As
the Food Council turns 38 in 2007, anniversaries are
a time of celebration and also a time of reflection.
This anniversary is an appropriate opportunity to reminisce
about the significant changes and strides the New Jersey
grocery industry has undertaken over the past 37 years.
This time period has probably had the most dramatic
and profound impact on food distribution and the growth
of
this state association.
NJFC
was started back in 1969, at a time when the supermarket
industry was fractured
and did not have a common voice. A small group of New Jersey grocers representing
mostly small and independent food stores merged with many of the large food
retailers with a vision to bring together common goals
and make the industry stronger under
a unified state association.
The
pioneers of the group recognized the food industry
was being adversely affected by legislation
coming out of Trenton. It is this vision and foresight
that gave
birth to the Food Council and placed the council on the path to promote
and protect the interests of food retailers before
state government.
The new organization quickly established itself as a major force in Trenton
under the leadership of Jay Adelman and immediately designed an aggressive
legislative
agenda including work on meat packaging requirements, a milk dating system
and tax reform.
Membership
tripled as food industry representatives joined NJFC
to lend their support, offer their expertise and provide
vision. During
this period
the
legislative challenges confronting New Jersey retailers included issues
like the bottle bill,
mandatory item pricing, limitations on store hours, energy crisis regulations,
shoplifting, and meat labeling.
In the early 1980s, the untimely death of Jay Adelman at the age of 49
stunned the organization.
Former
N.J. Assemblywoman Barbara McConnell was selected to
serve as the next NJFC president taking the reigns
of
the association in 1981.
For more
than 10
years as chief lobbyist, Barbara McConnell and her staff were successful
in winning more than 100 legislative and regulatory battles of critical
importance to the
N.J. grocery industry.
These ten years where most challenging as the Food Council fought and
defeated onerous bottle bills, enacted the Clean Communities Act, led
the industry
into the forefront of recycling, organized a campaign at store level
to fight a tax
on plastic products, defeated item pricing and battled the Legislature
over battery recycling in supermarkets, prescription coupons, weights
and measures
and Initiative
and Referendum.
In
the early 1990s, Barbara McConnell was tapped by former
Governor Jim Florio to serve as the first female Commissioner
of the state Department
of Commerce
and Economic Development and Jim Morford was appointed new NJFC President.
Throughout
the 1990s, under the leadership of Jim Morford, the
Food Council has enjoyed many legislative victories
and undertaken several
key initiatives.
NJFC
involvement in representing the interest of commercial users during
energy restructuring and the highly successful energy aggregation
stand out
as great achievements.
The Food Council’s immediate and continuing response to homeland
security and our biosecurity efforts following September 11, 2001
became a national model.
NJFC’s role in establishing the Food Policy Institute at
Rutgers University and ongoing relationship with the State Departments
of
Health, Agriculture
and Labor are just a few efforts that have brought honor and distinction
to the Food
Council.
Dynamic
leadership, hard work and vision of the first three
chief executives has provided NJFC with significant accomplishment
and
advancement for
the New Jersey food industry. Today, with President Linda Doherty,
appointed in 2004,
the future is bright and hopeful as the Food Council prepares
to celebrate our 37th Anniversary in 2006.
Despite the achievements of 37 years, the work of organizations
like the Food Council is never complete because consumer demands,
trade
partnerships, innovation,
legislative trends and business operations are constantly evolving.
Trends, technology and business practices widely accepted just
37 years ago are
dramatically different
today. To remain relevant for the future of the food industry
in this region,
we must constantly reinvent our purpose, accept change and prepare
for an uncertain future.
We
look forward to working with our members, government
partners, legislative officials, and other business
industry leaders as
we meet the exciting
challenges of today and greet with enthusiasm the opportunities
of tomorrow. With a
track record for achievement and progress, there is every reason
to believe the future
will be even more rewarding for NJFC and the members we serve. |
