Jan 14, 1999
               
WASHINGTON, DC — January 14, 1999 — Bruce Rohde, ConAgra chairman and CEO, recently announced a $300,000 contribution from the ConAgra Foundation to the industry-wide food safety education campaign Safeguarding Our Last Link, being conducted by the Food Marketing Institute Foundation. The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Food Marketing Institute.

"ConAgra’s motto is ‘Feeding People Better,’ and we believe that helping to educate everyone on safe food handling is an important part of feeding people better," said Rohde. "We’re proud to be part of this initiative."

The gift was authorized by the ConAgra Foundation to address the pressing need for consumer food handling education. The ConAgra gift will help fund a food safety educational program for children in grades 4-6 and their parents. The program will utilize the Fight BAC!™ character that was developed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a coalition of food industry trade groups, consumer groups and government
agencies committed to reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses. ConAgra and other contributors to the Food Marketing Institute Foundation will be formally recognized at the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference January 24-26, 1999, in Orlando, FL.

Recent gifts include $500,000 from Albertson’s; $500,000 from Frito-Lay; $500,000 from the Food Marketing Institute; a $500,000 gift from Mr. Herb Pease; a $250,000 pledge from Loblaw Companies Limited; a $100,000 gift from Hy-Vee, Inc. and $15,000 from Jax Markets in California.

"ConAgra’s generous gift will help the Foundation in its goal of educating all consumers concerning safe food handling practices," says Food Marketing Institute President and CEO Tim Hammonds. "This level of contribution indicates a serious commitment to this important food safety education effort."

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The Food Marketing Institute Foundation (FMIF) is a nonprofit corporation affiliated with the Food Marketing Institute. The Foundation seeks to ensure quality and efficiency in the food system and is operated for charitable, educational and scientific purposes.


Food Marketing Institute (FMI) is a nonprofit association conducting programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 1,500 members including their subsidiaries — food retailers and wholesalers and their customers in the United States and around the world. FMI’s domestic member companies operate approximately 21,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of $220 billion — more than half of all grocery store sales in the United States. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, small regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 members from 60 countries.