Food and beverage industry trends highlight PFMA conference

Wholesalers' meetings and a mini trade show ranked among the highlights of the recent Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association's annual conference.

The PFMA's two-day conference for the state’s food and beverage industry leaders was held at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square.

"It's always a joy to unite our new members with long-standing partners for a rich blend of connection and education," Alex Baloga, president and CEO of PFMA said in a statement.

Conference highlights included the association’s annual and wholesalers' meetings and a mini trade show featuring 14 vendors ranging from meat manufacturers to energy and insurance providers to tech companies providing digital services. Vendors included Facility Cleaning Solutions, Federated Insurance, Healthy Brand Oil, Liquid Barcodes, MAG Industries Ltd., Med Free Living, Milazzo Industries Inc., Ready Training Online, RS Mowery, Shelfmark, Sushi Awarsei, Weaver’s of Wellsville, Westfield Egg Farm/Nature’s Yoke, and World Kinect.

Patrick Andrews, division chief of markets at the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture, discussed aspects of the program, including Homegrown by Heroes for PA Preferred members who are veterans; the Farm to School Network connecting local farmers with neighboring schools; and the PA Preferred Organic designation, signed into law last fall by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Discussions presented by representatives of member organizations included the following:

• "Building a Successful Brand: Strategies for standing out and staying relevant in an increasingly crowded marketplace”.



• "Leveraging AI in the Food Industry: Practical ways to use artificial intelligence to improve your business operations”.



• "Developing Your Team: How mentorship and training can optimize your workforce".

"This year we grew our mini trade show to 14 vendors and had four enlightening sessions that touched on artificial intelligence, the PA Preferred program, branding, and training”, said Baloga.

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