The Rhode Island Food Dealers Association will hold its 1998 Southeastern New England Retail Food and Food Service Exposition, Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
As many as 800 visitors — including wholesalers, distributors and retailers are expected to attend the event, according to Anita San Antonio, president and chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Food Dealers Association.
The event’s keynote speaker will be Kevin Carter, senior regional produce buyer for Wal-Mart Supercenters. Carter, a 25-year veteran of the produce industry, has been with Wal-Mart since 1991. As a corporate produce buyer, Carter has procurement and merchandising responsibilities for the company’s regional buying strategies and international produce procurement/logistics.
Carter has received the Wal-Mart “Buyer of the Year” award for his contributions to the company. He will speak at 2 p.m. on “Supercenters and the Changing Retail Scene.”
San Antonio said that Carter’s presentation is especially timely, given the industry’s rapidly changing landscape.
“Change is constant in our business,” San Antonio said. “We have to stay ahead of the trends and know what the consumers are looking for.”
San Antonio said that with more women working full-time than ever before, prepared meals continue to increase in popularity.
And there are always new technologies related to refrigeration and cooling systems as well as upgraded scanning devices for pricing.
Fred T. Faria, department chairman for food service management at Johnson & Wales University, will address the group at 3 p.m., in a talk entitled; “HACCP, It’s Not Just For Spacemen Anymore — The Future is Now.”
The trade show will also address other issues, including loss prevention when Alan T. Sklar, president and chief executive officer of Creative Services, Inc., speaks at 5 p.m. on “Hiring Right Reduces Your Risk.” CSI is a security consulting, investigative, and claim handling firm headquartered in Mansfield, Mass.
The exposition is open to retail food businesses, restaurants and convenience stores. For further information or to reserve a booth at the show, contact Laurie Keenan, at the Rhode Island Food Dealers at 431-0880.
