Members of the Future Leaders Planning Committee met in the FMI office and via conference call to plan the 2017 Future Leaders event scheduled for June in Chicago. Representatives from Catalina, The Coca-Cola Company, Giant Eagle, Hussmann Corporation, Kellogg Company, The Kroger Co., LearnSomething, Lunds & Byerlys, Marsh Supermarkets, Nestle Purina Pet Care Company, Network of Executive Women, Price Chopper Supermarkets, and Weis Markets brainstormed on how to deliver leadership development programming at the event.

I remember hearing dozens of old wives’ tales growing up. Some pertained to superstitions, such as opening an umbrella while still inside would bring 10 years bad luck, or if I spilled salt I would throw a pinch over my left shoulder. Others I remember primarily related to misconceptions about food that were neither scientifically accurate nor rationale, such as eating celery counts as negative calories or drinking coffee would stunt my growth.

The challenge of reducing food waste has never been more in focus for the food wholesale and retail industry. By some estimates, as much as a third of all food produced is lost or wasted from farm to fork.

Shoppers may also want to know where ingredients originated; whether all its ingredients are healthy; whether the workers who made it were treated fairly; whether it's packaged in the most sustainable fashion possible; the kind of fertilizer the farmer uses; and the distance it traveled to get to the shelf. The list of consumer questions continues to grow. And if we don't supply that information in an easy-to-find place, they will seek answers from sources that may or may not be well suited to provide factual information.