US Foods Announces Changes in Leadership Team
US Foods Holding Corp. announced key changes to its Executive Leadership Team effective immediately.
Andrew Iacobucci, senior executive vice president, field operations and chief commercial officer, is leaving US Foods to accept a CEO role outside the company. Iacobucci served as the company’s interim CEO in 2022 prior to Dave Flitman filling the permanent CEO position in January.
With Iacobucci’s departure, the company has taken the opportunity to flatten its Executive Leadership Team structure and has named Jim Sturgell, executive vice president, chief commercial officer responsible for local sales, commercial excellence and merchandising/marketing and Randy Taylor, executive vice president, field operations with P&L responsibility for the company’s Broadline business and Stock Yards. Both will report to Flitman as part of his ELT.
“We thank Andrew for his leadership, particularly for his service as Interim CEO last year, and wish him much success,” said Flitman. “We have a strong bench of talent here at US Foods. I am confident that Jim and Randy will bring their years of experience, strong track records and leadership skills to their new appointments and play key roles in driving continued execution against our long-range plan.”
Sturgell joined US Foods in 1992 and most recently served as senior vice president, commercial excellence and local sales where he was accountable for identifying, designing, and deploying best practices related to sales, merchandising, and pricing and executing sales strategies to deliver profitable market share growth. Sturgell has held a range of leadership roles within the company. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Salisbury State University.
Taylor has been with US Foods for more than 15 years and served as regional president southeast since 2016 where he was responsible for leading the execution of US Foods strategy in the region, optimizing operating results and acting as a strategic partner in the development of the company’s plans and programs. Taylor earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from James Madison University and a Master of Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
For more news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
SNAX-Sational Brings Penne Straws to Sweets and Snacks Show
SNAX-Sational Brands will represent at the Sweets and Snacks Trade Show, May 22-25, in Chicago. The Candy Pop and Cookie Pop booth #11180 will include samples of SNAX-Sational’s Pasta Snacks’ Penne Straws, available in Marinara, Lemon Garlic, Mac n’ Cheese, Sweet Pepper and Cinnamon Churro flavors.
Vintage Italia’s Penne Straws are a pasta-shaped treat — inviting the taste of family favorites into the everyday. Penne Straws are seasoned to perfection. giving them authentic delicious flavor. Gluten free, non-GMO and 140 calories per serving, they are made with lentils and white beans.
As part of SNAX-Sational’s ongoing partnership with Ryan Seacrest Foundation and their work with Children’s Hospitals around the United States, all Candy Pop and Cookie Pop flavors benefit the foundation through a portion of all sales. Follow online at @cookiepop_candypop for more brand info and @ryanfoundation for updates on the organization’s work.
Find out more about the SNAX-Sational products at @eatpastasnacks
For more news of interest to the snacks industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
USDA to Provide Aid to Organic Dairy Producers for Marketing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide assistance for dairy producers with the new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program. ODMAP is established to help mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. Specifically, under the ODMAP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency is making $104 million available to organic dairy operations to assist with projected marketing costs in 2023, calculated using their marketing costs in 2022.
“Organic dairy producers have faced significant and unique increases in their marketing costs, compounded by increases in feed and transportation costs and the limited availability of organic grain and forage commodities,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Without assistance, many organic dairies, particularly small organic dairies, will cease production, which not only impacts the domestic supply and consumption of organic milk but also the well-being of many rural communities across the country. This program will keep our small organic dairies in operation as they continue to weather a combination of challenges outside of their control.”
FSA will begin accepting applications for ODMAP on May 24. Eligible producers include certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep.
Adam Warthesen, co-chair of the Organic Trade Association’s Organic Feedstuffs Relief Task Force, and senior director of government and industry affairs for Organic Valley said: “With unprecedented organic feed costs and inflationary pressures over the last couple of years, resources like ODMAP are really going to matter as farmers plan for the rest of this year.”
Britt Lundgren, senior director of sustainability and government affairs at Stonyfield, said: “The costs facing organic dairy today are uncommon and putting serious strain on operations. USDA is right to step in and offer support, and this is a good first step. The alternative is we lose family farmers. We look forward to working with USDA to cover more of the actual costs organic dairies are facing.”
Lia Sieler, executive director of Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, said: “We welcome the monetary resources allocated to dairy farmess through ODMAP with much anticipation. Input costs have been at an unprecedented high with no foreseeable changes and farmers are struggling to keep up with these high costs at their current pay price for the specialty products they produce. Farmers are struggling to continue producing a quality, safe and nutritious product with the current costs of doing business. We thank USDA with the help of many members of Congress for stepping in, hearing our voices and working diligently to get money pushed out as quick as possible to help alleviate some of this pain. Our work is not done, but this is a major win for our industry in a time of such uncertainty.”
Chris Adamo, vice president of public affairs and regenerative agriculture policy with Danone North America, said: “Recent increases to cost of feed and overall inputs have significantly impacted organic dairy farms, and on behalf of Horizon Organic, we are grateful for USDA’s thoughtful work and strong support for the farms that supply our customers’ milk.”
How ODMAP Works
FSA is providing financial assistance for a producer’s projected marketing cost in 2023 based on their 2022 costs. ODMAP provides a one-time cost-share payment based on marketing costs on pounds of organic milk marketed in the 2022 calendar year.
ODMAP provides financial assistance that will immediately support certified organic dairy operations during 2023 keeping organic dairy operations sustainable until markets return to more normal conditions.
How to Apply
FSA is accepting applications from May 24 to July 24. To apply, producers should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center. To complete the ODMAP application, producers must certify to pounds of 2022 milk production, show documentation of their organic certification, and submit a completed application form.
Organic dairy operations are required to provide their USDA certification of organic status confirming operation as an organic dairy in 2023 and 2022 along with the certification of 2022 milk production in hundredweight.
ODMAP complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental DMC, with more than $300 million in benefits paid for the 2023 program year to date. Learn more on the FSA Dairy Programs webpage
More Information
To learn more about USDA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and other programs by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.
