US Foods will donate $30,000, the equivalent of nearly 300,000 meals, to Feeding America as part of its Giving Gratitude holiday campaign, a month-long effort dedicated to supporting communities struggling with food insecurity.

St. Louis-based Louisa Foods—our 2021 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year—can trace its roots back almost 60 years, not to a food processing plant, but a single family-owned restaurant in the Gateway City.

As a woman in the foodservice industry, specifically in logistics and distribution for a manufacturing company, I haven’t always found myself working alongside other women in leadership roles. That is changing though, as it is for many other areas of the corporate ecosystem. I’ve built a varied and interesting career in foodservice and encourage others, particularly women, to consider making their mark in the industry.

US Foods has earned our Foodservice Distributor of the Year Award not by going about its business as usual during perhaps the most un-usual time for foodservice in decades, but by transforming itself into a multi-faceted solutions source for its 300,000 clients to access anytime. The company’s longtime tagline is “We Help You Make It”, and that took on a whole new meaning in 2020.

At this time last year, we at Refrigerated & Frozen Foods decided to put our annual Foodservice Distributor of the Year Award on hold. The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated unprecedented shutdowns in foodservice—restaurants, hotels, schools, caterers, stadiums, and other volume venues—leaving behind thousands of shuttered businesses. To put it lightly, there was very little to celebrate in foodservice last year.

Golden State Foods (GSF),  has appointed Justin Vannoy as GSF corporate vice president and president, Liquid Products North America (LPNA). Based in Conyers, Georgia, Vannoy will lead the planning and execution of a strategic business plan to satisfy GSF's financial and operational objectives, including customer growth, product quality, food safety, associate safety, and succession planning. His role will also focus on broadening the capabilities, technologies, and markets in which GSF supplies dressings, sauces, syrups, and toppings.

Sysco has announced a limited-time offer for fresh Summeripe Peaches to its customers. These peaches are grown with sustainable farming in mind and have been perfected through an innovative all-natural ripening process to ensure they are perfectly ready to eat when they are delivered to customers.

Legacy Foodservice Alliance has announced Keany Produce & Gourmet, in Landover, Maryland, is the newest distributor member of the Richmond-based supply chain organization.

Tractor Beverage Company announced its beverages are now available at many locations operated by culinary management company Elior North America. Elior North America’s Cura Hospitality, Aladdin Campus Dining, Lexington Independents, and Corporate Chefs companies are now offering Tractor’s Certified Organic, Non-GMO and All-Natural beverages. 

Sysco reported Q4 sales of $16.1 billion, an increase of 82.0% year-over-year. Gross profit also rose 86.2% during that time to $2.9 billion, reflecting the current rebound of foodservice as pandemic restrictions were gradually lifted throughout 2021. The overall numbers for fiscal year 2021 show a decrease in sales (-3%) and profits (-5.5%), since foodservice was still struggling to come back from Q1 to Q3 due to shutdowns for most of 2020.