What WMU’s Food Marketing Program Teaches About Grocery’s Future | FMI 2026

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from FMI 2026 in San Diego at the Simbe booth, Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with Russell Zwanka, Director of the Food Marketing Program at Western Michigan University. Russell shares insights from decades in grocery retail and merchandising, paired with his current role shaping the next generation of industry leaders. The conversation explores how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are entering the workforce, what retailers often misunderstand about younger talent, and why flexibility, culture, and in-person learning still matter. The discussion also dives into AI, agentic commerce, GLP-1 adoption, and how grocery store formats are beginning to diverge. Russell explains why shelf intelligence, human judgment, and operational understanding remain critical, even as automation and AI accelerate across the industry. Key Topics Covered - What retailers get right and wrong about Gen Z talent - How AI and agentic commerce are changing food marketing - Why human curation still matters in an AI-driven world - The growing divide between grocery store formats - How GLP-1s are influencing shopping behavior and nutrition - What future grocery careers will look like for students Stay tuned to Omni Talk Retail for continued coverage from FMI 2026, recorded live from the Simbe booth in the FMI Tech section. #FMI2026 #GroceryRetail #FoodMarketing #RetailEducation #AIinRetail #GLP1 #FutureOfGrocery #OmniTalk