Like every other industry sector, technology has transformed the food retail business over the last 20 to 30 years, and will continue to do so, probably forever. Just as your customers are constantly adopting the latest electronic gadgets, you too must be sure you’re up-to-date on the latest food-related technology that shoppers will be using and will help you drive more profit to your bottom line.

FMI Connect is that “table,” the platform upon which retailers, manufacturers and suppliers can gather to share information, introduce new ideas, analyze their businesses, track the pulse of the shopper and look for new ways to reach an evolving consumer base and profit from it.

FMI plays an important role on behalf of the industry to educate lawmakers and policymakers about the impact of certain policies on the operations of your business. We also develop compliance tools and alerts for you and your team, but your company must also play an active role in providing first-hand examples and stories regarding the challenges you face as well as helping us prioritize our work on issues.

I was recently talking with Art Yerecic, president of Yerecic Label, and he shared that they are seeing consumers buying produce online, even ahead of dry grocery, demonstrating the need for food retailers to offer more channel flexibility. I see this as yet another way technology is changing the way food retailers do business.