May 2, 1999

CHICAGO, IL — May 2, 1999 — Officials from the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the FMI Foundation (FMIF) announced today that contributions to the industry's Safeguarding our Last Link Campaign reached the $7 million target set for FMI's 1999 Supermarket Industry Convention and Educational Exhibition this week in Chicago. The campaign is expected to continue throughout the year with an overall goal of $10 million.

In its first year, according to James Ukrop, chairman of Ukrop's Supermarkets and the campaign chairman, the campaign has helped fund important initiatives designed to teach children and students important ways to fight fooborne bacteria through the industry-wide FightBacä program, designed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education.

"There is no other issue that is as important as food safety to America's grocers and their colleagues throughout the food chain," said Ukrop. "The response to this program has been incredibly broad – big stores and smaller stores, food companies and agricultural interests – everyone is coming together to provide information about healthful food handling practices.

"This level of funding from the grocery industry for food safety education is unprecedented and inspiring," he added. "Although we have had tremendous fundraising success, our work is not done. We remain committed to food safety education for the long term."

Gifts received during the campaign's first year include:

Platinum Link ($750,000 +)

Kraft Foods, Inc. $750,000
Coca-Cola $750,000
Food Marketing Institute $1,000,000

Gold Link ($500,000 +)

Albertson's $500,000
Ahold USA $500,000
Marketing Management Inc. $500,000
Pepsico $500,000

Silver Link ($250,000 +)

Loblaw Companies Limited $250,000
SUPERVALU INC. $250,000
ConAgra, Inc. $300,000
General Mills (new!) $250,000
Tyson Foods (new!) $250,000
Sara Lee Corporation (new!) $250,000

Bronze Link ($100,000 +)
Hy-Vee, Inc. $100,000
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. $125,000
IBP, inc. $150,000
Super Kmart $150,000
Meijer, Inc. (new!) $125,000
Schnuck Markets, Inc. (new!) $100,000
Shaw's Supermarkets, Inc. (new!) $125,000
Price Choppers (new!) $100,000
H. E. Butt Grocery Company (new!) $200,000

Benefactors ($50,000 +)

K.V. Mart Co., dba Top Value Mkts. $50,000
Alex Lee, Inc. $50,000
King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. (new!) $50,000
Harris Teeter, Inc. (new!) $75,000

Partners ($25,000 +)

Ukrop's Super Markets, Inc. $25,000
Jax Markets $25,000
Ball's Price Chopper & Hen House Markets (new!) $25,000
Stater Bros. Markets (new!) $25,000
Genuardi's Family Markets (new!) $25,000
Haggen, Inc./TOP Food & Drug (new!) $25,000

Sponsors ($10,000 +)

Martin's Super Markets, Inc. $10,000
Brown & Cole Stores (new!) $10,000
Kwik Way, Inc. (new!) $10,000
Foodland Super Market, Ltd. (new!) $10,000

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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.