NFRA RELEASES GUIDE, POS CATALOG

BARBARA MURRAY

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The newly renamed National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association here has released two new booklets: a planning guide and a point-of-sale catalog for 2002.

Retailers can flip through the 18-page guide for ideas to stimulate sales of frozen foods throughout the year, and order a variety of POS pennants, balloons, banners and even penguin-themed items -- such as T-shirts, hats, key chains and a travel mug -- from the "2002 POS Catalog."

So far, the campaign has received support from major retailers, including Giant Foods of Carlisle, Pa., Wal-Mart, Ralphs, Harris-Teeter, Winn-Dixie and Publix, according to Julie Henderson, vice president of communications for the NFRA.

The new slogan -- "Bring Us to Your Table!" -- is featured prominently in the five-color logo, which refers to the more palatable-sounding "Freezer Favorites" instead of "frozen foods."

Spotlighted during the year are March, National Frozen Food Month; July and August, Ice Cream and Novelties Days; and October's Frozen Food Festival, which has been promoted the last few years.

Response from those in the field sounds positive. "I think the new 'Bring Us to Your Table!' slogan is a great concept to help bring customer awareness to the new and improved items in the frozen food case," said Nate Fisher, vice president, frozen food, Ingles Markets, Black Mountain, N.C.

"This type of program has what it takes to generate extra sales and profits," Fisher told SN.

"It's a good program," said Harold Lombardi, executive director of the Frozen Food Association of New England, Arlington, Mass., which has signed on as one of the sponsors. "It's a plus. You can't go wrong with it."

The campaign kicks off in January 2002 with the first major promotion surrounding March as National Frozen Food Month. A strategy is in place for a multiyear, national consumer public relations campaign to complement industry marketing efforts, the NFRA said.

The association formerly was known as the National Frozen Food Association, but its members voted in October to open membership to makers of refrigerated foods as well, since most of the frozen food buyers also are responsible for dairy and chilled products. Since then, the association has gained a few members, and has placed a couple of new people on its board of directors. But the major push to recruit will come soon, Henderson told SN.