Oct 29, 2024

Gold Plate Award recipients highlight the importance of family meals for mental health, physical health and emotional well-being.

ARLINGTON, VA – Today, the FMI Foundation announces the 2024 Gold Plate Award recipients, which celebrates outstanding programs implemented by the food industry to encourage family meals. Award winners include Skogen’s Festival Foods, Coborn’s, Inc., Hy-Vee, Inc., Campbell Soup Company, The Foundation for Fresh Produce and Ahold Delhaize USA.   

“As we celebrate another successful National Family Meals Month™, it’s encouraging to see that 31% of Americans are aware of this important initiative, and even more inspiring to learn that an impressive 95% of those individuals have made positive changes to their food habits,” said David Fikes, executive director of the FMI Foundation. “This national effort reflects a growing recognition of the contributions shared meals bring to human connections, communication, and overall well-being—principles we highlight through our Gold Plate Awards.”

CATEGORY A: RETAILER 1 – 49 STORES – Skogen's Festival Foods

Skogen's “Making Meals Easier” campaign inspired families with cooking tips and recipes, supported by vendor partnerships and multi-channel promotions through social media, in-store displays, and emails. An incentive program encouraging donations to ‘Food for Neighbors,’ benefiting 40 food pantries with over $50,000 in contributions—a 22% increase from 2023.

CATEGORY B: RETAILER 50 – 199 STORES – Coborn's, Inc.

Coborn’s campaign promoted the importance of shared mealtime while addressing barriers families face. Focusing on pork, 66 stores collaborated on meal kit displays and recipe highlights, with top-performing stores earning gift card incentives. Social media efforts reached over 5,000 shoppers, and ecommerce promotions engaged 114,000 viewers. The campaign boosted pork sales by over 22% and tonnage by 20% year-over-year, showcasing the impact of targeted nutrition marketing.

CATEGORY C: RETAILER 200+ STORES – Hy-Vee, Inc.

Hy-Vee promoted family meals and addressed food insecurity with initiatives like the “Great Grocery Race,” where contest food was donated to food banks. Their WK Kellogg Co. partnership resulted in 400,000 meals for Feeding America. Dietitian-led outreach promoted affordable meal options, and their campaign, which generated $12.1M in media value, reached 435 million people.

CATEGORY D: MANUFACTURER – Campbell Soup Company

Campbell’s “Making Dinners a Win” initiative focused on affordability and value, combining in-store displays, digital recipes, and partnerships with Giant Food and the Philadelphia Phillies. Their consumer newsletter, opened by 17% of 20,000 recipients, was complemented by a LinkedIn blog, generating 3,000 impressions and 3.6% engagement.

CATEGORY E: COMMUNITY COLLABORATOR - The Foundation for Fresh Produce

The Foundation for Fresh Produce’s “Have a Plant with Family” initiative promoted healthy eating during Family Meals and Fruits & Veggies Month through toolkits, social media campaigns, and newsletters reaching 49,000 recipients. Their content generated over 100 social engagements and 3,400 website impressions, amplifying awareness about nutritious family meals.

*NEW* CATEGORY F: FAMILY MEALS MOVEMENT – Ahold Delhaize USA

Ahold Delhaize USA’s Savory Magazine’s “Family Meals Movement – Back to Basics” aimed to promote affordable mealtime solutions with over 860,000 print copies distributed across four Ahold Delhaize USA grocery brands. The campaign included a meal planning guide featuring recipes and nutrition tips, along with a landing page that attracted over 10,000 viewers and social media promotions that garnered over 25,500 impressions.

Honorable Mentions include:
  • K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc.
    K-VA-T Food’s “Meals Made for Sharing” campaign promoted family meals through recipe booklets, media appearances, and MyPlate resources, reaching over 40,000 shoppers.
  • Southeastern Grocers, Inc.
    Southeastern Grocers addressed shared meal benefits and food insecurity by distributing 105,000 pounds of food, hosting community meals, and donating $100,000 to Feeding America.
  • Merchants Distributors, LLC
    Merchants Distributors boosted family meals with themed promotions, creative contests, and multi-channel marketing, increasing event item sales by 22%.

    Details about each recipient are available at www.FMI.org/GoldPlateAwards. 

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About the FMI Foundation

Established in 1996, the FMI Foundation seeks to ensure continued quality and efficiency in the food retailing system and is operated for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. To help support the role of food retailing, the FMI Foundation focuses on research, education, and resources in the area of health and well-being, which embraces food safety, nutrition and social responsibility concerns. For information regarding the FMI foundation, visit www.fmifoundation.org. #familymealsmonth; #familymealsmovement.