UNFI Moves Winter Show to Virtual Format, Mondelez Cancels Accelerator Showcase

Put another trade show on the virtual shelf due to Covid-19.

In an email to customers yesterday distributor UNFI announced that it would shift its Winter Natural Show to a virtual-only format. The expo, for suppliers of the ubiquitous natural foods distributor, was slated to be held in Las Vegas Sept. 7-9 and was going to be the company’s first in-person event following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

Chris Testa, UNFI president, cited the Delta variant of the coronavirus as a reason for the cancellation, noting that the company felt an in-person event would be unsafe. He added that ongoing travel restrictions for retail buyers and brands also would make holding an in-person event difficult.

“Current COVID cases topping 100,000 per day nationally, a Las Vegas positivity rate of 18%, and medical experts predicting the situation will worsen (and perhaps peak in September) have made it clear that, for the health and safety of our associates, customers, and suppliers, we cannot move forward with an in-person event in this environment,” Testa wrote in the email. “While we deeply regret that we can’t gather in person, we know this is the right thing to do.”

He added that customer service representatives would be reaching out to all retail customers and suppliers to help facilitate the move online.

Meanwhile, Mondelez’s incubation, investment and innovation group SnackFutures yesterday also cancelled a planned showcase for the nine emerging brands that were part of its CoLab accelerator program. The showcase was planned for next week at a Morton’s restaurant in Chicago. Event invitations had previously noted that “per current Mondelez International Covid safety protocols” all attendees would have had to be fully vaccinated, which the company defines as two weeks past the date of receiving a final vaccination dose.

In an email to invited guests, Brigette Wolf, head of SnackFutures, noted that “out of an abundance of caution” the event was cancelled because “your health and safety must come first.”