FMI’s Stir It Up Raises $1M+

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Foundation’s new fundraising event, Stir It Up, raised $1.03 million at FMI’s recent Midwinter Executive Conference in support of the foundation’s programs in food safety, nutrition and health - the highest amount ever raised at such an event.

Stir It Up offered more than 450 retailers an opportunity to network and connect with their colleagues while participating in a lively cooking competition.

“FMI Foundation created Stir it Up to put the ‘fun’ back in fundraising by celebrating and promoting the good grocers do supporting family meal occasions,” said Sue Borra, chief health and wellness officer at Arlington, Va.-based FMI, and executive director of the FMI Foundation. “We’re grateful for the support of our industry executives and all our sponsors. Stir It Up was an exciting and friendly way to showcase the retail food industry’s culinary talents.”

Retailer and supplier executives competed for the bragging rights of dishing up the best family meal. Conference attendees cast their votes for their favorite meals in the following categories: Easiest Family Meal, Most Affordable Family Meal, Healthiest Family Meal, Best Culinary Adventure Family Meal and Tastiest Family Meal.

The following were the winning menus:

Easiest Family Meal and Most Affordable Family Meal: Coca-Cola’s carved whole roasted free-range chicken with winter vegetables, and a classic Coca-Cola Float with a Twist.

Tastiest Family Meal: Hy-Vee, with sous-chef Unilever, offered Hy-Waiian Beef Sliders, crab cake sliders with aioli, spiralized Mediterranean veggie salad and Cheesecake Factory Bites, topped with fresh berries.

Healthiest Family Meal: Wakefern’s sizzling sesame shrimp, chickpea lettuce wraps with chicken, cauliflower fried rice, and broiled mango with honey-lime yogurt.

Best Culinary Adventure Family Meal: PepsiCo’s Green Oats and Ham – Quaker steel-cut oat risotto cake, Naked cold-pressed bright greens pistou, pancetta, Rold Gold parmesan crisp and smoked paprika; and grilled fillet of beef with Starbucks double-shot espresso and port wine reduction, Sabra chickpea panisse, Stacy’s gremolata, Grandma’s soft cookies baked Alaska, and Smartfood kettle popcorn brittle