Supermarket Perimeter - December 2020 - 51

Throughout the speech, she invigorated attendees with the message
that COVID could yield many opportunities, if the industry knows
where to look for them and seize them once found.
It begins, Burns said, with accepting that post-pandemic, the world
won't magically return to how it was pre-pandemic.
" People talk about the new normal, but the new normal is just
settling for whatever comes, " Burns said. " I'm far more interested
in a new extraordinary that we make together. "
Was that old " normal, " Burns asked attendees, really good
enough? COVID revealed one very important thing for
the produce industry, she said: the products it grows,
ships and sells aren't just important, they're " essential. "
Capitalizing on that fact once the pandemic is over
could open up whole new worlds.
The pandemic also created what Burns called
" newfound and long overdue " respect for people
working along every link in the food chain.
" It raised the visibility of these frontline heroes, "
she said. " And countless growers and distributors
embraced the pivot to help those in need and come
up with solutions to help during the pandemic. We are
all incredibly proud of the work you've done. And it
gives the world even more reasons to pay attention to
the incredible work we do from now on. "
In the " new extraordinary, " Burns said, the industry
has a great chance to close the gap between " produce

excess and produce access. " One way of achieving that and other goals
will be to build on the teamwork forged during the pandemic.
" Collaboration will be the new currency, " Burns said. " New
partnerships are being forged, many with people that were never
thought possible or logical. "
Grocery retailers, for instance, helped their struggling foodservice
compatriots by selling restaurants' foods in their deli prepared
sections. Or urban farms set up shop inside supermarkets.
" Business rules are fundamentally changing and will continue
to rapidly change, " Burns said. " Those who turn
adversity into advantage will come out of this, on the
other side, more focused. "
COVID also will accelerate what had already been
building for some time, she added: the importance of
purpose.
" One outcome from the pandemic is the rise of
purpose as an organization's north star, " Burns said.
" We've heard that purpose is the new strategy, that is
affects all decisions every day. "
Purpose, she added, can help provide a sense of
belonging and is a powerful tool to achieve strategic
outcomes.
And it's good for the bottom line. Companies that
spotlight purpose outperform other companies by
5-7% per year, Burns said, citing Harvard Business
Review and Deloitte ﬁgures.

About one in
four adults
actively
manages
their health
through
healthful
food choices.

Easy meal solutions

MELIHA GOJAK - STOCK.ADOBE.COM, DOLE

DOLE FOOD CO.'s latest
line of salads packs a protein
punch perfect for meals.
At the Produce Marketing
Association's 2020 virtual
Fresh Summit convention,
Dole introduced Just Add
Chicken Salad, a series of
four meal solutions for two.
The salads combine
original Dole dressings,
chicken sauté and seasoned

ﬁnishing sauces with
DOLE® lettuces and
toppings to create a true
culinary experience at home,
according to the company.
All consumers add is the
chicken.
The new line targets
the growing population of
salad kit buyers who want
an affordable, total-meal
solution for America's most

popular lean protein, said Lisa
Overman, Dole's director of
brand marketing for North
America.
" Dole is leveraging its
industry leadership in
salad kits to create healthy
new meal possibilities for
those who see cooking as
an adventure and enjoy
creating a ﬂavor-ﬁrst
restaurant experience in

supermarketperimeter.com

their own kitchens, " she
said. " The ﬁrst four Just
Add Chicken offerings were
directly inspired by the most
popular salad/chicken ﬂavor
pairings and restaurant menu
favorites. "
Each 11.30- to 12-ounce
Just Add Chicken Kit
(without the chicken) serves
two for a suggested retail
price of $4.29.

DECEMBER 2020 - 51
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Supermarket Perimeter - December 2020

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