applying them beyond that season. I will end on that aspirational note to help enhance fresh foods at retail all year long.</p><p><a href="https://www.fmi.org/industry-topics/fresh-foods" class="button">Fresh Foods</a></p>
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