Now I know that you might be thinking what does a video game have to do with my food retail business? Well, besides the fact that the same augmented reality technology is already being used in the industry to help educate store employees about food safety and other in-store trainings, the popularity of the game overnight can also teach grocery stores some lessons. Here are some points to consider.

In 2014, the Trading Partner Alliance (TPA), a joint industry relationship group made up of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) that focuses on shared retailer-manufacturer supply chain efficiency issues, information technology and the adoption of environmentally-friendly business practices, came together to identify a solution to address the growing demand for information. Given the limited space actually available on-pack and the amount of information consumers want, it became apparent we had to not only think “outside the box,” but we needed to explore options beyond the traditional label.

This summer, some of our staff will be visiting food retail establishments across the country and we’ll be sharing photos from their visits on Fridays. Here are some snapshots from on recent visit to Kalamazoo People’s Food Co-op, a consumer-owned cooperative grocery store in Michigan, captured by Cynthia Brazzel, director of member relations and advocacy for the western region at FMI.

When you’re in the business of feeding people, the idea of “food waste” can’t help but leave you feeling a little sick to your stomach. A lot goes into that: Wasted water, energy, and effort; and quality food ending up in landfill. From an environmental, efficiency and hunger viewpoint this is a disaster.