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IFF Chair Dale F. Morrison Dies; Ferguson Assumes Role

Dale F. Morrison, chair of the IFF board, has died, the company announced.

Morrison served more than a decade as a member of the IFF board, including as chair since February 2022. Under his leadership, the company delivered on an ambitious global transformation, strengthening its position as an industry leader, setting new standards for innovation and R&D and restoring a commitment to operational excellence. He worked closely with IFF’s leadership team and Board to oversee a period of growth as IFF solidified its essential role in the CPG value chain. Morrison was 74.

Morrison notified IFF earlier this year of his intent to retire from the board at the 2023 Annual Shareholder Meeting, due to health reasons. Roger W. Ferguson Jr., current member of the IFF Board, succeeds Morrison as board chair, effective immediately.

“This is a profound loss of an exceptional man,” said Ferguson. “Dale and I have been partners and collaborators for nearly ten years, and I am so grateful for the many lessons he taught me along the way. One of Dale’s enduring ambitions for IFF to become a transformed, global leader, and I’m proud to credit him for so much that this organization has accomplished. Dale leaves behind an impressive legacy, and I will miss him greatly.”

“We are deeply saddened to learn of Dale’s passing,” said Frank Clyburn, CEO of IFF. “Dale served as a mentor to many of us here at IFF, and we all will be forever grateful for his years of leadership and immeasurable contributions. Over the last year, Dale played a pivotal role in helping develop IFF’s refreshed strategic plan, and together, we will honor his legacy by continuing to deliver on his vision. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.”

Morrison was a respected leader in the business community, having held several leadership positions at major companies, including McCain Foods Limited, Campbell Soup Company, General Foods, PepsiCo and Fenway Partners. He also served as a founding partner of Twin Ridge Capital Management, a private equity firm, and founded TriPointe Capital Partners in 2011. Over the course of his career, he was widely recognized for his strategic acumen, passion for innovation and unmatched leadership.

At IFF, an industry leader in food, beverage, scent, health and biosciences, science and creativity meet to create essential solutions for a better world – from global icons to unexpected innovations and experiences. With the beauty of art and the precision of science, IFF is an international collective of thinkers who partners with customers to bring scents, tastes, experiences, ingredients and solutions for products the world craves. Together, we will do more good for people and planet. 

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Bone Suckin’ Sauce Peak City Pig Fest Set for April 14-15

Join the Bone Suckin’ Sauce Peak City Pig Fest this Friday, May 14 at 5 pm, and all-day Saturday, April 15, for a FREE family fun BBQ festival to enjoy live music, Kid Zone, food, beer garden, and various street vendors.

Visit the 32 KCBS Cook Teams from all over the United States and watch them compete for an automatic bid to the World Championship!

Attendees may purchase competition BBQ featuring Bone Suckin’ Sauce.

The Bone Suckin’ Sauce crew looks forward to seeing everyone in Historic Downtown Apex, N.C.! Located at North Salem & Saunders Street, right across from the Apex Police Department.

Grab a NEW Trucker Hat at Peak City Pig Fest for free while supplies last!

Can’t make it this weekend? Get supplies to have your own BBQ Competition at home online.

Ford’s Gourmet Foods is the master distributor for some of the world’s greatest tasting non-GMO, gluten free foods including Wine Nuts and Fire Dancer Jalapeño Peanuts, Earth Family Organics and Naturals and the internationally acclaimed Bone Suckin’ Sauces – the only barbecue sauces rated #1 by Newsweek, Food & Wine, A+ Health Magazine, and many others.

Ford’s Gourmet Foods is a fourth generation, Raleigh, N.C.-based family business with an outstanding team dedicated to making and distributing only the best.

Ford’s was recognized for its efforts to provide Gluten Free products by Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center, one of the leading research centers in the field. In addition, the company was honored with the first North Carolina Exporter of the Year award and named one of the Top 20 Small and Mid-sized Market Players by the Consumer Products Guide.

For more news of interest to the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

‘Wienermobile of Love’ Awaits Wedding Couples in Las Vegas

Oscar Mayer, the brand known for uniting millions over a love of meat, announced the opportunity for soon-to-be-newlyweds to exchange vows in hot-dog bliss. Designed to subvert the seriousness of stressful wedding planning and highlight the joy weddings should bring, fans across the country may sign up to wed at the first “Wienermobile of Love,” a limited-time chapel conveniently located in the elopement mecca of the country: Las Vegas, baby!

Weddings are often described as the happiest day of couples’ lives, but getting to that point is not always a cakewalk. Between rising costs, large guest lists and oh-so-many opinions, 72 percent of couples report feeling stressed about planning the big day, according to the Zola Wedding Planning 2022 Survey.

Oscar Mayer is bringing some much-needed relief by providing couples the chance to trade in the hoopla of a traditional wedding in favor of something stress-free and fun: an elopement to the Wienermobile outside the iconic Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. The weddings will take place on April 15 and 16, where lucky couples w’ill be treated to a unique all-expenses-paid ceremony and wed by Oscar Mayer’s beloved Hotdoggers!

“From proposals and surprise meat-ups down the aisle to playing matchmaker to some of our own Hotdoggers, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has held a special place in fans’ hearts – so much so, we receive thousands of requests each and every year to be part of couples’ big days,” said Ed Roland, senior manager brand communications for Oscar Mayer at The Kraft Heinz Company. “Now, as more people seek stress-free ceremonies with their partners, our Hotdoggers are thrilled to reignite the joy of this special day and give them a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a wedding through a pair of meat-colored glasses.”

Oscar Mayer has a legacy of sparking smiles and bringing levity to the everyday, particularly when things have gotten too serious. From the famed “Oh I Wish” jingle to the iconic bologna face mask, it’s been love at first bite for generations of Americans. The “Wienermobile of Love” is a natural extension of Oscar Mayer’s iconic brand platform, “Keep It Oscar,” focused on saving people from taking things too seriously, freeing people up to enjoy themselves with seriously delicious meats. From a live wiener whistle quartet to a wonderfully odd wiener cake, the 27-foot hot dog on wheels and its Hotdoggers will be dressed to impress, serving up a unique, joyful wedding experience only Oscar Mayer can.

Hot dog lovers across the nation may sign up on OscarMayer.com, available on a first come first serve basis. Bring your marriage license and appetite – Hotdoggers will “meat” you down the aisle.

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