Grocery Retailers Are Feeding Connecticut’s Future!
Brand Pillars
Economic Development
- Grocery industry employs over 33,000 CT citizens
- Grocery industry pays $600 MM in state taxes
- Grocery industry pays over $1.4B. in wages to CT employees
- Grocery industry provides job training for over 2,000 HS & College students per year
Nutrition & Wellness
Offering nutritional guidance and food solutions that encourage families to break bread together day in and day out – Price Chopper “Family Mealtimes Matter”
New meal platforms and a go-to guide with inspirational recipes and meal solutions that help customers save time, save money, and eat well – Ahold USA (Stop&Shop) Savory: “Fast, Fresh and Easy”
Walking the aisles with a nutritionist to learn smart shopping choices and meal planning tips for improving blood sugar control – Big Y “Living Well Eating Smart”
New ways to shop for healthier foods by providing shopping lists that help consumers find Gluten-Free, Heart Healthy, Organic and Low Sodium products – ShopRite “Nutrition Shelf tag program”
Providing hundreds of Connecticut brand products that are found in every department from the finest Connecticut grown produce and floral items to a wide selection of gourmet grocery, bakery, deli and meat items – Highland Park Markets
Community Service
- Programs Addressing Food Insecurity – food drives, food bank donations, commitments to increase access to fresh food in undeserved areas
- Neighborhood Health Improvement Programs – nutrition education, blood drives, health related runs/walks, sustainability education and community involvement
- Youth Development Programs – education, employment, job readiness, mentoring/tutoring
- Highlighting the oft-unheralded good that grocery stores contribute to their local community and encourage others to find their way to pay it forward.
Environmental Stewardship
- Improving Connecticut’s comprehensive recycling infrastructure to be more cost-effective and simple
- Moving beyond transactional relationships into collaborative partnerships with donation agencies, waste providers, and other diversion partners enabling better access to viable options and new ideas
- Recycling unavoidable food waste, diverting it from landfills
- Reduction of plastic bag usage by expanding incentives to motivate consumers to reduce, reuse, and recycle
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Government Advocacy
- Building meaningful working relationships with Connecticut lawmakers and state agencies
- Implementing political strategies that benefit CFA members and creating coalitions with business partners
- Being regarded as a trusted resource, as well as “the” voice of the food community, for policymakers, affiliates, consumers and the media
- Operating with the highest ethical standards on behalf of members since 1933
Investing In Our Workforce
All of our member companies are having difficulty attracting and retaining quality employees, and it is negatively impacting their businesses. To combat this problem, the top strategies employed for retaining and attracting full-time employees include better wages and salaries; improved benefits; flex time; training and skills development; bonuses; and education programs/benefits.