Did you eat well on July 4th? I am guessing food was a key part of your holiday activities, most likely a traditional barbeque. If I ask - did you “eat well?” How would you answer? Did you have tasty burgers and hot dogs? Did you have a fresh, nutritious salad? I am guessing the answer for many of you is yes to each of these questions. But what were you really thinking about when I asked did you “eat well?”

Technology and digital services can offer a viable solution to the information-hungry customer by providing access to the targeted information they want in the way they prefer to consume it. It’s also a way for grocers to provide transparent information that can be configured according to shoppers’ questions in a convenient, quick, easy and satisfying way.

This is not loyalty 1.0 – or even 2.0. Retailer loyalty programs are getting major upgrades in the wake of extreme retail competition and more demanding, tech-savvy consumers.

Food Marketing Institute's President and CEO, Leslie G. Sarasin, and Chief Food and Product Safety Officer, Senior Vice President of Food Safety Programs, Hilary Thesmar, visited Craig Boyan, president of H-E-B, last week.