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As the Food Council turns 40 in 2009, 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 40 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 were 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 40th Anniversary in 2009.

Despite the achievements of 40 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 40 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.