Wakefern Expands Supply Chain Transparency Program With Icix

SAN FRANCISCO — icix (www.icix.com), a supply chain risk management company, announced today that it has partnered with Wakefern Food Corp. to expand the company’s Food Safety and Compliance program. Wakefern, the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States, selected the icix Product Specification solution to collaborate with food manufacturers and manage private label data requirements.

“We implemented icix to drive transparency into our supply chain and assist us with a single source of information for supply chain compliance,” said Mike Ambrosio, vice president, Quality Assurance, Wakefern Food Corp. “Food Safety is a point of paramount importance to Wakefern and icix will provide us with powerful tools to collaborate with our supply chain to assist with compliance, safety and quality while protecting Wakefern’s family of brands.”
“Wakefern is an industry leader in food safety and compliance and is recognized for embracing innovative technologies to effectively run their business,” said Matt Smith, founder and chief strategy officer, icix. “We look forward to expanding their program and continued success with Wakefern.”

Wakefern currently uses the icix Relationship Manager application to facilitate the collection of key compliance documentation from its supply chain. With icix Audit Collect, Wakefern centralizes GFSI audit and certification information directly from scheme owners and certification bodies, tracks audit performance and re-certification requirements and manages corrective and preventative actions directly with trading partners. These two applications provide a foundation for managing Wakefern’s private label supply chain. Wakefern will be leveraging the icix Product Specification application to collaborate with Private Label food manufacturers on product specifications and certifications, as well as to manage and report on nutritional and allergen information.

About Wakefern Food Corp.

From a small, struggling cooperative with eight members – all owners of their own grocery stores – Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative is comprised of 49 members who today individually own and operate more than 250 supermarkets under the ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. In 1996, Wakefern introduced PriceRite stores, extending the company’s reach into Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia. Today, there are more than 50 PriceRite stores in eight states. As the merchandising and distribution arm of ShopRite, PriceRite and The Fresh Grocer, Wakefern, together with its member companies, employs more than 70,000 people, making it one of the largest employers in New Jersey. Wakefern was named one of the Best Places to Work in NJ by NJBIZ Magazine in 2011 and again in 2012. In 2011, Supermarket News gave Wakefern its Retail Excellence Award and The Griffin Report named Wakefern Retailer of the Year. Supermarket News also recently awarded Wakefern the 2013 Technology Excellence Award. For more information, please visit www.Wakefern.com.

About icix

Global brands trust icix to manage risk throughout their extended supply chain. The icix business network and risk management applications enable trading partners to connect and collaborate in order to verify and monitor business-critical information on products, trading partners and facilities. Its cloud-based SaaS platform brings unparalleled visibility and efficiency to the extended supply chain for regulatory compliance, product safety and corporate social responsibility. Over 20,000 businesses are active members of the icix network, including leading retailers, the top 100 food processors and over 50 testing and inspection companies, certification bodies and testing laboratories.

For more information about the company and its portfolio of products, visit icix.com.

Source: icix