Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 10/10/19

When the Grocery Manufacturers Association announced last month that it will change its name to the Consumer Brands Association, the move in many ways marked the end of an era, reports Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich.

The association is pivoting to focus on the consumer packaged goods sector — a change that comes nearly two years after about a dozen GMA members split from the group over policy disagreements.

The rebrand signals the emergence of a new landscape for foodmakers, one in which there is no central, unified lobbying group representing the sector inside the Beltway. The splintering was driven by changes within the marketplace: Food companies have become highly fractured in D.C., consensus on pressing policy issues is nearly impossible to achieve, and things are likely to stay that way, according to interviews with more than a dozen industry leaders.

"This is the new norm," a food industry executive, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the sector, told POLITICO. "It's not just the fact that there was a lack of consensus within GMA, or that they made mistakes; it's the state of the industry. Food in general is just changing."

A decentralized lobby: Several major food companies have shifted how they approach federal policy issues, relying more on sector-specific associations such as the American Beverage Association, National Confectioners Association, and the American Frozen Food Institute. Companies are also turning to more informal alliances and coalitions, which are easier to navigate than trying to forge industry-wide consensus.