New Jersey Food Council

09/14/2026

Vanishing N.J. grocery stores should worry everyone. Read more from NJFC President & CEO Linda Doherty on the challenges facing New Jersey’s food industry and why grocery stores are beyond essential here:

Twenty-eight closures in two years have displaced nearly 5,000 workers and left some towns without a full-service supermarket. Policymakers need to consider the cumulative toll of new regulations.

09/10/2026

An urgent EBT Card reminder from the NJ Department of Human Services: EBT cardholders residing in Essex, Mercer and Cumberland Counties must activate their new chip-enabled EBT cards. Their old EBT magstripe cards will NOT work after Sunday, Sept. 13th. Retailers can help bring awareness to this change by sharing these flyers. Learn more at: https://nj.gov/humanservices/dfd/chipcard/

09/02/2026

- This week we're excited to welcome Hudson Kitchen as a new member. The company is an 8,000-square-foot shared and business incubator in Kearny, New Jersey, supporting emerging consumer brands at multiple stages of development. They provide the licensed production infrastructure, operational resources, and business support companies needed to manufacture consistently, increase capacity, and pursue retail and opportunities.

Hudson Kitchen's Food Business Bootcamp® Startup Accelerator helps early-stage founders build the foundation to launch commercially viable food and brands. They also serve more established companies seeking a flexible production home, creating a pathway for brands to move from startup through growth and into the broader marketplace.

09/01/2026

to NJFC President & CEO Linda Doherty on being named a 2026 Trailblazer Award recipient by the Women's Political Caucus of New Jersey! Join us in celebrating Linda’s extraordinary , her decades of , and the lasting mark she has made on Trenton, the NJ business community and the food industry. She will be recognized at the 2026 Women of Achievement Reception on Thursday, October 15th at Cooper’s Riverview in Trenton along with Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who is retiring from the U.S. House of Representatives. Registration information can be found here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/v5af9f9?source_id=0604625b-9c84-45d8-a081-3610c2a99d78&source_type=em&c=lKj--GkOaibqDdOmDUI22iwzlG3o9OhBvBzHGJAW2O3K4ooXt30Gbg==

08/31/2026

Check out NJFC's priorities in this great NJBIZ article:

The NJ Food Council outlines its legislative priorities, from food packaging and weights-and-measures rules to labor issues.

08/12/2026

- This week we're excited to welcome International Spice as a new member. The company has proudly served retail , boutique shops, distributors, and fine dining establishments across the United States. They are SQF Certified, FDA approved, and kosher certified. Their expertise lies in , custom blends, specialty , and curated gift sets.

International Spice offers flexible packaging options to suit your needs, including pouches, multi-packs, gift sets, and bulk containers – all designed to meet your brand’s unique requirements. They would love to assist you with your project and help grow your brand, and can get you running quicker than you think!

07/17/2026

We are proud to Mary Demos of Whole Foods Market and Jonathan D'Orsi of ShopRite of Carteret to our Board of Directors! We also extend our deepest thanks to Len Sitar for nearly 50 years of exceptional and , the longest Board tenure in NJFC history. Read more from The Shelby Report:

NJFC elected Mary Demos and Jonathan D'Orsi to its board as Len Sitar steps down after nearly 50 years, the longest tenure in NJFC history.

07/15/2026

- We're excited to welcome Formica Freitag Bakery & Cafe as a new member this week. Founded in Atlantic City in 1919, by Francesco and Rosa Formica, the company is a fourth-generation family that has been producing premium breads and for more than 100 years. For over a century, Formica Freitag Bread is famously known for being made with America’s Purest Water from New Jersey’s renowned Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer. Best known for its legendary Atlantic City sub rolls, the company supplies restaurants, delis, casinos, retailers, and distributors throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, other surrounding states, and soon to be distributed nationally.

In addition to its signature rolls, Formica offers a wide variety of , sandwich rolls, buns, pizza products, flat breads, and custom solutions, with fresh, frozen, along with par-baked and fully baked-frozen options designed to meet the needs of retailers, restaurants, distributors, and foodservice operators.

To learn more about Formica Freitag Bakery's wholesale products, delivery network, retail offerings, or custom baking capabilities, please contact Frank D. Formica at [email protected] or (609) 839-3904. You can also visit their website to learn more about the company's products, history, and partnership opportunities.

07/08/2026

This year, the NJFC Educational Development Foundation was incredibly proud to provide 32 scholarships totaling $102,500 to outstanding accomplished . "The overall goal of this program is to invest in and provide for the hardworking families and associates who are the foundation of New Jersey’s ,” said NJFC CEO & President Linda Doherty. Join us in congratulating the 2026 recipients!

The New Jersey Food Council’s (NJFC) Educational Development Scholarship Foundation recently held a virtual reception with the winners of $102,500 in scholarships.

07/08/2026

This week we're excited to welcome Gasket Guy of North Jersey as a new member. The company has been and installing commercial door for more than 20 years and is the largest gasket and in the United States. They help , operators, centers, restaurants, and other businesses reduce cold-air loss, frost buildup, temperature issues, product spoilage exposure, and unnecessary strain on refrigeration — all by addressing one of the most overlooked but important parts of the cold chain: the door .

Gasket Guy is built to make gasket replacement simple, documented, and easy to manage. Their team inspects cooler and freezer doors, identifies failed or borderline gaskets, and offers free quarterly preventative maintenance checks to help operators stay ahead of small issues before they turn into larger refrigeration problems. Gasket Guy also works cooperatively with refrigeration contractors, facility teams, and third-party work order platforms, making it easy to fit into existing vendor workflows rather than disrupt them. Nationally, the company is connected with more than 15,000 customers through third-party work order systems, including ServiceChannel, Corrigo and EcoTrak, and has experience serving grocery and brands such as Costco, Walmart, , Food Lion, Superior Grocers, Target Distribution Center, The Kroger Co., and .