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FMI changes name, becomes The Food Industry Association

CEO Leslie Sarasin says new brand better reflects today’s food marketplace and consumers

Russell Redman

January 21, 2020

3 Min Read
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Under its new brand as The Food Industry Association, FMI said it will continue to serve as “the central voice of the food industry” in its lobbying efforts.FMI

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has changed its name to FMI - The Food Industry Association.

FMI said the new identity, launched Tuesday, reflects its strategy to expand its representation of the food marketplace from its traditional membership of grocery and other food retailers include their suppliers and other business partners.

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“Today, we reveal a new FMI, one that outwardly embraces the new marketplace and a divergent, captivating new consumer,” FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin (left) said in a blog post. “As The Food Industry Association, we will continue to propel the retail food industry forward by advocating for and supporting a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply.”

Though FMI noted that it still “views retail as the heart of the food industry,” the Arlington, Va.-based trade group said the food sector now calls for an “expanded aperture” that includes the “array of experiences of today’s grocery shopper” as well as the interconnected supply chain.

“FMI provides the most productive forum for connecting and holding constructive dialogue across the food industry,” Sarasin said in a statement. “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.”

Related:Food, agriculture groups hail USMCA passage by Senate

Under its new brand as The Food Industry Association, FMI said it will continue to serve as “the central voice of the food industry” in its lobbying efforts with federal, state and local legislative and regulatory bodies. The organization cited a “long track record” in public policy, ranging from its influence in legislation to arguments for causes “at the highest level,” including the U.S. Supreme Court.

FMI, too, said it remains an industry advocate for “issues that matter most to its members,” including mission-critical areas such as food safety, and aims to continue being a “go-to source for thinking, information and education” on today’s and tomorrow’s priorities.

“Over the last two years, we’ve inspired a recommitment, a renewal of vows among the FMI membership. We’ve even changed who can be a member in the association as a logical step in a direction we’ve been traveling for years, offering greater parity between retailers and their product supplier partner members at the board of directors level,” commented FMI Chairman Joe Sheridan, president and chief operating officer of Wakefern Food Corp. “As our customers change, so do our industry and our association to better serve and reflect their needs.”

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As The Food Industry Association, FMI said it will maintain close relationships with senior executives at leading food companies and industry associations to share best practices and problem-solve, as well as uphold its status as a thought-leader in consumer and operations research.

“For decades, FMI has acknowledged and respected the role of the shopper. FMI envisions the future for both a physical and digital shelf, where an omnichannel shopper will be the ultimate influencer in how the food industry does business,” FMI stated.

The Food Marketing Institute formed in 1977 with the merger of the Super Market Institute and the National Association of Food Chains. According to Sarasin, the new brand announced today ushers in a more modern and inclusive strategy for the association.

“The environment around us at FMI — and in this reference I mean the businesses of the members we serve, the landscape of the association community in which we function, and the role we play in supporting every link in the supply chain from the grower, the manufacturer, the supplier and the retailer to the consumer — are all undergoing significant changes. Food – the way we grow it, move it, package it, sell it and consume it – is changing,” she wrote in the blog. “All these changes in circumstance and culture have combined to provide us at FMI with an opportunity to evaluate our role, scrutinize where we truly add value, and determine exactly who and what we want to be as we move forward in this brave new world.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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