ARLINGTON, Va. — The Grocery Manufacturers Association will change its name to the Consumer Brands Association effective January 2020. The new name is part of an overhaul of the organization being implemented by Geoff Freeman, president and CEO, and the group’s board of directors.

Freeman alluded to the change in a recent interview with Food Business News, sister publication to Pet Food Processing.

“We represent an industry of iconic brands that are innovative, forward-looking and touch the lives of every American,” Freeman said. “As the new Consumer Brands Association, we are making a game-changing shift to unite the totality of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry around a focused, proactive agenda that aligns with the values of the brands we represent and the consumers they serve.”

The group’s agenda is built on four pillars, including packaging sustainability, smart regulation, developing frictionless supply chains, and building consumer trust in CPG companies.

“Renaming and rebranding this organization is symbolic of a larger realignment with the CPG industry’s consumer-first priorities and our desire to have a more open and transparent dialogue with policymakers, customers and consumers,” said Jeffrey L. Harmening, chairman of the association’s board and CEO of General Mills Inc., Minneapolis.

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