GFF enters a new phase of its breadbasket checkoff baker outreach program.
The Grain Foods Foundation has asked all bakeries that might be a part of a bread checkoff program for “solutions, ideas, questions and concerns” in accordance with a plan that was first unveiled last fall.
The initiative is entering a second phase of development, according to a letter sent earlier in February by Pete Frederick and Debo Mukherjee, co-chairs of the GFF and its Breadbasket Checkoff Steering Committee. Mr. Mukherjee is the chief marketing officer of Flowers Foods, Inc., Thomasville, Ga., and Mr. Frederick is the president and chief executive officer of Grain Craft, Chattanooga, Tenn.
According to the co-chairs, “the initiative was paused at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the late summer as the industry adjusted to the impact of COVID to give the Checkoff Steering Committee the opportunity to engage industry and ensure the program could accommodate this incredible disruption.” “During its October meeting, the foundation’s board of trustees reaffirmed that it would support the project’s continuation, provided that a commitment to more direct communication is made. The committee is still committed to coming up with a way to counteract the long-term consumer trend that has affected and still affects the breadbasket, the center of our industry.
Mr. Frederick and Mr. Mukherjee identified a series of steps that will be taken in order to maximize baker interaction as the initiative is pursued. The first step will be to have conversations between potential participants and members of the checkoff steering committee.
The co-chairs stated, “While these invitations are open-ended, the committee is allotting significant time for these crucial discussions through the end of March.”
The letter lists additional actions as virtual roundtables with conversations between bakers; continuous oversight by the steering committee; and industry messaging through investor communications and articles released by Sosland Publishing Co.
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The co-chairs stated that an ad hoc legal committee will oversee the program’s technical improvement “to ensure our advocacy for the industry is as strong as possible before the US Department of Agriculture as we work through outstanding legal issues.” The group will specifically examine legal issues raised by the decision to require companies that bake breadbasket products for foodservice to voluntarily participate.
The bakers were urged by Mr. Frederick and Mr. Mukherjee to meet with GFF, designate a representative for the legal committee, and become involved in the steering committee.
“We think there’s room for the baking and milling industry to improve the industry’s standing with consumers and allow them to fall in love with our products once more,” the statement read.
Additionally, they encouraged the bakers to investigate the range of work to be carried out in a checkoff program, including marketing initiatives, scientific research, and market intelligence, as well as to preview creative work created in anticipation of the checkoff.
Checkoff details can be obtained at https://checkoff.grainfoodsfoundation.org.