Here’s what’s happening at the forward edge of FAFH technology

CHICAGO, July 1, 2025 — One of technology’s challenges for food-away-from-home executives is the sheer speed of change. Today’s stunning advance is tomorrow’s fodder for a history reel. How’s a marketing or sales manager supposed to stay abreast of the latest and greatest when the field changes at a clip that would leave The Flash winded? 

 

Relax, bunky—we have you covered. In August, sales and marketing professionals from across the FAFH universe will gather in San Francisco, California’s new epicenter of digital innovation, for a review of the latest advances in technology for their worlds. 

 

Picture an automobile show, but with attendees able to test-drive what they see. Go2MarketEdge has been designed to be an immersive experience. In addition to showcasing the latest, the 2.5-day event will bring the audience to FAFH sites like the University of California San Francisco healthcare complex, where the participants will see advanced AI applications in use. 

 

Attendees will have a chance to try the technology themselves at The Edge Lab, a hands-on interactive exhibit area. 

 

Here’s some of the tech advances attendees will have an opportunity to evaluate firsthand when Go2MarketEdge kicks off Aug 5. More information about the one-of-a-kind event is available here.  

 

AI-enhanced sales training. One of the tech brands enjoying considerable buzz at the moment is Gong, a company that uses AI to pinpoint what differentiates a sales closer from a ho-hum rep. Communications with customers are analyzed with the technology to determine what’s effective in closing a sale. The insight often cited as an example: If a salesperson curses on a call, they’re not likely to win the business. But if the potential customer curses and the salesperson then chimes in with a cuss word, the chance of success soars.  

 

Once the most effective sales tactics are identified, those best practices can be put to use. 

 

The enhanced odds of making a sale enables Gong to also predict sales volume and budget more astutely, according to the company. 

 

Faster product development. One of Go2MarketEdge’s main objectives is helping FAFH companies get new products on the market more quickly (the event’s stated theme: “Plan smarter. Move Faster.”) A foundational partner in the event is Tastewise, a company that aims to streamline the development process through the use of AI.  

 

The foodservice-focused operation harnesses the technology to quicken the R&D steps by pinpointing what the market lacks or wants. With the AI tools, a product can be shelf-ready in days, not months, according to the company.  

 

The AI analysis also reveals the most effective ways to market the new product. 

 

On-demand distribution. Imagine if FAFH distribution was recast to copy Uber’s business model. A foodservice operator requests a shipment from a manufacturer that’s then delivered by a distributor essentially available on call. 

 

In that scenario, Cut+Dry is the middle party between manufacturer, operator and distributor. Its commerce platform interconnects the groups without upending their conventional supply processes. 

 

It brings to the task an impressive resume; Cut+Dry’s founders say they were the developers of Sysco’s e-commerce platform. 

 

A new channel for targeted brand marketing. Retailers are already adopting a new way of reaching consumers who have self-qualified as shoppers with a sky-high intent to purchase. Supermarkets and c-stores in particular are embracing the new channels known as retail media networks (RMN), which air ads on the screens consumers see while shopping. 

 

The advertised products are usually the very sorts of items the shoppers are hunting. Say a patron is perusing the cold breakfast selections in the cereal aisle of a grocery store. A monitor in the cereal aisle might run an ad for a particular brand of corn flakes. Or the ad might be run via the frequent-customer app of someone shopping on their phones from home. Past history indicates that the app user is a regular buyer of cereals. 

 

Instacart, already a giant in the grocery-delivery business, is integrating the fast-growing new form of marketing into the foodservice supply chain, working with Cut+Dry. Ads can come up on the latter’s e-commerce network, calling an operator’s attention to a certain option while ordering a delivery. 

 

AI for the non-geek: Don’t know the difference between agentive and generative AI? And don’t really care that you don’t? Gumloop is ready to help the non-nerd harness the power of artificial intelligence with a program that requires no further acumen than reasonable facility with a mouse. Users can drag and drop what they need to scrape the internet for raw data that AI can then turn into intelligence on a variety of fronts, including pricing, competitive activity, and customer perception. 

 

Those and other forms of technology will be showcased via the unique format of Go2MarketEdge Aug. 5 –7 in San Francisco. More information on the hand-on event is available here.  

 

The conference is presented by IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, whose other events include COEX and the President’s Conference. The trade group also runs the Gold & Silver Plate awards programs.  

 

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