FMI's Sansolo to Address Competition, Nation’s Economy, Consumer Trends and Other Benchmark Issues at 2004 Annual Meat Conference

Intense competition, tough economic conditions and changing consumer demographics are some of the issues that will be addressed by Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Senior Vice President Michael Sansolo during the closing session of the 2004 Meat Conference. Sponsored by FMI and the American Meat Institute (AMI), the annual conference will be held March 14 to16 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn.

Conference co-sponsors include America’s Beef Producers, American Lamb Council, National Chicken Council, National Pork Board and the National Turkey Federation.

Sansolo’s presentation, “State of the Retail Food Industry,” will offer an overview of the industry and an analysis of key components — suppliers, distributors, consumers and the government. Sansolo will unveil new data and draw from a broad range of resources and opinions.

“The supermarket industry today may be experiencing one of the most unusual and challenging periods in its history, driven by dramatic changes in consumer attitudes, sales growth and company profits, as well as the issues facing the nation as a whole,” said Sansolo. “Today’s businesses are taking a long, hard look at where they are and what they must do to succeed.”

Sansolo’s presentation is just one of nearly 20 that will be featured during the three-day conference. In addition to the education program, the conference will feature a Product Tasting Reception, tours of Nashville-area retail centers, a Tech Fair luncheon and several networking events. For details, please visit the conference Web site at http://www.fmi.org/events/confmain.cfm?meetings_id=297.

American Meat Institute represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. The Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the industry. Its affiliate, the AMI Foundation, is a separate 501(c)3 organization that conducts research, education and information projects for the industry.

Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 2,300 member companies — food retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of $340 billion — three-quarters of all food retail store sales in the United States. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from 60 countries.