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Nov 1, 2002 12:00 PM

CSX Transportation, one of the nation's largest freight railroads, will begin a receiver-based marketing program, dubbed “Taste The Savings,” to attract food manufacturers to use rail service for shipments of basic food ingredients. Begun in late September, the direct-mail campaign to more than 1,200 manufacturers will continue through early November.

“Food manufacturers are receiving their sugar, flour, vegetable oil, and corn syrup by truck to their manufacturing facilities and adding a lot of fat to the expense side of their ledgers,” said Kathy Halper, manager — agricultural merchandise marketing. “Our rail service offers a diet of excellent service, quality equipment, and low-calorie costs that can save manufacturers as much as 60% while still meeting their manufacturing requirements.”

Since improvements were realized in CSX rail service in 2001-02, the company has been targeting receivers of inbound bulk food items that are not rail-served and educating them about CSX's cost savings as well as its transloading, warehousing, and industrial development services. For example, a major agricultural producer in California recently employed CSX rail to move honeydew melons from the West Coast to New York — the first such move on CSX in a dozen years.

CSX will be offering a weekend at the company's Greenbrier resort in West Virginia for a winner selected from those who respond to the direct-mail campaign.