As noted elsewhere in this issue, artificial intelligence was front and center at last month’s FMI Midwinter Executive Conference. Anyone who only saw some of the keynote presentations at the event might have come to the conclusion that technology is crowding out other important priorities. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In a conversation with Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI – The Food Industry Association, she outlined a packed agenda. Work is under way on multiple fronts. Initiatives include advancing the grocery industry’s policy goals (e.g., swipe fee and PBM reform); helping policy makers and the public understand the causes of food price inflation; recalibrating the supply chain in the wake of the COVID pandemic; and encouraging families to have meals together. The thread that connects all of these efforts is an intense focus on the evolving needs and preferences of grocery shoppers.

“We know that someone in the household is going into the store 2.6 times a week, and we also know that who’s in the household is varying,” she said. “The traditional mom and dad and 2.5 kids is not really the way we live anymore. It’s an opportunity for our companies to really think about the way they are serving the needs of their customers and meeting them where they are.”

The process will require FMI’s members — CPG suppliers as well as grocery retailers and distributors — to reconsider their definition of such fundamentals as value and convenience, Sarasin noted, and then determine the best means to deliver against them. By doing so, they will revamp brick-and-mortar stores, the product mix, omnichannel capabilities and more.

“It’s an opportunity for changing the dynamic of what’s happening in the supermarket,” said Sarasin. “Many of our companies are deeply involved in health and wellness, whether it’s through traditional pharmacy, over-the-counter medicines or providing access to registered dietitians.

“A growing number of our members have also been dabbling in nonfood categories and will continue to do that,” she added, citing one supermarket operator that has added ACE Hardware kiosks to its stores. “We think the trend is so important that in 2023 we created a whole new community of nonfoods. It’s really an important part of what we’re doing as we, as an organization, work to make sure that we’re representing the four corners of the store, and that we are covering the entirety of what’s happening in the industry.”

That commitment bodes well — both for FMI and for the entire supermarket sector.