Supermarket Perimeter - February 2024 - 3

Editor's note
Editorial
JOHN UNREIN
Editor
ANDY NELSON
Managing Editor
HAYLEY HYER
Digital Media Associate Editor
Publishing
TROY ASHBY
Publisher
GRETCHEN WAGNER
National Account Executive
LAUREN JULIANA
Inside Sales Specialist
KATHI D. GILLELAND
Senior Director of Marketing
and Promotions
WHITNEY HARTMAN
Sales Enablement Specialist
DUSTIN PICKMAN
Audience Development Director
CARLEA CHANCE
Audience Development Specialist
JON HALL
Director of Digital Media
CARRIE FLUEGGE
Digital Advertising Manager
NORA WAGES
Advertising Manager
ANNIE FOURNIER
Advertising Coordinator
ELISABETH SPILLMAN
Design Services Manager
MARJ POTTS
Production Specialist
BECKY WHITE
Senior Design Consultant
FIONA DANKER
Senior Graphic Designer
KATELYN BETZ
Graphic Designer
JIM WHITE
Promotions Manager
ABBY CHRONISTER
Promotions Media Designer
Corporate
CHARLES S. SOSLAND
Chairman and CEO
L. JOSHUA SOSLAND
President
STACI GRECO
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
MEYER SOSLAND
Chief Operating Officer
A NOTE TO OUR READERS
Supermarket Perimeter knows how important it is to have timely access to the vital
industry information and insights we provide. In addition to our industry leading print
editions, you can always stay engaged wherever you are with our digital editions at
supermarketperimeter.com/digital_editions. You can get the latest news first by signing
up for Supermarket Perimeter's newsletters by visiting supermarketperimeter.com/
newsletter_subscriptions. For assistance please e-mail us at subscriptions@sosland.com.
Supermarket Perimeter magazine is 100% recyclable. Thank you.
supermarketperimeter.com
FEBRUARY 2024 - 3
Inflation fighters
" It's the economy, stupid. "
You'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better
political slogan than the one that helped propel a littleknown
Arkansan to the White House in 1992.
Here we are in an election year again, and we can expect to hear endless variations on
" the economy is good " and " the economy is bad " between now and November.
What's hard to argue with, regardless of party affiliation, is that Americans really don't
like inflation. Even if other economic indicators are fair or good or downright great, there's
something about higher prices that doesn't sit well, for obvious reasons.
Food inflation is one of the worst kinds of inflation, and unfortunately, food has been one
of the sectors of the economy hardest hit post-COVID.
One silver lining for the grocery industry is that many people are reverting to their COVID
Era behavior, eating more meals at home than in restaurants.
" Shoppers are on the hunt for high-value products that are nutritious and delicious yet
don't break the bank, " said Monica Camarin, senior brand manager for Prairie Fresh.
Make no mistake: meat producers and their retail partners are hyper-aware of inflation,
continuing to provide their customers with smaller cuts, value packs and other products
delivering as much bang for the buck as possible.
Ground beef and pork will continue to be top sellers, as consumers continue to watch
their budgets while still being able to buy affordable, premium meats for simple meal-time
solutions.
But the meat industry is also thriving despite inflation, and there are no signs of that
changing in 2024.
Price is paramount. But for more and more consumers, so is convenience, variety, health,
companies whose values align with their own and a host of other factors.
" (Consumers) are certainly keeping an eye on their grocery budgets and looking for ways
to save when possible, but without compromising on quality or their values, " said Jake Fazio,
vice president of retail sales for Niman Ranch.
At the Annual Meat Conference March 18-20 in Nashville, look for increasingly innovative
products that appeal to a wide variety of consumer needs while also not creating too much
sticker shock.
It's about value, _______. (I would never call our readers the S word.)
ANDY NELSON
anelson@sosland.com

http://www.supermarketperimeter.com/digital_editions http://www.supermarketperimeter.com/newsletter_subscriptions http://www.supermarketperimeter.com

Supermarket Perimeter - February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - February 2024