<p>By: David Fikes, Executive Director, FMI Foundation<br />
<img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/homepage-curation-tiles/gold-plate-awards-polarized_small.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=c06c426e_2" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Gold Plate Awards Polarized_small" title="Gold Plate Awards Polarized_small" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /></p>
<p>Families come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Family meals come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. So, it holds that the companies with award winning programs in supporting family meals should also come in all shapes, sizes, and variety. The <a href="https://www.fmi.org/foundation" target="_blank">FMI Foundation</a> created the <a href="https://www.fmi.org/family-meals/award" target="_blank">Gold Plate Award</a> to recognize the diverse retail food industry efforts encouraging the nutritional, emotional, mental and social health of more family meals. We are proud to announce the 2021 Gold Plate award winners and thank them for their outstanding family meals promotions:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Retailer 1 </strong><strong>–</strong><strong> 49 stores</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Skogen’s Festival Foods for their program <em>Food for Neighbors</em></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Retailer 50 </strong><strong>–</strong><strong> 199 stores</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Spartan Nash for their program <em>Stay Connected, Stay Strong with Family Meals</em><em> </em> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Retailer 200+ stores</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Hy-Vee, Inc. for their program <em>Hy-Vee, Inc. Celebrates National Family Meals Month™ with Special Events That Promote the Foods of Various Cultures and Mealtime Traditions</em><em> </em><em></em></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Supplier</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Eggland’s Best for their program <em>Share a Better Family Meal</em> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Community Collaborator</strong><strong> </strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">USA Pulses, the Sorghum Checkoff and National Pork Board for their program <em>Powerful Pairings 2021: Helping Make Family Meals Delicious and Nutritious!</em><em> </em><em></em></p>
<p>In addition to our category winners, the following companies are to be commended as<strong> Honorable Mentions:</strong> </p>
<ul>
<li>Peapod Digital Labs </li>
<li>Big Y Foods, Inc. </li>
<li>Coborn’s </li>
<li>Campbell Soup Company </li>
<li>Seafood Nutrition Partnership </li>
</ul>
<p>This year our Family Meal Month partners reached more consumers than ever before by paying attention to the special needs of their community and designing a unique family meals promotion to help address those needs. While each program was different, all shared the common goal of inviting their shoppers to commit to staying strong with family meals. This year’s programs encouraged togetherness through healthy recipes, themed meals, quick meals, virtual cooking classes, and even bringing mental health to the family table. Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to everyone who made last September the best National Family Meals Month ever. </p>
<p>To learn more about these award winning programs, visit <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/RedirectForm/?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fmi.org%2Ffamily-meals%2Faward&utm_campaign=NFMM&utm_source=board_memo&utm_medium=email">FMI.org/FamilyMeals</a>.</p>
<p>By: David Fikes, Executive Director, FMI Foundation<br />
<img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/homepage-curation-tiles/gold-plate-awards-polarized_small.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=c06c426e_2" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Gold Plate Awards Polarized_small" title="Gold Plate Awards Polarized_small" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /></p>
<p>Families come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Family meals come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. So, it holds that the companies with award winning programs in supporting family meals should also come in all shapes, sizes, and variety. The <a href="https://www.fmi.org/foundation" target="_blank">FMI Foundation</a> created the <a href="https://www.fmi.org/family-meals/award" target="_blank">Gold Plate Award</a> to recognize the diverse retail food industry efforts encouraging the nutritional, emotional, mental and social health of more family meals. We are proud to announce the 2021 Gold Plate award winners and thank them for their outstanding family meals promotions:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Retailer 1 </strong><strong>–</strong><strong> 49 stores</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Skogen’s Festival Foods for their program <em>Food for Neighbors</em></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Retailer 50 </strong><strong>–</strong><strong> 199 stores</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Spartan Nash for their program <em>Stay Connected, Stay Strong with Family Meals</em><em> </em> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Retailer 200+ stores</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Hy-Vee, Inc. for their program <em>Hy-Vee, Inc. Celebrates National Family Meals Month™ with Special Events That Promote the Foods of Various Cultures and Mealtime Traditions</em><em> </em><em></em></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Supplier</strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Eggland’s Best for their program <em>Share a Better Family Meal</em> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Category:</strong><strong> </strong><strong> Community Collaborator</strong><strong> </strong> </p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">USA Pulses, the Sorghum Checkoff and National Pork Board for their program <em>Powerful Pairings 2021: Helping Make Family Meals Delicious and Nutritious!</em><em> </em><em></em></p>
<p>In addition to our category winners, the following companies are to be commended as<strong> Honorable Mentions:</strong> </p>
<ul>
<li>Peapod Digital Labs </li>
<li>Big Y Foods, Inc. </li>
<li>Coborn’s </li>
<li>Campbell Soup Company </li>
<li>Seafood Nutrition Partnership </li>
</ul>
<p>This year our Family Meal Month partners reached more consumers than ever before by paying attention to the special needs of their community and designing a unique family meals promotion to help address those needs. While each program was different, all shared the common goal of inviting their shoppers to commit to staying strong with family meals. This year’s programs encouraged togetherness through healthy recipes, themed meals, quick meals, virtual cooking classes, and even bringing mental health to the family table. Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to everyone who made last September the best National Family Meals Month ever. </p>
<p>To learn more about these award winning programs, visit <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/RedirectForm/?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fmi.org%2Ffamily-meals%2Faward&utm_campaign=NFMM&utm_source=board_memo&utm_medium=email">FMI.org/FamilyMeals</a>.</p>
