Food expo to bring 1,500 grocery suppliers, vendors to Grand Rapids

BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — SpartanNash is preparing to host its annual Food Solutions Expo, bringing together more than 1,500 food and grocery suppliers and independent retail customers.

The expo, which takes place at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids from July 23 to 26, will focus on industry trends, including pricing, consumer habits, new products and more.

“We feel that’s a really important thing that we bring our suppliers and our grocery customers that opportunity for them to learn to get the tools they need to run their business,” SpartanNash CEO Tony Sarsam told News 8 Friday afternoon. “Those independent grocers are so important in the communities they serve. They serve in urban settings, they serve in suburban settings, but the vast majority of them that will be here this next week are actual rural grocers, so they’ve actually become that really important sort of cornerstone of the communities that they serve.”

The event will kick off with vision impact awards on Tuesday, which will recognize the best suppliers and grocers. In addition, an expo hall will showcase more than 400 new products and offer learning opportunities for attendees.

“It’ll generate a little bit of excitement and things that (attendees) can bring home to their shoppers as new innovations,” Sarsam said.

The grocery industry is ever-changing, impacted by price inflation, the supply chain, technology, and consumer trends. For most customers, prices are a major focus, which Sarsam said SpartanNash has worked hard to keep fair.

“We serve about 2,300 independent grocers across the country, including 147 stores that we operate ourselves. Those stores locally include Family Fare, D&W Fresh Markets, and Forest Hills Foods,” Sarsam explained. “The inflation of 2022 was a big spike. It has subsided since then. We’re down kind of in the normal phase right now. It’s actually inflation on food is below inflation of other goods, but we still have to be very vigilant and we work very closely with our suppliers.”

The company also remains focused on giving back.

“We have still been steadfast about continuing to give back and actually gave back at a higher rate this past year as an example,” Sarsam said.

The expo will provide another opportunity to do that. At the event’s close, the food on display will be donated to Feeding America West Michigan. Last year, nearly 40,000 pounds of food was donated, providing around 33,000 meals to the food bank.

“We’re bringing in a lot of people together. It’s great for us. It’s great for our vendors and for our independent grocers. It’s really great for the community of Grand Rapids to have all those folks here and helping out in the economy and then, of course, we think it’s great for the folks that are in need as we donate that food back to Feeding America,” Sarsam said.

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