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The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) hosted its annual “Night of Distinction” reception recently, spotlighting four food industry leaders who serve as shining examples of one of the state’s most important business sectors.
An estimated 500 food executives and other supporters of the NJFC were on hand at The Palace in Somerset to mark the success of the honorees, all of whom have a history of civic service within the New Jersey food community.
This year’s honorees: Nicole Davia, Northeast Regional President, Whole Foods Market; Jim Perkins, President, Albertsons Companies Mid-Atlantic Division; Steve Henig, Chief Customer Officer, Wakefern Food Corp. and Jason Read, Director of Store Operations, Wawa. Nick Brown of Kraft Heinz served as Master of Ceremonies.
“We are celebrating and paying tribute to industry leaders who have helped us strive to be `the best in class’ food trade association in the country,” said NJFC President Linda Doherty. “These four industry leaders have made a meaningful contribution to advance the mission of the Food Council and have achieved significant grocery industry success.”
In her remarks, Doherty noted that New Jersey just passed an important milestone on May 4, marking the one-year anniversary of the state’s single-use shopping bag ban, which has received overwhelming support from the NJFC.
“We applaud the role of our members for removing more than 8 billion single-use shopping bags from our waste cycle,” she said. “It is an amazing achievement and arguably one of the most successful environmental programs in New Jersey and perhaps the country.”
Attendees also heard remarks from NJFC Chairman of the Board Andrew Kent of Glass Gardens Shop Rite.
“Our Board stands together with purpose and remains united in our mission to advance, foster, and protect the New Jersey food industry under the banner of the Food Council,” Kent said. “We are thankful for an active and engaged Board, whose members stand together on industry issues, challenges and triumphs.”
Kent recognized the industry for its relentless efforts to ensure that New Jersey communities continually have access to healthy and nutritious food and supplies.
“Whether it’s a storm, a power outage or a pandemic, our members have demonstrated their resiliency and ‘beyond essential’ status within the cornerstone of our communities every single day,” he said. “We are grateful for the spirit and camaraderie of our lifeline industry.”
NJFC leaders noted the next signature event on the calendar is the NJFC annual golf outing, set for July 24 at Suburban Golf Club in Union Township. More information will be available at njfoodcouncil.com.