Dive Brief:
- The Food Marketing Institute announced Tuesday it has rebranded itself as “FMI - The Food Industry Association.” The move is a response to an evolving food retail industry and a “more interconnected supply chain,” according to an announcement from the organization.
- “Driven by consumer relevance, we are in the business of food, wherever it is bought, sold or produced, and we are well-positioned to represent everything in the shopping basket – and work closely with every participant in the marketplace,” Leslie Sarasin, FMI's president and CEO, said in a statement.
- FMI said it will maintain its core focus areas, which include legislative work, providing consumer and operational insights, thought leadership and serving as a forum for industry dialogue.
Dive Insight:
In a blog post published Tuesday, Sarasin said the rebrand reflects FMI’s efforts in recent years to broaden its membership and support food business decisions across the supply chain.
In an accompanying video announcement, FMI stated the move also reflects shifting borders and alliances in the industry.
“As the lines between retailer and supplier roles become more tightly drawn, and the distinction between brick and mortar and e-commerce becomes less visible, our association encompasses a more diverse landscape,” the announcement stated.
The rise of online shopping has been one of the most significant changes to impact grocers in recent years, and FMI has adjusted to that evolving channel. The organization now counts online retailers among its members and has developed industry research like its prediction, in cooperation with Nielsen, that grocery e-commerce will become a $100 billion business within the next few years.
FMI has advocated closer collaboration between suppliers and retailers, making the case that data and insights sharing between the two parties can lift sales. The organization also has developed regular reports charting shifting consumer preferences in categories such as produce, meat, seafood and prepared foods.
"We have refocused our lens and embraced the broader food community over the last several years," Sarasin wrote in her blog post. "I’m confident in what we’ve become as an organization; our goal is to work toward the overall progress of the food industry, through advocacy, collaboration and education."
FMI’s announcement, which comes just a few days before the organization hosts its Midwinter Executive Conference in Phoenix, is the latest name change to take place at a major industry trade group.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association recently changed its name to the Consumer Brands Association to reflect the fact that it doesn't just represent food and beverage companies, but also those making cosmetics and household goods. In recent years, the organization saw several big-name food companies — including Hershey, Cargill, Tyson Foods, Unilever, Nestlé and Campbell Soup — leave amid disagreements between the association's priorities and their own.
Trade groups increasingly find themselves not only dealing with a shift in consumer preferences but also an industry where its own members are often not in agreement on major issues. That creates challenges for leaders, who walk a tightrope of keeping the peace without alienating companies whose values may differ from other members. GMO labeling, the new Nutrition Facts panel and the use of milk or meat terminology to describe similar foods made from plants are just a few of the areas that have divided food and beverage companies in recent years.
A name change may be necessary for FMI and CBA to better reflect the purpose of their respective organizations, but the real challenge comes in working with all members, keeping them happy and successfully lobbying on their behalf. CBA learned that the hard way, Geoff Freeman, its president and CEO, told Food Dive last year.
"In our zeal to provide members with the benefits they sought, we were all trying to be all things to all people. So GMA tended to be leveraged for a lot of parochial interests. ...Trying to respond to those needs is the fastest way to drive the car over the cliff. You can't be all things to all people," Freeman said. "Your job as an association is to immediately identify that which unites the industry. That's our responsibility. "