In her new role, Meleta will continue to have responsibility for all aspects of Wakefern’s communications, public relations and reputation management. She’s also in charge of stakeholder messaging across internal communications, public policy, sustainability, corporate philanthropy, media relations, crisis communications and government affairs. Meleta has led company sustainability efforts, with a special focus on creating initiatives to reduce food waste at retail and developing seafood sustainability and animal welfare guidelines. Another program under her purview is ShopRite Partners In Caring, ShopRite and Wakefern’s hunger relief program, for which she has devised innovative and impactful cause marketing campaigns. Meleta has been with Wakefern Food Corp. for more than two decades. Before joining Wakefern, she was a communications consultant to such Fortune 500 companies as Unilever, Parke-Davis, Lancome and the Home Shopping Network, and she also spent nearly 10 years at Avon Products Inc.
The largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States, Keasbey, New Jersey-based Wakefern Food Corp. comprises nearly 50 members that independently own and operate more than 363 supermarkets under the ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite Marketplace, Gourmet Garage and Dearborn Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. The company is No. 25 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 listing of North America’s top retailers of food and consumables.