ARLINGTON, VA. - FMI – The Food Industry Association announced a new, virtual trading partner program called FMI Midsummer Strategic Exchange.  

The new program aims to address the disruption to the way coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the way the food industry and its trading partners do business and accelerate business recovery and streamline supply chain collaboration. 

“COVID-19 has provided FMI members a vivid reminder of the need for enhanced communications and planning; and has proven that agility and speed are the new normal as companies seek to stabilize their business operations and better prepare for a future filled with unknowns,” said Leslie Sarasin, president and chief executive officer of FMI. “To help facilitate addressing these industry needs, I am pleased to announce a unique, virtual, strategic opportunity for trading partner collaboration to identify, prioritize and address the industry’s most pressing business issues.” 

The program is open to all FMI members in retail, wholesale, consumer products companies and suppliers who sell food, beverage and non-food products. FMI Midsummer 2020 will start with a keynote address on Tuesday, July 7, and run over the course of eight business days with 48 possible meeting slots on collaborative technology platforms. 

Retailers and suppliers will have the ability to pick the dates, times and quantity of meetings that work best for them. More information about the virtual event can be found here.