Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association Podcasts Focus on Industry Issues, Trends

Camp HIll, PA — The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association is launching Season 10 of Shelf Confidence, PFMA’s podcast focused on trends, innovation and issues shaping the food and beverage industry. The new season premieres Thursday, July 30, with new episodes released Thursday mornings on PFMA’s social media channels, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the PFMA website and all major podcast platforms.

Season 10 brings together industry leaders, public officials and subject matter experts for in-depth conversations on human trafficking awareness, beverage trends, recycling, retail technology, reverse audits, loss prevention and the Pennsylvania Lottery. Each episode is designed to provide practical insights, real-world examples and actionable takeaways that PFMA members can apply to their businesses, while also highlighting broader issues impacting communities and the evolving food and beverage landscape across Pennsylvania.

Listeners can follow Shelf Confidence through PFMA’s social media channels and on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the PFMA website and all major podcast platforms.

“Shelf Confidence continues to give PFMA members and industry partners a direct look at the issues, ideas and innovations shaping food and beverage businesses across Pennsylvania,” said Alex Baloga, President and CEO of PFMA. “This season features a strong mix of practical business topics and important community issues, with guests who bring real insight to the challenges and opportunities facing our members.”

The Season 10 schedule includes:
July 30 — PFMA Talks Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention. Guests include Philadelphia City Councilmember Nina Ahmad; Marisa Balanda, Deputy Policy Director at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; and Laura Cyrus, Senior Director of Industry Training and Outreach at TAT. The episode focuses on human trafficking awareness and prevention, including how transportation networks, major events, retailers and frontline employees can help recognize warning signs, report concerns and protect vulnerable people in Pennsylvania communities.

Aug. 6 — PFMA Talks the Business of Beverages with Vintage Imports. PFMA Member Vintage Imports guests Dan Johnson, WEP Program Development; Michael Hodges, Grocery and Chain Retail; and Trevor Nare, Trends and Retail Insights, join the show to discuss Pennsylvania’s changing beverage market. The conversation covers wine, spirits, specialty beverages, grocery wine programs, wholesale and retail trends, RTDs, non-alcoholic options, THC, CBD and other emerging beverage categories.

Aug. 13 — PFMA Talks Beyond the Blue Bin with Gateway Recycling. Doug Moderick, Senior Account Executive at PFMA Member Gateway Recycling, joins Shelf Confidence to discuss commercial recycling, sustainability and practical ways food and beverage businesses can manage materials more effectively. The episode explores common recycling challenges, operational efficiency and how businesses can build programs that work in the real world.

Aug. 20 — PFMA Talks Retail Tech with Ravyx. Farrell McKenna, President of PFMA Member Ravyx, joins the podcast for a conversation about modernization for small and mid-sized food and beverage retailers. Topics include POS systems, self-checkout, electronic shelf labels, robotics, data, implementation, staff buy-in and how operators can make smart technology decisions without losing sight of customer service.

Aug. 27 — PFMA Talks Reverse Audits with KeyTax. Corey Deibler, President of PFMA Member KeyTax, and Michael Schuenemann, VP of Partnerships & Business Development at KeyTax, join the show to explain sales and use tax reverse audits. The episode explores how businesses can review past payments, identify possible overpayments and better understand why sales and use tax can become complicated for Pennsylvania food and beverage operators.

Sept. 3 — PFMA Talks Loss Prevention with Spotts Insurance. Angel Ross, Commercial Insurance Advisor at PFMA Member Spotts Insurance, joins Shelf Confidence to discuss loss prevention through the lens of risk management. The episode focuses on how farmers, distributors, retailers and restaurants can identify risks, strengthen procedures, train teams, improve documentation and use emerging technology to help prevent losses before they happen.

Sept. 10 — PFMA Talks Lotto with the Pennsylvania Lottery. Drew Svitko, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Lottery, and Eric Grubbs, Deputy Executive Director of Sales and Retail Operations, return to Shelf Confidence to discuss what’s new as the Lottery approaches its 55th anniversary. The conversation covers Cash Pop, Millionaire for Life, the Retailer Incentive Program, changing player habits, successful Lottery retailers and how the Lottery continues to compete in a fast-moving retail and entertainment landscape.

The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association has advocated for the food and beverage industry across the Commonwealth since 1952. Today the association represents nearly 500 member companies from across the globe that operate thousands of retail food stores, production facilities and distribution centers, and collectively employ more than 350,000 Pennsylvanians.