Change is occurring in our industry at a rapid pace, but one thing hasn’t: food retailers’ commitment to food safety and communicating relevant recall information to their customers wherever – and however – they shop.

The infinitely complex game of baseball can actually be reduced to three simple components; hit the ball, throw the ball and catch the ball. Likewise, finance can be very complicated, but it too can be reduced to the answer to three simple questions: Where does our income come from? What is the money spent on? What does the subsequent bottom line look like?

On the road again. This phrase embodies the commitment of FMI staff to meet our members where they operate in order to share FMI programming and to learn what we can do to serve them better. FMI staff wrapped up a successful 2017 with more than 120 in-person member visits.

The private brands work FMI performed in 2017 focused on transparency, research and exploring lessons learned and opportunities from other countries. While perhaps not as catchy as Julius Caesar’s “Veni, vidi, vici - We came, we saw, we conquered,” there is some truth to the notion that last year, we learned, we got clear, we explored new opportunities.