Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1357069
Robots Keep It Clean The future of pathogen-free grocery environments is pointing to self-navigating, autonomous robots, which can disinfect public retail spaces, including shelves, aisles, and checkout areas. "Ensuring employees and customers are protected from COVID-19 contamination and other high-risk pathogens is the new normal," said Tim Rowland, CEO of Badger Technologies. "Adding disinfection capabilities to a robot's roster of daily duties is safer, faster, and easier than assigning employees the arduous, manual task of constantly spraying and wiping surfaces," he adds. Badger's UV Disinfect robot, which is currently in pilot testing, can decontaminate 40,000 square feet in about two hours, which, says Rowland, "not only enhances surface disinfection but also empowers employees to spend their time engaging in value-driven customer services." The UV Disinfect robot will be in good company as there are already more than 500 of Badger's shelf-scanning and hazard-detecting robots deployed at grocers throughout the U.S. and Australia.—D.S. Retailers Diversify Shelves Retailers are placing further emphasis on the importance of representing diverse brands on their shelves. Schnucks Market, Southeastern Grocers, and Meijer have all launched initiatives and virtual events to give customers better access to diverse brands and products. In addition, every Giant Food location features shelf labels identifying products offered by businesses that are women-, Black-, Asian-Indian-, Hispanic-, LGBT-, Asian-Pacific-, and/or veteran-owned. The Kroger Co. launched an entire framework for diversity, equity, and inclusion, which features immediate and long-term steps to accelerate and promote change. And for February's Black History Month, online grocer FreshDirect celebrated its Black-owned vendors with a "Month of Love," during which the company highlighted brands like Egunsi Foods, Dozen Cousins, Yolélé, Partake, Pipcorn, and Trade Street Jam on its website and social media channels.—A.F. PHOTO BADGER TECHNOLOGIES Inclusiveness Rules Eight grocery retailers, including Giant Eagle, Hannaford Supermarkets, Kroger, and Meijer, wear the badge of "Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality" in 2021. Each received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which honors companies that prioritize LGBTQ equality through initiatives that have a deep impact on the day-to-day lives of LGBTQ workers, like transgender-inclusive health care and solidifying relationships with LGBTQ suppliers. Tim Williams, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Midwest- based Meijer, notes, "We're proud to have received this honor again this year in recognition of our continued efforts to build an environment where all our team members and customers feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work or to shop." In all, 767 companies got a perfect score, up from 686 last year. Williams adds, "While our score may be 100 percent, we know that there is always more to be done and we are committed to continuing this important work."—D.S. LOGO THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN ƒ SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM TRENDS & HAPPENINGS Amanda Baltazar is a freelance writer based in Anacortes, Washington. Arielle Feger is content associate for Specialty Food. Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor to Specialty Food.