2023 marks the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA)’s 40th annual celebration of March Frozen Food Month. Murray Lender, founder of Lender’s Bagels, was instrumental in developing the first promotion in 1984 as an initiative to increase frozen food sales. The promotion is now nationally recognized and continues to promote the benefits and importance of engaging shoppers and encouraging the purchase of frozen foods.

NFRA has sponsored March Frozen Food Month since its inception and continues to promote the frozen food aisles to consumers by sharing resources with its members throughout the month, including recipes, point-of-sale materials, social content, helpful tips and more. NFRA also administers the Golden Penguin Awards Competition, which honors the best marketing and merchandising in the industry during promotional periods. This national competition is open to organizations of all sizes, including retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, sales agents, and associations promoting March Frozen Food Month.

The Golden Penguin Awards provide an opportunity for companies from any segment of the industry to be nationally recognized for excellence in merchandising and marketing frozen foods.

The awards program features categories that reflect today’s marketing practices, including In-Store Display, In-Store Event, Community Involvement, Social Media Campaign, Retail Dietitian Wellness Programs, Private Brand Campaign and Overall Marketing Campaign with subcategories for Retailer, Wholesaler, Manufacturer, Sales Agent and Local Association.

Judged by a panel of distinguished marketing professionals and based on final entry scores, winners receive a gold or silver award and will be honored for their outstanding work at the NFRA Convention, taking place October 6–10 in San Diego. A segment of the highest scoring winners will be named Top Marketers, which will be unveiled during the Awards Luncheon at the NFRA Convention.

This awards competition is an opportunity for companies of any size to be awarded for their hard work in promoting March Frozen Food Month, whether in-store, in the community or through various social/digital marketing and other merchandising programs. Entrants can submit their supporting documentation online starting in March and can enter any category applicable to their business by May 5, 2023. Companies can also participate in the competition for NFRA’s other annual promotions. For complete awards competition details, visit www.NFRAweb.org.

Source: National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association