Governor Cuomo Announces Partnership With Walmart, Wegmans, the National Supermarket Association and the Community Service Society to Feed Over 35,000 New Yorkers this Thanksgiving

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State is partnering with Walmart, Wegmans, the National Supermarket Association and the Community Service Society of New York this Thanksgiving Week to help deliver meals to feed more than 35,000 people statewide.

"Thanksgiving is an opportunity not just to reflect on our values of gratitude and service to others but also to act on those values," Governor Cuomo said. "This partnership will provide thousands of families across the state with a warm meal to enjoy. I encourage every New Yorker to take time today to reflect and find a way that they can give back this week and throughout the holiday season."

"Thanksgiving is about more than being thankful, it is about acting on it by helping those less fortunate," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "This partnership with Walmart, Wegmans, National Supermarket Association, and the Community Service Society will provide families across the state with a warm, delicious meal to enjoy on Thanksgiving. I encourage all New Yorkers to find ways to offer a helping hand and give back throughout the holiday season to help those who are less fortunate and in need."

Thanks to generous food donations from Walmart, Wegmans, and the National Supermarket Association, Thanksgiving turkeys are being packaged and delivered to feed over 35,000 New Yorkers statewide.

Upstate New York-based Wegmans donated meals to feed over 1,900 New Yorkers in Western and Central New York, and New York City. Wegmans recently opened its first store in New York City, located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which donated meals to feed 500 New Yorkers.

As the nation's largest grocer, last year alone, Walmart donated more than $50,000 across the state of New York in cash and in-kind donations in the fight against hunger. Donations by Walmart helped feed over 30,000 people.

This year, New York State is proud to partner with the Community Service Society of New York to distribute turkeys and other foods statewide. The Community Service Society has worked for over 175 years to implement real solutions to help low-income New Yorkers find a path out of economic hardship. CSS works with both the public and private sectors to create real opportunity for every New Yorker so that they can take care of their families and loved ones.  

Jason Klipa, Director of Public Affairs for Walmart in New York, said, "Walmart is proud to once again partner with Governor Cuomo and the State of New York to put a little extra joy on the Thanksgiving tables of thousands of New Yorkers. While the holiday season can often remind us that there are many in need, we hope everybody can find even the smallest ways to help those who are less fortunate throughout the entire year."

Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans Community Relations Manager, said, "We're committed to reducing hunger and giving back to the communities where our customers and employees live and work. Through our continued partnership with Governor Cuomo, we're able to deliver on that commitment and help ensure families have a warm meal to gather around during this special time of year." 

Elizabeth Peralta, Executive Director, National Supermarket Association, said, "We could not be prouder to partner with Governor Cuomo. It is truly a gift for us to be able to continue to give back to the communities we serve. For the National Supermarket Association, this is only another opportunity for us to make a difference in the lives of our customers and continue to serve our mission to empower them"

David R. Jones, President and CEO of CSS, said, "The Community Service Society is proud to partner with Governor Cuomo, Walmart, Wegmans and the National Supermarket Association to deliver Thanksgiving turkeys to needy families in our city. Through our network of community based partners, CSS helps low-income New Yorkers participate in education, job training and workforce opportunities. Using this same network, and in the spirit of the season of giving, we are honored to be part of this effort to feed New Yorkers this Thanksgiving."

THE NSA TRADE SHOW 2019 NAMES "GOYA FOODS" COMPANY OF THE YEAR

THE NSA TRADE SHOW 2019 NAMES "GOYA FOODS" COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The National Supermarket Association held in New York its NSA Trade Show 2019 with a new executive director, premiering a new exhibition floor layout, promoting Dominican products under the agreement “Marca País” and recognizing Goya Foods as the Company of the Year.

The NSA Show 2019 was held on August 28 at the Resorts World Casino in New York City, with nearly 300 local and international businesses attending the show. More than one thousand visitors walked the one day show to do business and learn about new food trends and offers that are in the market.

Just a month ago, in July, Elizabeth Peralta officially took her new role as NSA Executive Director. Since then, NSA’s president, William Rodríguez, entrusted her with the mission to create a new dynamic for the 2019 NSA Show.
“William Rodriguez has guided me with great words of advice, gave me wisdom and then he gave me freedom to work organizing the show and look what we achieved, probably the biggest show in our history, I know that we are already breaking records,” Peralta said in an interview with Abasto.

Amid a festive atmosphere, with the sound of Latin music in the background, the aisles of the NSA Trade Show 2019 exhibition hall were filled with merchants and business owners of Hispanic independent supermarkets in the New York area in search of offers and good business.

As every year, the association named the Company of the Year and in the NSA Trade Show 2019 they announced that Goya Foods has won the recognition and also got the title of the best stand of the trade show.

“We believe that this recognition by the NSA is a recognition of our relationship with our customers, with our consumers and especially about what we do on a social level. From last year we have donated more than 300 thousand tons of products in the United States to help low-income communities. It is a recognition of brand, effort and tradition,” said Jesús A. Rodríguez, Goya’s Head of Sales.

NSA’s president, William Rodríguez, in a message to the attendees, highlighted the presence of “Marca País” pavilion from the Dominican Republic, the Dominican consul in New York, Carlos Castillo and the support of Marcos De León, director of the CEI-RD, and Osmar Benítez, Dominican Ministry of Agriculture.

“It is already a reality that our products are on the shelves of supermarkets that are members of the NSA and we will be very aggressive giving all the necessary help to Dominican producers and exporters and Dominican consumers, since our diaspora is the largest that exists here in New York, reaching almost one million 350 thousand inhabitants in this area,” said Consul Castillo.
On the other hand, Lesbia Brea, director of exports of the Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD) told Abasto that 17 Dominican companies participated in the “Marca País” pavilion, offering a wide variety of products from the agricultural and industrial sectors.

The CEI-RD official highlighted the support of the NSA and the growth of exports to the United States thanks to the advice they offer to entrepreneurs looking to market their products.
Associated Supermarket Group participated in the 2019 NSA trade show debuting its new corporate campaign, #ASGNewReality.  At the NSA trade show, ASG showcased its solutions for independently owned and operated stores to take advantage of the economies of scale normally available only to larger supermarket chains.

ASG’s footprint previewed its new corporate website, brought-to-life its family of banner and house brands, and showed the technology used for distribution, marketing, merchandising and promotional services. “We congratulate the National Supermarket Association for a successful trade show and commend their efforts to provide a platform for independent store owners to experience the best in class in our industry,” said Zulema Wiscovitch, Chief Administrative Officer of Associated Supermarket Group.

Likewise, the NSA Trade Show 2019 was attended by numerous companies that for the first time participated in the trade show. One of them was Nixie’s, which also made the official launch of its coffee.
“We are fortunate to be able to be here presenting our new product and we have done very well, this is the show where you want to participate,” said Nixie Espinal-Díaz, who, with her husband Rafael Díaz, started their Nixie’s coffee production company.
Both small and large and long-standing companies such as GraceKennedy-La Fe recognize the value of participating in the 2019 NSA Trade Show.

“It is tremendously important to always have contact with independent businesses that really are the heart of our business. These shows allow us to have an approach with the stores and understand what their needs are, so that from the perspective of innovation, we can give them what they are looking for,” said Andrés Falquez, Category Marketing Director at GraceKennedy Foods USA-La Fe.

THE NSA WILL LAUNCH "MARCA PAIS" CAMPAIGN

The National Supermarket Association is getting ready to launch the “Marca País” campaign in partnership with the government of the Dominican Republic, to promote Dominican products through supermarkets that are members of the NSA, on the East Coast of the United States.
In an interview with Abasto Magazine, José Geraldo, executive director of the National Supermarket Association, spoke about the trip to Santo Domingo by three NSA leaders, at the beginning of March, to attend the HUB Cámara Santo Domingo trade fair. They also had meetings with the Dominican authorities to work on the launch of the “Marca País” campaign.

More than 200 Dominican and international companies participated in the trade fair. The Centro de Exportación e Inversión de República Dominicana (Cei-RD) coordinated the participation of more than 80 international buyers in the business rounds and meetings with Dominican businessmen in order to know and acquire locally produced items.

Abasto Magazine: What was the reason for the trip to the Dominican Republic?

José Geraldo: In the Dominican Republic, an event called Hub was being organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Santo Domingo and the Cei-RD. They invited us to participate representing the Association, to give a little color to that event where the private sector encourages local companies to export.

AM: Why the trade interest of the members of the NSA with the Dominican Republic?

JG: The majority of independent store owners who are members of the NSA are of Dominican origin. Therefore, it is essential to create that business relationship between the owners of supermarkets, here in the US and the companies that produce Dominican goods, because there are approximately two million Dominicans in the United States. Most are located in the northeast and southeast of the country, in New York and Florida, so it is essential that products that are of Dominican origin are sold in our stores.

AM: What types of products are exported from the Dominican Republic and are found in your supermarkets?

JG: Day by day more Dominican products come to our markets. There are distribution companies, including large corporations such as Goya, which already manufacture products of Dominican origin, which are packaged under the name of Goya or other brands. The reality is that there are many agricultural products that the country is trying to export and that here in our stores sell very well, such as bananas, mango, avocado.

Nelson Eusebio, director of governmental affairs (left), José Geraldo, executive director (cen.) And William Rodríguez (right), national president of the NSA, during the meeting with representatives of Cei-RD. Photo courtesy of NSA.

AM: Who traveled to Santo Domingo?

JG: William Rodriguez, the national president of the NSA, Nelson Eusebio, who is the director of governmental affairs and I, as executive director, attended the trade fair.

AM: What was the NSA agenda during the fair?

JG: We had a well defined agenda, we met with several companies in the Hub but we also met with the Cei-RD, to whom we proposed our initiatives on the “Marca País” campaign, the partnership we will have with the Dominican State through the Dominican Consulate in New York.

AM: What does this association mean?

JG: The NSA supermarkets would support Dominican products that reach our stores. We would give them a specific space to support that product and in relation to that, the Dominican State would create an incentive through the Consulate in NY to promote Dominican brands. The CEI-RD will facilitate the processes to the Dominican companies so that they can export and at the same time have representation in our trade fair that we do in New York, which this year will be on August 21 at the Resort World Casino. The agreement is in the process of being finalized and it is expected that the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, will sign it before the month of June.

NSA leaders met with the president of BHD Bank, engineer Luis Molina Achecar, and bank board members. Photo courtesy of NSA.

AM: What other meetings did you hold in Santo Domingo?

JG: We also met with the president of BHD Bank, engineer Luis Molina Achecar, we talked about several initiatives to promote Dominican culture abroad and using our business as a vehicle for promotion. At the same time, we talk about some projects in the banking industry that concerns our stores, where the Dominican community can make money transfers directly from our businesses, to their accounts and to their relatives in the Dominican Republic.

AM: What results did you achieve in this business trip?

JG: The main thing was to achieve the partnership with the Dominican State and with CEI-RD because that’s where the “Marca País” campaign came from. At the same time, the relationship we had with BHD Bank was very positive and we also met with Arroz Rico Company, which is one of the suppliers of Dominican products that we sell in our supermarkets, to strengthen commercial relationships. And we will be returning to the Dominican Republic to participate in the Agrifood Fair, which takes place from May 5 to 12. It is possible that during this trip we met with the Dominican president for the signing of the “Marca País” partnership.

Goya, National Supermarket Association Host Taste of Latinoamerica -Event showcased foods dished up by students of NYC's Food and Finance High School

Goya Foods teamed up with the National Supermarket Association (NSA) this week to host the Taste of Latinoamerica, a Latin-themed three-course meal pop-up restaurant. The effort was part of the Food Education Fund’s (FEF's) Restaurant Pop-Up Lunch Series.

The luncheon, which featured popular ethnic dishes made with Goya products, was fully prepared and led by students of New York's Food and Finance High School (FFHS). Funds raised from the event also benefited the public high school, located in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan. The school is the city's only culinary high school and one of only a few in the nation.

As part of Goya’s support of the FEF, the company established an annual culinary competition in New York, along with scholarships for FFHS students. Goya also provides product donations for the School Grounds Cafe, a student-run business at the school. 

The FEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to promote sustainable positive life outcomes for New York City youth.

“We couldn’t be prouder to be a partner of the Food Education Fund," said Bob Unanue, president of Goya. "It’s amazing to see how motivated and engaged the students are with the incredible support and team of the Fund." Goya takes great pride in making a difference in students' lives, Unanue said.

Students at FFHS take an hour and a half of cooking, baking and pastry courses each day as a part of their coursework, in addition to a full standard high school academic program. With a graduation rate averaging around 90%, the school has prepared hundreds of students to succeed in culinary and food management careers. 

"The NSA is proud to be a new partner of the Food Education Fund and to help empower and support these students throughout high school and beyond," said William Rodriguez, president of NSA. "We are dedicated to giving back to the communities, where our supermarkets are located and, thanks to Goya Foods, we were introduced to a wonderful way where we could do just that."

Founded by Hispanic entrepreneurs in 1989, NSA is a trade association that represents independent supermarket owners in New York and other urban area throughout the East Coast, Mid-Atlantic region and Florida.

GROCERS WITH SCANNERS SHOULDN’T NEED A PRICE STICKER ON EVERY ITEM

March 13, 2019,

by William Rodriguez, (National President of the National Supermarket Association)

Next time you wander the aisles of your local supermarket, take notice of the price stickers on every can of soup, box of cereal and bag of rice. Although prices are displayed on the shelves, itemized pricing on most items is required by an outdated city law. This redundant tagging is a colossal waste of time for workers, and grocers incur thousands of dollars in penalties because, inevitably, some items are missed or mislabeled.

The city's Department of Consumer Affairs makes routine inspections of small grocers and fines them up to $18 per improperly tagged item. The agency has issued more than 12,000 such violations in the past three years.

The law dates back to the 1990s, when there was concern that consumers wouldn't know an item's price until they reached the register. Advancements in price scanning and inventory-management systems now ensure that customers can feel confident that the item's price aligns with the shelf tag, which they typically can double-check with a scanner. The law has been rendered nothing but a burden on small businesses and their workers.

Small grocers in the city face a grim future with rising rents, over-regulation and competition from corporate chains and online retailers. Their regulation by the state Agriculture and Health departments and the city Health, Consumer Affairs, Environmental Protection and Sanitation departments leads to an enormous number of fines in an industry that operates on paper-thin margins.

The City Council must update its laws to reflect the new technology and provide much-needed relief to local grocery-store owners. Intro. 1145, sponsored by Brooklyn Councilman Rafael Espinal Jr., is a start. The bill would exempt grocers that have an electronic scanner available for customer use from the itemized pricing rule. Many stores already have scanners. By removing a burdensome and costly regulation, the bill would allow store employees to be more efficient in their daily routine and would spur more small grocers to add scanners, improving the customer experience.

To lessen the burden on businesses that have been cornerstones of their communities for decades, the City Council should tag the price-sticker law obsolete.