American Frozen Food Institute The VALUE of MEMBERSHIP Advocating for Frozen Foods
Dear Colleague, Thank you for being a member of the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). Your support, and that of more than 500 other organizations throughout the cold food chain, is critically important to ensuring our industry thrives in an increasingly complex, competitive and challenging business environment. AFFI is the sole national trade association that promotes the interests of all segments of the frozen food industry before Congress, federal agencies, the courts and in the media. I want to make sure you re getting the most out of your membership in AFFI, and that you re taking advantage of all of the programs, services and expertise we have to offer. Please take a moment to look over the opportunities available to you, and contact us if there is anything we can do to enhance your membership in AFFI. Benefits of AFFI membership include: Exclusive discounts and VIP treatment for premier industry events: AFFI members receive discounted registration rates and priority access to suites and meeting rooms at the annual AFFI Frozen Food Convention, the premier business convention for the frozen food industry, and at a variety of other industry events. AFFI s conferences, meetings and education sessions offer important networking and sponsorship opportunities, which can help promote your company. For more information on AFFI events, please visit www.affi.org/events. Business tools designed to help you grow and succeed: AFFI has developed a number of unique programs designed to help support and build your business, such as the AFFI Product Recall Insurance Program, the AFFI Crisis Communications Program, AFFI Buyers Guide and the AFFI Career Center. These programs have been developed with leading experts and are priced exclusively for AFFI members. Industry expertise that helps you work more intelligently: AFFI makes available expert analyses and tools, including workshops and webinars designed to help you successfully navigate new federal rules and regulations and craft strategies for addressing major industry issues. We also engage with members on critical industry topics through a number of issue-specific committees that members like you can join. These committees hold regular meetings, workshops, webinars and educational sessions, and committee members receive frequent updates from AFFI on the issues they care about most. Connections with Congress: AFFI staff regularly engages key policymakers on legislation and regulations impacting your business. We re your direct connection to Washington, D.C. Our annual Government Action Summit, held each September in Washington, D.C., helps connect you with your members of Congress, allowing you to share your views on key issues and highlight the important role frozen foods play in supporting the nation s overall nutrition and economic well-being. In addition, through AFFI s Friends of Frozen Food online grassroots platform, AFFI helps mobilize the frozen food industry to make our collective voice heard on the issues of highest priority. The Friends of Frozen Food grassroots advocacy initiative was created in an effort to deepen the appreciation of our industry on Capitol Hill. Through this program, you can write to your members of Congress to express your views on key legislation, connect with federal agencies on important new regulations and schedule a tour of your facility for your members of Congress. Visit www.affi.org/friends-offrozen-food for more information. We are proud to count you as an AFFI member and are committed to offering our members the expertise they need to help establish important industry relationships, make intelligent business decisions and influence legislators on crucial food policy matters. For more information on the full range of services available to you as an AFFI member, I invite you to contact AFFI at (703) 821-0770. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely yours, Kraig R. Naasz President and CEO
The Value of AFFI Membership AFFI Events and Conferences AFFI hosts a series of events and conferences each year designed to bring members of the frozen food industry together to make critical business connections and learn the latest industry trends, techniques and information on a range of issues, including food safety and nutrition, transportation, international trade, energy and the environment. As an AFFI member, you ll receive a variety of exclusive benefits and perks for all AFFI events, including discounted registration rates and priority for on-site business suites and meeting spaces. Our flagship annual event is the AFFI Frozen Food Convention. Held every February, AFFI-CON is the premier frozen food industry event, attracting upwards of 1,500 representatives from every sector of the industry. AFFI-CON attendees hold business meetings and participate in AFFI committee meetings and educational sessions, with each convention offering a keynote speech by a leading figure from the business, political or entertainment world. In addition to AFFI-CON, AFFI hosts the Food Logistics Forum, the Food and Beverage Environmental Conference and a regular series of educational seminars and webinars on a variety of critically important industry issues. For more information on AFFI conference and events, please contact AFFI Director of Conferences Mary Becton at mbecton@affi.com or (703) 821-0770. AFFI Frozen Food Convention Food Logistics Forum Food and Beverage Environmental Conference Educational Seminars and Webinars 3
The Value of AFFI Membership Government Action Summit Each fall, AFFI hosts the Government Action Summit and Frozen Food Filibuster. These marquee Washington, D.C., events connect AFFI members with their members of Congress and provide an opportunity to showcase their companies and products to federal policymakers. AFFI s work advancing the interests of the frozen food industry in Washington is greatly aided when AFFI members make a personal connection with their members of Congress, and AFFI s Government Action Summit is the perfect opportunity to do just that. Held each September, the Government Action Summit includes briefings from leading Washington thinkers and policymakers on the issues of the day, and regularly sees AFFI members make more than 100 visits to Capitol Hill offices. For more information on the Government Action Summit, please contact AFFI Vice President of Government Affairs Kristin Wilcox at kwilcox@affi.com or (703) 821-0770. Frozen Food Filibuster Held in conjunction with the Government Action Summit, AFFI s Frozen Food Filibuster is a one-of-a kind opportunity for AFFI members to introduce themselves and showcase their products to Washington decision makers. Featuring a menu of items supplied by AFFI members and cooked onsite, the Filibuster effectively demonstrates the taste, convenience and nutritional benefits of frozen foods. For more information, and to learn how your company can participate in the Frozen Food Filibuster, please contact AFFI Director of Conferences Mary Becton at mbecton@affi.com or (703) 821-0770. 4
The Value of AFFI Membership FROZEN FOODPAC As part of our work to raise the voice of the frozen food industry on Capitol Hill, many frozen food companies support the FROZEN FOODPAC, which exists to advance the policy priorities of the frozen food industry. The FROZEN FOODPAC s guiding philosophy is to: Support candidates for re-election who stand with the frozen food industry on the issues most important to us, as demonstrated by their voting records in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate; Cultivate strong relationships with select members of Congress who can be counted on to champion the public policy objectives of the frozen food industry; Build relationships with members of Congress in key positions of leadership to whom we need access in order to advance our public policy agenda; and Take advantage of open-seat opportunities to elect pro-business members of Congress who are more inclined to support an agenda that closely aligns with our industry s policy objectives. More information on the FROZEN FOODPAC, including how you can become a supporter, is available at www.affi.org/friends-of-frozen-food/frozenfoodpac. 5
The Value of AFFI Membership Friends of Frozen Food & Show Congress What You Do Friends of Frozen Food, AFFI s online grassroots platform, is designed to enable members of the frozen food community to help tell our story and deepen the appreciation and understanding of frozen foods in Washington, D.C. The Friends of Frozen Food Action Center makes it easy for employees, friends and family members to write their members of Congress on key frozen food issues. We can even help you schedule a visit by your members of Congress to your place of business, so they can learn firsthand what our industry does and how it contributes to a thriving U.S. economy. Become a Friend of Frozen Food and take action today by visiting www.affi.org/friends-of-frozen-food. For more information, contact AFFI Vice President of Communications Corey Henry at chenry@affi.com or (703) 821-0770. Frozen Food Foundation The Frozen Food Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering scientific research, public awareness and industry education regarding the nutritional and safety attributes of frozen foods for the benefit of the common good. The Frozen Food Foundation is affiliated with AFFI, and is a separate entity organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, donations to the foundation are tax-deductible as charitable contributions. It is governed by a board of directors that oversees both a Scientific Advisory Council and a staff responsible for the day-to-day operation of the foundation. For more information on the Foundation s education, awareness and research efforts, visit www.frozenfoodfacts.org or contact Foundation Executive Director Elise Cortina Fennig at efennig@affi.com or (703) 821-0770. 6
Programs Tailored To Suit Our Members AFFI Career Center AFFI s Career Center is the premier recruitment resource for the frozen food industry. AFFI s Career Center enables employers to target and reach qualified candidates quickly and easily, while helping industry professionals find employment opportunities best suited to their careers. Whether you re looking to advertise an employment vacancy, submit a resume, search for qualified candidates or scan for available job openings, the AFFI Career Center is an easy-to-use resource that brings companies and professionals together. For more information on the Career Center, please contact AFFI at (703) 821-0770. AFFI Crisis Communications Preparedness Program A crisis can happen anytime. Are you prepared? AFFI can help ensure that you are. When a crisis occurs, the way a company responds and communicates both internally and externally can be the difference between the event being a door-closing disaster or an opportunity to reveal the company s true mettle. In partnership with Sound Counsel Crisis Communications LLC, AFFI has established a program to help member companies identify the areas where they are at risk and develop a customized crisis communications plan. This program, which includes special rates for Sound Counsel s services, is a benefit offered exclusively to AFFI member companies. Specializing in crisis readiness and crisis management, Sound Counsel s expertise and experience dealing with the frozen food industry enables them to realistically assess AFFI member companies vulnerabilities. Sound Counsel will work with your management team to conduct an in-depth risk assessment and develop a customized crisis communication plan that stresses openness, accountability and accuracy. Finally, media training sessions are available to help key personnel understand the do s and don ts of engaging the media during a crisis. With Sound Counsel s guidance, your company can have an established plan of action ready in the event of an emergency. No wasted time sitting around wondering what to do. Your crisis communications plan will help you make the necessary decisions and have you prepared to offer prompt and honest responses. We invite you to learn more about AFFI s Crisis Communications Preparedness Program at www.affi.org or by contacting AFFI Vice President of Communications Corey Henry at chenry@affi.com or (703) 821-0770. 7
Programs Tailored To Suit Our Members AFFI Product Recall Insurance Program Congress passed and the president recently signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act, which grants the federal government a range of expanded powers, including mandatory food recall authority. The American Frozen Food Institute anticipated this development and partnered with Lockton Companies and XL Insurance to offer a one-of-akind product contamination and recall insurance program to AFFI member companies. AFFI s product contamination and recall insurance program was designed to include the features you need to navigate a rigorous food safety environment, placing us ahead of the curve. It includes coverage for Class I and Class II mandatory and encouraged product recalls, even without direct evidence of product contamination. For many companies, acquiring adequate insurance coverage to protect themselves against the financial costs of a food recall is prohibitively expensive. A survey of currently offered individual policies suggests that many are insufficient. Relative to their cost, they fail to effectively protect frozen food companies against the potential risk of financial and reputational ruin that could result from a significant food recall. Why put your company at risk? Your current insurance program may not offer the protection you need, especially following the adoption of the new food safety law. Don t leave your business exposed. Apply today. To learn more about the AFFI Product Recall Insurance Program, contact AFFI at (703) 821-0770 or visit us online at www.affi.org. Frozen Food Buyer s Guide Need to know who makes it, ships it or stores it? Looking to make sure others in the frozen food industry know what products you make, ship or store? Discover AFFI s online Frozen Food Buyer s Guide, a one-of-a-kind, easy-touse industry resource that brings buyers and sellers together. Visit www.affi.org to learn more about the Buyer s Guide or contact AFFI at (703) 821-0770. 8