TheNational Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association(NFRA), Harrisburg, Pa., and its members produced sales of mammoth proportions in the dairy aisles during the7th annual June Dairy Monthpromotion.

Partnering with the Twentieth Century Fox movie,Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the “Dairy…Healthy for the Whole Herd” theme encouraged consumers to routinely shop for the whole family in the refrigerated aisles. 

The best merchandising efforts supporting the June Dairy Month/Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs collaboration were recognized by NFRA with 35 Gold and 37 Silver Penguin Awards in 12 different retail categories.  Nine recipients were honored with the distinguished Amber Penguin Award, signifying a company has won three consecutive Gold awards in the same category. 

These notable Amber winners wereMerchants Distributors Inc. in the Corporate Wholesaler division,Sargento Foodsin the Manufacturer category,Eglin Commissary– assisted by General Mills – in the Military Commissary Best Endcap Display group,Acosta Sales & Marketingin the Retail Sales Agent division, andWegmans #17for Retail Supermarket Overall Store Promotion.  Also, in the Retail Chain over 50 Stores category, three Amber Penguin winners were acknowledged:Safeway Inc.,Publix SuperMarketsandWinn-Dixie Stores.   

Along with 17 June Dairy Month sponsors, NFRA increased awareness by distributing a two-page FSI with manufacturer coupons to over 21 million consumers in June.  Many point-of-sale materials featuring both theIce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurscharacters and NFRA’s"Cool · Tasty · Wholesome" refrigerated foods campaign logo were offered to contestants to promote refrigerated foods year-round.

Members were also encouraged to support the Dairy…Healthy for the Whole Herd $10,000 online Sweepstakes on www.EasyHomeMeals.com, to increase consumer excitement towards this NFRA promotion. 

NFRA's"Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties"promotion also kept consumers chilling in the frozen aisles in June and July to create soaring sales.

The most inspired and resourceful ice cream and novelties displays in six regional categories – Northeast, Southeast, East Central, West Central, Southwest, and Pacific/Western – were rewarded with 26 Gold and 40 Silver Penguin Awards.

This year, the prestigious Amber Penguin Award will be presented to four companies who have won three consecutive Gold Penguins in the same category. In the East Central division, the Amber Penguin winners wereElmer’s County Market #180085, assisted by Kemps. In the Southeast division the Amber goes toWinn-Dixie #123assisted by Edy’s Grand Ice Cream. Amber and Gold Penguin winners are invited to accept their celebrated awards at the Grand Awards Reception & Banquet on October 20, 2009 during the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in Washington, DC.