SFA Management Workshop Helps Industry Pros Cope With Change

He encouraged SFA members to strongly support the association. “Continue learning and be engaged in SFA,” he said. “It is a very valuable organization. Try to be involved. Chair a committee. At SNAXPO, go to the education sessions. They are worth your time.”

And remember, McDaniel said, “Change is a journey. It is not a destination.”

Joining with members of the Biscuit & Cracker Manufacturers Association (BCMA), attendees heard Jay Cooper, Vice President, Cookies Marketing, Kraft Foods North America, outline how changing consumer attitudes will impact the snack industry and discuss opportunities, even in today’s challenging economic environment.

Cooper said healthier snacking is on the rise and that surveys show that half of America’s consumers are trying to avoid snacking entirely. He said consumers are seeking fresher, less processed food, but still, “taste remains king.”

“Snacks can help families and communities connect to create moments with their families,” he said. “How can you make it easier to help mom find what she wants? We are not even close to solving her needs.”

Tim Fallon, President and General Manager, Kettle Foods, outlined his company’s sustainability efforts even as the company strives “to be the best of class in our category.” He discussed the company’s remarkable growth and plans for the future, while stressing its commitment to using all natural ingredients with sustainable business practices.

“We are a business,” he said. “We do these things because they are the right thing to do and it’s part of our consumer bond, our employee bond.” Even though such practices are more expensive, he said, there is a solid return for the company and its stakeholders.

Discussions about the changing consumer also centered on generational challenges, including those posed by today’s “Generation Y.” Gail Green, of Go Green Learning, pointed out that today’s generation of teenagers and young adults, born between 1982 and 1994, “is the first generation smarter than their parents when it comes to technology.”

Unlike their baby boomer parents, they are much more likely to question authority and have a strong sense of entitlement. But they offer creative ideas and, while they may pose management challenges, these young people constitute the workforce of the future. “They will make you better, but you have to make the connection with them,” she advised.

Other concurrent seminars for sales and marketing professionals and management and operations executives covered such challenges as effective job training, marketing strategies, “synchronous” management, customer service, and food regulations.

Click HERE for a photo gallery from this event.