From Lance Bass of NSYNC to AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys, pop music icons have strong connections to Topco Associates’ private brands. Jenny Applegate - Topco’s Vice President, Brand & Marketing - speaks with PLMA Live! about how music partnerships featuring Food Club, Crav’n Flavor and other store brands cater to multiple generations of shoppers. Watch Michael Sansolo’s interview with Applegate here.

In an exclusive interview with PLMA Live!, Scott Morris - Walmart's Senior Vice President of Private Brands Food, Consumables, and Manufacturing - discusses the redesign of Great Value, the company’s flagship and largest private brand. Morris shares key details of the brand’s first refresh in more than a decade. Plus, he speaks with Michael Sansolo on other topics, including health and wellness, sustainability and supplier partnerships.

Suppliers may have valuable ideas for retail clients on how to grow the category and improve profitability, but need to communicate with them more effectively, says Christopher Gardier, Catalyst Consultants. Gardier works with companies to adjust sales messaging in a way that resonates with customers and makes them an “irreplaceable” supplier. He outlines ways to improve the sales approach and build an organization that solves retailers' business problems in this interview with Michael Sansolo. Gardier will address this topic at PLMA’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference, April 15-17, in Bentonville, Arkansas. His co-presenter is Julien Leblanc of blueprint N.A. Click here for details about the conference.

From school cafeterias to the U.S. government, concerns about ultra-processed foods are a big topic of conversation. Hear about the science foundation, business implications, misinformation and reasons why private brands should pay close attention. Watch Carol Angrisani's interview with Kantha Shelke, Ph. D., senior lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and principal of food science strategy firm Corvus Blue.