Alison Bodor
President and CEO
AFFI
Today’s food industry is operating in a dynamic landscape. Issues such as inflation, consumer trust, and food and nutrition policy (especially related to Make America Healthy Again initiatives) are shaping conversations in the nation’s capital, in board rooms, and at dinner tables across the country.
Those are among the many factors that the AFFI Board of Directors considered as we shaped the association’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. Developed in conjunction with AFFI members and an array of stakeholders, this Strategic Plan is a bold, multi-year effort that will deliver the Frozen Advantage story to the audiences that matter most – policymakers, food influencers and consumers. Each and every strategic plan action will be undertaken with five objectives in mind. AFFI will:
- Redefine Frozen Food as a Culinary Powerhouse: Shift the perception of frozen food to highlight its true quality and nutrition among policymakers, food policy influencers and consumer influencers. Aim to achieve favorable public policy outcomes and encourage consumer acceptance and trust among new consumers.
- Harness the Power of Advocacy to Increase Consumption: Support a public policy environment that broadens access to frozen foods.
- Set a New Benchmark for Food Safety Excellence: Set a bold new benchmark for food safety excellence and achieve zero unnecessary recalls in AFFI members’ frozen food supply chains. Lead with best-in-class food safety practices rooted in continuous improvement and innovation.
- Forge a New Era of Business Growth: Forge new business opportunities that support AFFI members within the frozen food supply chain.
- Empower the Path to Net-Zero: Foster, define and promote the frozen industry’s carbon reduction progress via food waste, end-to-end cold chain logistics, and processing facility efficiencies.
Each pillar plays a critical role in shaping the future of frozen food and provides real opportunities for AFFI membership, including frozen fruit and vegetables processors, makers of frozen potato products, manufacturers of prepared meals, and supply chain partners.
The cornerstone of the strategic plan is creating a new narrative about frozen food based on its quality, nutrition and food waste benefits. AFFI already has a suite of resources that builds this base at www.frozenadvantage.org. This includes a recent analysis, which revealed that top best-selling frozen meals and side dishes are nutritionally comparable to their homemade counterparts, have similar costs, and require significantly less time to prepare.
At the same time, AFFI offers a suite of advocacy, food safety, business insights and sustainability resources for its member companies. This includes expert staff support, in-depth market reporting, educational courses, and networking and business development opportunities. These comprehensive tools support the frozen food industry’s license to operate and grow.
AFFI and its members operate on a culture of continuous improvement, and that is what the strategic plan represents. We are building on past successes to create a new, stronger and successful frozen food marketplace for the future.
Simply stated, we are stronger when we act together to inform, educate and inspire the individuals and groups that shape our industry. I am excited about AFFI’s future and how our strategic plan will shape a stronger frozen food marketplace in the months and years to come.
