If you live near Chicago, Philadelphia, Santa Fe, Seattle, or in Northern California, you’ve probably heard a lot about soda or “sugar-sweetened beverage” taxes recently. If not, pay attention, since efforts to tax these items are a growing trend FMI has identified at the state and local level.

Today, exceptional leadership and successful businesses depend on the ability to tell a story that compels organizations forward and harnesses the authentic connection between a brand and a customer. Strategic storytelling transcends company narratives and has become a powerful skill that can better frame an individual’s experiences and knowledge to others.

There is another area in which the challenge to “watch our language” has relevance for the industry. Again, this is an area of focus for this year’s Trends research. As I share our 2017 Trends findings with the Future Leaders of our industry, I especially look forward to engaging them on the not-so-transparent topic of transparency.

At the beginning of May, representatives from the grocery industry visited the nation’s capital for our annual supermarket Day in Washington fly-in, which is held in partnership with the National Grocers Association and Food Industry Association Executives. Grocers met with more than 230 congressional offices during an especially timely period in Washington. While a grocer’s day-to-day agenda is ever-changing, debit reform and tax reform were the top issues that members discussed with legislators.