Get Adobe Flash player

Herring Returns to Giant Food as Chief Merchant

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional grocery chain, has hired Tonya Herring as chief merchant effective immediately. In her role, Herring will oversee all merchandising strategy and execution across Giant Food.

With more than 30 years of retail grocery experience, Herring most recently served as the senior vice president of omnichannel development for Peapod Digital Labs, which supports Ahold Delhaize USA. There, Herring led the commercial evolution of Ahold Delhaize USA’s omnichannel ambitions. Prior to that, Herring was the senior vice president of merchandising for Giant Food, where she was responsible for strategic leadership, business plan design and merchandising organization including category management, pharmacy, pricing, promotion and merchandising planning.

“The entire Giant Food family is thrilled to welcome Tonya back to our team,” said Ira Kress, president of Giant Food. “With her deep merchandising expertise, she will bring a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the Giant Food brand in this role.”

Throughout her experience, Herring has held multiple roles including over two decades at Safeway Inc., where her positions included vice president of category development, group director category development for consumer brands and regional director.

“As a Maryland local, Giant Food has been part of my community for years,” said Herring. “I am ecstatic to be continuing my career back at Giant and look forward to implementing positive changes within our merchandising sector.”

Tonya lives in Odenton, Md., with her husband, Brent, and enjoys their leisure time walking their dogs, golfing, bike riding and visiting family in their home state of California.

Since opening its first location over 88 years ago in Washington, D.C., in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of the communities and customers it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research, and Social Equality.

Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md., and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 154 full-service pharmacies and 28 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the way today’s busy customers want to shop – in-store or online.

With 162 Giant Pickup locations and delivery options available in all its markets, customers have even more convenient options to get the best products and prices whenever and however they choose.

For more news of interest to the grocery industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Palacios, EVERY Partner to Make Products Using Animal-Free Eggs

Grupo Empresarial Palacios Alimentación – the world’s largest producer of string chorizo and Spanish omelets and Spain’s leading producer of frozen desserts – has formalized a commercial agreement with The EVERY Company, a trailblazer in crafting highly functional ingredients without the use of animals.

This partnership marks a significant milestone for the food industry as Palacios will incorporate EVERY Egg, the world’s first chicken egg created without hens, into its flagship Spanish omelets and into the research and development of new products.

EVERY Egg made its prestigious debut at the 3-Michelin-Star restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, where its exceptional quality and versatility were showcased across a variety of dishes. From the delicate textures of a French omelet and the rich depths of a crème brûlée to the intricate layers of a chawanmushi and the innovative twist in a foaming cocktail, EVERY Egg has proven its culinary prowess, mirroring the traditional hen egg in both taste and functionality.

Palacios — which began as a local butcher shop in Albelda de Iregua, La Rioja, Spain before transforming itself into the world’s leading producer of Spanish omelets — has been on the forefront of integrating breakthrough innovations into traditional recipes. Palacios has a firm commitment to innovation, and proof of this is the start of this joint collaboration: quality, tradition and innovation go hand in hand.

“We were genuinely amazed by the delicious taste and culinary versatility of EVERY Egg,” the company says. “Its ability to seamlessly blend into a wide range of dishes while maintaining the authentic taste and texture of a high-quality hen egg is remarkable.”

With EVERY Egg, food companies finally have access to a guaranteed safe, reliable and humane egg source.

The partnership between EVERY and Palacios is a pioneering alliance that promises to revolutionize the food industry, bringing better ingredients to traditional dishes and introducing new culinary experiences for chefs and food enthusiasts worldwide.

Grupo Palacios originated in the 1960s, when Jaime Palacios and his wife, Dolores, continued the family business of a butcher shop in Albelda de Iregua, La Rioja. The big leap for the company began in 1983, with the inauguration of its sausage factory in Albelda de Iregua.

Since 1999, the company implemented a diversification strategy by introducing other value-added food products, including fresh tortillas, refrigerated pizzas, and frozen pastries, in addition to a complete range of 100 percent plant based products. Palacios has generated a turnover of more than 380 million euros in 2023, has 11 production plants in Spain, 1 in the United Kingdom and another in the United States, and its products are distributed in more than 50 countries.

In addition, Palacios has consolidated its position as the world’s leading company in the manufacture and marketing of chorizo sarta and refrigerated potato tortillas, with a workforce of more than 1,000 employees. The company constantly seeks innovative ways to reduce its environmental impact and promote responsible practices throughout its value chain.

The EVERY Company is a leader in the food technology space and is the first company in the world to commercialize highly functional egg proteins produced without chickens. Based in Daly City, Calif., EVERY has enhanced numerous commercial categories with its game-changing proteins, including pressed juice, baked goods and beverage alcohol, with more to come. With investors including AB InBev, the world’s largest fermentation company, and Anne Hathaway, EVERY has been recognized as one of the 50 Hottest Tech Companies in the World by Crunchbase, and among the 50 NEXT companies to Disrupt the World.

For more news of interest to the frozen foods industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Sprouts Healthy Communities Applications Open

The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation announced that organizations can now apply for funding for programs that advance nutrition education, nutrition access and wellness for children and adults in the communities where Sprouts operates. Sprouts will award a total of $3 million to approximately 300 local organizations.

“Our 32,000 team members want to see our communities thrive. Supporting local organizations that focus on wellness and nutrition access is an important part of what we do,” said Jack Sinclair, chief executive officer of Sprouts Farmers Market.

The Foundation’s mission is focused on improving health outcomes by supporting nutrition education, nutrition access, and wellness programs. Each of the grants will provide organizations with $5,000 to $10,000 in funding. The grant categories include:

  • Sprouting School Gardens – Funding for new or existing school-based gardening programs that provide students with hands-on learning opportunities that bring nutrition education to life for students
  • Growing Healthy Kids – Funding for community-based programs focused on children’s nutrition access, nutrition education, and health and wellness
  • Wellness Across the Lifespan – Funding for community-based programs focused on adult health and wellness

“Our goal is to help children and adults connect with vital resources, learn new skills, and improve their health and wellness,” said Lyndsey Waugh, executive director of the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. “We look forward to working with over 300 organizations to drive meaningful impact in our communities.”

Since 2015, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation has awarded over $20 million in grants to organizations that are working on the front lines of nutrition education and wellness. An estimated 3 million children participate in programs supported by the Foundation each year and Sprouts expects to more than double its grant programs in the year ahead.

The deadline to apply is July 15. For more information on the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation visit www.sprouts.com/about/sprouts-foundation/

True to its farm-stand heritage, Sprouts offers a unique grocery experience featuring an open layout with fresh produce at the heart of the store. Sprouts inspires wellness naturally with a carefully curated assortment of better-for-you products paired with purpose-driven people. The healthy grocer continues to bring the latest in wholesome, innovative products made with lifestyle-friendly ingredients such as organic, plant-based and gluten-free. Headquartered in Phoenix, and one of the largest and fastest growing specialty retailers of fresh, natural and organic food in the United States, Sprouts employs approximately 32,000 team members and more than 400 stores in 23 states nationwide. To learn more about Sprouts, and the good it brings communities, visit about.sprouts.com.

For more news of interest to the grocery industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.