FMI Develops Feeding Assistance Toolkit to Support the Food Industry & Consumers

Jun 11, 2020

Hannah Walker, vice president of political affairs, offers comment on FMI’s new Feeding Assistance toolkit for members: 

FMI - The Food Industry Association’s, U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report finds American shoppers continue to adjust to new realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, including concerns about the ability to provide food for their households. Americans (61%) remain extremely to very concerned about COVID-19, with 22% of shoppers worrying specifically about having enough money for food.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported a national unemployment rate of 13.3% for May 2020. During these unprecedented times, the food industry wants to ensure all grocery shoppers - regardless of how they pay - can buy the food they need to put meals on their tables. 

FMI developed a toolkit focused on feeding assistance to support our members’ efforts to help address the various and changing needs of today’s grocery shoppers. The toolkit hosts several resources, including meal-time solutions, ideas for ingredient substitutions, information on food banks and how to enroll in and use food assistance programs. 

In the toolkit, you'll find: 

  • An educational video that explains how to enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 
  • An interactive infographic that answers frequently asked questions about SNAP. 
  • Information on WIC Waivers & Online SNAP purchasing pilot.
  • Links to budget friendly recipes and shopping resources.
  • Additional resources from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Research Action Center (FRAC), food banks, the FMI Foundation and more. 

For more information, visit www.feedingassistance.com

About FMI

As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply chain. FMI brings together a wide range of members across the value chain — from retailers that sell to consumers, to producers that supply food and other products, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services — to amplify the collective work of the industry. www.FMI.org