Acme markets Inc. is a chain of 164 supermarkets throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The corporation has one branch in Ramsey, New Jersey. Acme was founded in 1891 by Irish immigrants Robert Crawford and Samuel Robinson in south Philadelphia. The acme supermarket located in Ramsey, New Jersey has a huge selection and variety of Acme markets exclusive brands. The products range from dairy and produce to floral. The supermarket has the local population covered with quality products at a great value. Furthermore, it provides exclusive signature and organic brands. The supermarket has improved service delivery to customers and has something for all people. The supermarket explores emergent brands, specialty products, and authentic ingredients for consumers. The Acme markets have been among the top leading fresh produce, fresh meat, fresh seafood, bakery, service deli, floral, and pharmacy services including immunizations and prescription refills. Therefore, ACME Markets has handed a positive impact as it is dedicated to enhancing customers' experience. Nonetheless, the supermarket may be able to expand its corporate social responsibility commitments to the community, whilst still ensuring the population is healthy. Setting standards for manufacturers to encourage and maintain healthy food processing which is more accessible and influences the consumers' behavior and food choice based on their nutrition and health levels.
Discussions
Currently, the share of foods sourced by consumers from supermarkets has increased globally (Hawkes 2008). According to Reardon (2006) a worldwide supermarket, the revolution has been occurring in the last three decades with remarkable growth in sales made by supermarkets. IPES-food (2017) documented that over 30%b of global food is supplied by supermarkets, which underlines the significance of supermarkets in food provision. The increase in Acme supermarket in Ramsay food sales has been associated with dietary changes that may impact public health. For instance, Acme supermarket sells a broader array of highly processed foods, which can lead to poor diets and enhance society's rates of obesity and overweight (Hawkes 2008). Therefore, the supermarket should prioritize the safety and health of their customer, and communities and ensure that they have access to healthy food, medication, and other essentials.
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The US supermarkets have disproportionate and unprecedented power in the global food supply (Hawkes 2008). Therefore, being the core custodians of the food system gives the supermarkets power. In the global economies, supermarkets such as Walmart have been ranked among the most powerful global economies (Now, 2018). Therefore, with such economic and political power, their social impact and responsibility become essential to society. ACME supermarket has introduced its food brands. For example, in some countries like Switzerland, the UK, and Spain, 45% of national grocery sales are supermarket own brands (Olbrich, Hundit, & Jansen 2006). Facilitating their supply chain control for improved proceeds.
The UN World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) implied that large corporations like supermarkets can contribute more to tackling environmental problems. In this light, supermarkets have made efforts to manage their social impact on communities and natural resources by applying corporate social responsibility strategies. These measures are mostly voluntary and have been designed for food processing organizations as socially responsible initiatives that will ensure the welfare of the consumers (Sharma, Teret, & Brownell 2010). Nonetheless, a study claimed that corporate social responsibility was a way for food companies to place the responsibility of choosing healthy foods on consumers or prevent regulations ( Kraak & Story 2015). Similarly, social responsibility has been observed as a source of structural power that gives supermarkets power to set limits on the variety of foods available to other food systems including consumers, growers, and manufacturers by regulations and agenda-setting (Clapp & Fuchs 2009). For instance, it has been reported that supermarkets in Australia use CSR to exercise control and power over growers and farmers by stipulating environmental management practices that must be met to achieve supplier status (Pulker 2018). Besides, most studies have echoed that the most effective method to protect the public from harm as a result of consuming unhealthy food is through government regulation since the aim of supermarkets is to make a profit ( Moodie et al. 2013). Nevertheless, the power wielded by the supermarkets should be utilized to protect the public from harm since they rely on the communities for continued success.
For instance, a US study of corporate social responsibility of its top 100 retailers found that restaurants and supermarkets had the biggest share of community social responsibility information on their webpage (Lee, Fairhurst, & Wesley 2009). Nevertheless, the content tends to focus on social and environmental initiatives such as sponsoring community projects and charities. The study shows marked variances in the content and nature of their supermarket CSR with these activities rarely being done at the expense of their commercial priorities (Jones, Comfort, & Hillier 2007). Thus, a supermarket's social responsibility to protect the general public is supposed to comprise managing a sustainable and healthy supply of food, which includes assuming responsibility for food wastage. Therefore ACME Market in Ramsey, New Jersey has an inherent responsibility to the community, which means protecting the community's health and well-being through the supply and provision of health-beneficial foods will improve their continued success since they rely on the same society to ensure steady growth of the sales and profits. Hence, a few recommendations arise.
Recommendations
Transparently document and report food waste comprising the whole food system in their attempts to reduce waste. In the US supermarkets, only Ahold Delhaiza failed to report food waste transparently, while only four were committed to reducing food waste (Pulker 2018). The ACME supermarket should highlight charitable food donations to the community. Thus, ACME supermarkets should donate food not suitable for sale but safe for consumption to the poor members of society including the homeless, which is responsible for waste management. As such, the supermarket should cite the Environmental Protection Agency's (2018) food recovery hierarchy that prioritizes feeding hungry people.
Support sustainable and healthful diets by decreasing the production and consumption of discretionary foods, meat, and other ingredients with higher environmental and social effects. For instance, in the US food environments including supermarkets have been recognized and identified as primary drivers of poor nutrition, which is among the most significant risk factors for early deaths worldwide ( Swinburn et al. 2013). Yet, supermarkets' public-health-related interventions can lead to the supply and purchase of healthy food. For instance, they have the power to create food environments that support healthy food varieties.
Remove unhealthful sweetmeat, sweetened beverages, and snacks from major in-store locations. ACME supermarkets should remove all unhealthy foods from their shelves and desist from storing these products in the future which will make them unavailable for consumers to buy. Such commitments will improve the nutrition and health of the public.
Ensure and maintain a diversity of nutritious food availability that is minimally processed. Which can be achieved through food governance. The ACME markets should set standards for manufacturers of their own supermarket brands' goods that will ensure that the commodities have higher nutritional value and are healthy for consumption. As such, ACME should ensure that suppliers will adhere to their policies aiming to improve community health.
Develop initiatives that aim to ensure nutritious and healthful foods are available and more affordable. Help the customers to choose sustainable and healthful foods, and document and report the sale proportion of healthier food in comparison to the total food sales. For instance, the supermarket should ensure that healthy food costs are affordable at a similar cost to unhealthy foods to entice consumers to buy them. In the US only the Tesco Plc supermarket chain ensures that customers pay the same price for a healthier option (Pulker 2018) Further, the ACME supermarket should label healthy food to ensure that they enjoy more consumer attention so that they can purchase them. As such, the corporate should ensure that families residing in the Ramsey area in New Jersey should be able to conduct their weekly shopping with the store irrespective of their budget, which will lead to other supermarkets in the area being price competitive. Hence, the public will enjoy improved food access. Moreover, the supermarket should introduce a healthy eating index on the basis of the customer's preference.
Conclusion
ACME Markets managing the quality of food it sells to the consumers can result in a greater positive social impact as well as a probable market expansion and a continuous increase in sales. Improving the nature of its social responsibility, the firm can help in improving community health and nutrition and also have a positive impact on environmental sustainability. Therefore, food governance, food waste management, making healthy food affordable, and ensuring diversity of healthy food can help both local health improvement and shows society that ACME supermarket cares about the public health of Ramsay residents.
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