UNFI, GreenChoice Partner on Heathy Shopping App
United Natural Foods, Inc. has partnered with GreenChoice, PBC, the food intelligence company, to expand its offering of healthy shelf labels and healthy shopping technology, providing independent retailers with plug and play options to improve personalization and transparency on the shelf. GreenChoice’s shelf tags and white-label app enable retailers to help their customers easily find foods that meet their health needs and lifestyle values, which is especially relevant as consumers continue to prioritize health, wellness, and sustainability.
“GreenChoice’s shelf labels not only help shoppers identify and access healthy food options, but they also help retailers increase sales and gain trust and loyalty from their shoppers,” said Matt Eckhouse, President of UNFI Digital and Professional Services. “This is a great addition to our UNFI Digital and Professional Services offering, which helps grocery retailers differentiate their businesses and drive growth.”
GreenChoice, PBC provides nutrition and sustainability data solutions for the grocery industry, giving food retailers instant access to science-based food health and sustainability scores, as well as verified attribute data on over 1 million food products. Through UNFI’s new program, retailers have an easy way to help their shoppers navigate their assortments with shelf tags that highlight key product features, as well as GreenScores – an evidence-based rating system that makes healthy choices easy. The food GreenScore assesses and scores foods across science-based industry standards for nutritional density, ingredient processing, ingredient safety, and climate footprint. By scanning QR codes, shoppers can dig deeper into a food’s GreenScore and get personalized recommendations for healthy alternatives when desired.
In addition to on-the-shelf product information, GreenChoice offers grocers a white-label mobile web application that lets their shoppers scan foods and search a store’s inventory for products that fit their dietary and health requirements.
“Across the United States, shoppers increasingly demand product transparency and healthier options. This is a big opportunity for food retailers to help identify the foods that match shoppers’ health and sustainability needs using a third party like GreenChoice,” said Galen Karlan-Mason, GreenChoice CEO and Founder. “We’re excited for UNFI retail partners to tap into GreenChoice’s food assessment and shopping technology, which has proven to drive measurable sales lifts while improving shopper satisfaction.”
UNFI Digital and Professional Services help grocery retailers differentiate their businesses with a portfolio of services and solutions that enable them to save money, improve operational efficiency, optimize their assortments, and drive sales. Solutions include credit card processing, equipment procurement, coupon processing, in-store shelf management, planograms, point-of-sale and frictionless checkout technology, store remodels, and much more. These offerings help retailers differentiate and compete in a dynamic marketplace.
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Bell Flavors & Fragrances Appoints Lee Brooks as COO
Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. has appointed Lee Brooks as chief operating officer at the company’s global headquarters in Northbrook, Ill.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce Lee Brooks’ appointment to chief operating officer of Bell Flavors & Fragrances. This well-deserved promotion is a testament to Lee’s unwavering dedication, exceptional work ethic, and inclusive cross-functional and operational leadership,” said Ron Stark, president & CEO.
“Since joining our team, Lee has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to drive operational excellence, while taking on more responsibilities and fostering a culture of teamwork focused on safety and continuous improvement. Lee leads by example with thorough execution and follow-through, and he demonstrates a personal commitment to each direct report, his team and our company’s success. He has been instrumental in increasing our growth and laying the strategic groundwork for even greater growth for our company in the future.”
Brooks will oversee Bell’s global operations, driving excellence in service, efficiency and innovation while ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic objectives.
Previously serving as vice president of global flavor & fragrance operations, he brings extensive leadership experience in optimizing operational systems, enhancing regulatory and quality compliance, and fostering a culture of growth, safety, sustainability, and employee engagement across Bell’s worldwide locations.
Brooks joined Bell Flavors & Fragrances in January 2020 as the vice president of fragrance operations in Middletown, N.Y., and was then promoted to his previous role in September 2020, based in Northbrook. Since 2020, Brooks has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s operations and quality systems through a global enterprise resource planning implementation and strategic alignment across Bell’s international operations.
With over 25 years of experience in the flavor industry, Brooks is a seasoned leader dedicated to operational excellence. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, he is an active member of the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as director at large.
“I am truly honored and grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to continuing to work alongside the talented and dedicated teams at Bell. Together, we will refine our processes, embrace innovation and leverage our automated, global infrastructure to streamline operations and deliver exceptional service to customers worldwide,” Brooks said.
“Let’s build on Bell’s success and achieve even greater accomplishments ahead.”
“Please join us in congratulating Lee on this significant achievement. We are confident that under Lee’s leadership, his expanded cross-functional teams will continue to thrive and reach new heights,” Stark said.
For more on Bell Flavors & Fragrances, visit www.bellff.com or follow Bell Flavors & Fragrances on LinkedIn, X and Facebook..
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Cal-Maine to Expand Cage-Free Production Capabilities
On Oct. 4, Cal-Maine Foods’ board of directors approved $40 million in new capital projects to further expand the company’s cage-free production capabilities. The company plans to fund the projects through a combination of available cash on hand, sales of investment securities and operating cash flow.
The projects will include the addition of five cage-free layer houses across the company’s locations in Florida, Georgia, Utah and Texas. The company plans to start construction by the end of calendar 2024 and expects the projects to be completed with additional production capacity for approximately 1.0 million cage-free layer hens by late summer 2025. These additions will primarily replace recently retired caged facilities and add to the Company’s cage-free capacity.
The company also provided an update on its conversion of the former Tyson Foods facilities in Dexter, Mo., acquired on March 14. Following the closing, the company began work to remodel and repurpose these assets for use in shell egg production. Cal-Maine Foods has also been working with local contract growers and has commitments that would result in approximately 1.2 million additional free-range hens by fall 2025, with plans to add more capacity in the future.
Sherman Miller, president and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., said, “We are pleased to announce these new expansion projects, which support our strategy to increase our free-range production in line with customer demand and expanding state requirements for cage-free eggs. The additional capacity will further enhance our ability to serve our growing customer base. We have made considerable progress with the conversion of the Dexter facilities and look forward to the additional production and distribution capabilities from this location. We greatly appreciate the support we have received from the existing network of local contract growers. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to being the most efficient and sustainable producer of fresh shell eggs and egg products, and we will look for additional opportunities to further advance our growth strategy.”
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packaging, marketing and distribution of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic, brown, free-range, pasture-raised and nutritionally enhanced eggs. The Company, which is headquartered in Ridgeland, Miss., is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the nation and sells most of its shell eggs throughout the majority of the United States.
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