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Specialty Food Association Summer Fancy Food Show Exhibitors Donate more than 94,000 Pounds of Specialty Food to City Harvest

NEW YORK, NY (July 6, 2023) The Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show is the largest specialty food industry event in North America. During the recently completed 67th Summer Fancy Food Show June 25-27 at the Javits Center, more than 2,200 specialty food makers and manufacturers shared the newest and best in specialty food with buyers, distributors, media, and influencers. On the final day of the Summer Fancy Food Show, the SFA worked with City Harvest to ensure more than 94,000 pounds of surplus food from the Show made its way to New Yorkers in need. 

The SFA and City Harvest have partnered on the Summer Fancy Food Show food recovery program since 1997. During their partnership, Summer Fancy Food Show exhibitors have donated more than 2.1 million pounds of food to City Harvest. 

“The Specialty Food Association is proud to be able to partner with City Harvest to ensure that unused food from the Summer Fancy Food Show goes to those who need it most,” said Jennifer Carney, Director, Tradeshow and Event Operations, for the SFA. “The specialty food industry has always been at the forefront of sustainability initiatives, and our members appreciate the opportunity to serve the community through this food recovery program with City Harvest.” 

"Every year, the Summer Fancy Food Show is one of City Harvest's most important food rescues," said Jenna Harris, Associate Director of Donor Relations & Supply Chain at City Harvest. "With 50% of working-age households in New York City struggling to afford the high cost of basic necessities like food and housing, this donation is critical to ensure all our neighbors have nutritious food on their tables. We are very grateful for our ongoing partnership with the Specialty Food Association and all of the Fancy Food Show vendors who so generously support our work."

The next Fancy Food Shows are the 2024 Winter Fancy Food Show, January 21-23 in Las Vegas and the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show, June 23-25 in New York City.

City Harvest

City Harvest is New York’s first and largest food rescue organization, helping to feed millions of New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables. During our 40 years serving New Yorkers in need, we have rescued more than one billion pounds of fresh, nutritious food and delivered it—free of charge—to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets® across the five boroughs. This year, we will rescue and distribute more than 75 million pounds of nutritious food to our neighbors in need. Named one of America's Top 100 Charities by Forbes, City Harvest works alongside our community partners to boost community capacity, expand nutrition education, and strengthen local food systems. Since our founding in 1982, City Harvest has always been there to feed our city—one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time. To learn more, please visit cityharvest.org. 

About the Specialty Food Association                                                                     

The not-for-profit Specialty Food Association (SFA) is the leading membership trade association and source of information about the $194 billion specialty food industry. Founded in 1952 in New York City, the SFA prides itself on being an organization by the members and for the members, representing thousands of specialty food makers and manufacturers, importers, retailers, buyers, distributors, brokers, and others in the trade. The SFA owns and operates the Fancy Food Shows—which are the largest specialty food industry events in North America—as well as the sofi™ Awards—which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage annually since 1972. The SFA produces the Trendspotter Panel annual predictions, the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report, Today's Specialty Food Consumer research, the Spill & Dish podcast, year-round educational programming for professionals at every stage in their business journey, and SFA Feed, the industry's go-to daily source for news, trends and new product information. Find out more online and connect with SFA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

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