WASHINGTON — FMI, The Food Industry Association, and The North American Meat Institute have decided to cancel the 2022 Annual Meat Conference.

The groups said Wednesday that the decision was made “out of respect for the health of our communities and due to the attention and consideration our respective members are putting into their operations.” The conference had been scheduled for February 7-9.

“Our community is prioritizing the health of its people and operations so that we will be able to continue to serve the shopper,” FMI president and CEO Leslie Sarasin said. “But we are committed to sharing additional category insights with our audiences throughout the year.”

NAMI president and CEO Julie Anna Potts agreed, noting that the purpose of the conference is to bring together retailers and the meat and poultry industry, and that this is a challenging time for all of them.

“Like the meat and poultry industry, many of our partners in retail are experiencing significant operational and supply chain challenges,” Potts said. “At this time, attending an in-person conference is difficult which diminishes the value of the event for all participants.”

A full refund will be issued to all attendees, exhibitors and sponsors, and event coordinators will cancel hotel reservations on behalf of registered attendees.

While the in-person event is canceled, NAMI and FMI, in partnership with Sealed Air, will host a virtual discussion series regarding “The Power of Meat” analysis. The kickoff to this three-part series will be hosted beginning February 7. Registration information will be available via the conference website and in a follow-up communication to previously registered attendees. The analysis will also be available for free to members of our respective organizations and previously registered attendees.