2021 Gold Plate Winners Recognized by FMI Foundation

The FMI Foundation recognized food retailers, suppliers and community collaborators for their efforts to contribute to the family meal movement. FMI said each of the 2021 Gold Plate Awards not only helped promote more family mealtimes but also rose to the occasion to promote the award’s theme of Stay Strong With Family Meals. 

“From increased vegetable and fruit consumption that improves body health to emotional support that improves mental health, family meals are a simple, inexpensive way to build a happier, healthier home,” said David Fikes, executive director of the FMI Foundation. “Getting this timely, critical message out to shoppers would not be possible without the dedicated, innovative efforts of food retailers and suppliers nationwide. I am so pleased to recognize the hard work of especially creative companies partnering with us to champion and celebrate the Family Meals Movement in 2021.”

The global pandemic fundamentally changed the family meals landscape. In fact, according to the National Family Meals Month campaign, 87% of Americans say they are cooking with their families the same amount or more than before the pandemic.

2021 Gold Plate Award Recipients 

Retailer 1-49 stores: Skogen’s Festival Foods for their Food for Neighbors program
Skogen’s Festival Foods campaign raised awareness and collected over $40,000 for local food pantries through their Food for Neighbors program. Skogen’s Mealtime Mentor dietitians hosted four live virtual cooking classes featuring family-friendly meals reaching 200 registrants with more than 500 views.  
 

Retailer 50-199 stores: Spartan Nash for their program Stay Connected, Stay Strong With Family Meals
Spartan Nash’s combined family mealtime conversations and mental health and well-being with their Stay Connected, Stay Strong With Family Meals campaign that garnered over 64,000 impressions through their partnerships with mental health foundations. Their Kids Crew Program focused on bringing children and guardians together in the kitchen with kids learning new skills and parents learning how to connect through conversation. Over the four weeks, Spartan Nash had a total reach of 4.5 million individuals, 13,651 live viewers for their Family Meals Made Easy Facebook live, and 17,208 impressions from their Farmers Market Event. 

Retailer 200-plus stores: Hy-Vee Inc. for its program Hy-Vee Celebrates National Family Meals Month with Special Events That Promote the Foods of Various Cultures and Mealtime Traditions
Hy-Vee campaigned with special events that promoted the foods of various cultures and mealtime traditions. The grocer gave away 2,100 meals with multicultural choices through their contactless, drive-thru meal giveaway events and $30,000 to food insecure families. Its Season’s magazine reached 620,000 individuals with eight pages full of recipes, pro tips, conversation starters for families and more. The campaign also included dietitian-led TV segments, virtual store tours and Facebook lives, a Basket Bolt event collecting $3,000 for food assistance programs, and a Kids Kit program, which provided 400 meals to children and their families. 
 

Supplier: Eggland’s Best for its Share A Better Family Meal program
The mission of Eggland's Best Share A Better Family Meal campaign was to encourage families to spend more time around the table eating nutritious meals together, as studies continue to show the positive, lifelong benefits of family meals. Eggland's Best partnered with Raddish Kids, the leading children's culinary subscription kit, to release a digital version of its popular cooking kit, "Eggscellent Experiments," which is aimed at teaching kids culinary skills and nurturing their confidence in the kitchen. Eggland's Best and Raddish Kids also co-hosted a series of live cook-along events for influencers, media and consumers.
 

Community Collaborator: USA Pulses, the Sorghum Checkoff and National Pork Board for their Powerful Pairings 2021: Helping Make Family Meals Delicious and Nutritious program
The USA Pulses, the Sorghum Checkoff and National Pork Board combined forces to produce the Powerful Pairings 2021: Helping Make Family Meals Delicious and Nutritious campaign. Through 340 news clips, reaching 76 million consumers, their collaborative efforts educated consumers on the benefits of pairing whole foods for nutritious, ingenious family meals. Their Powerful Pairings website provided consumers with recipes, videos, fact sheets and other resources. 

Honorable mentions include Peapod Digital Labs, Big Y Foods Inc., Coborn’s, Campbell Soup Co. and Seafood Nutrition Partnership.