The world changed in 5 years and lobbyists missed it (1 Viewer)

[Linda]

The grocery store world is of great interest to me because that is where I see what people are incorporating into their lives. We've seen a growing awareness in organic produce and meat, Non-GMO verified, "no high fructose corn syrup" labels, just to name three.

I came across this article by Chase Purdy, a business reporter on the Quartz website. He discovered that one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the US is losing membership hand over fist.

A succession of high-profile, global companies have terminated their memberships with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)—the self-professed “voice of the industry”—rapidly undoing some 110 years of work the trade association had done to amass influence in US politics. In July 2017, as first reported by Politico, the Campbell Soup Company decided to leave GMA by the start of 2018, saying the trade association no longer represented its views. Three months later, the world’s largest food company, Nestlé, announced it was following suit. Then the floodgates opened, with Dean Foods, Mars, Tyson Foods, Unilever, the Hershey Company, Cargill, the Kraft Heinz Company, and DowDuPont all opting to leave, as well.​

These companies saw something new happening in the consumer market - shoppers were looking at ingredients and flocking to brands sporting the Non-GMO Verfied labels, which makes a lot of sense to me. I see it all the time in my store. There are two brands of a product side by side - one with the Non-GMO label and one without. The space for the ones without the label seems to be shrinking, and newer products are crowding them out. (BTW - tried chick-pea pasta, and it was good.) I've heard several people using a similar guideline for buying food - if the ingredients have long, unpronounceable words, then pass it by.

GMA exacerbated the problem by fighting against policy initiatives that would require food companies to include GMO disclosures and the quantity of added sugars to food packaging labels. The group instead developed—and continues to champion—a controversial concept it calls the “SmartLabel.” SmartLabel is essentially a system where manufacturers put QR codes on food packaging that, when scanned with a smartphone, leads consumers to a webpage with nutrition and ingredient information. The SmartLabel program is optional, and while many GMA members support and use the SmartLabel idea, some have complained that it makes it too difficult for potential customers to access necessary information. The Center for Food Safety called it “non-labeling hiding as labeling.”​

Some of the larger companies are lobbying on their own, and GMA is getting new leadership and trying to revamp their group. I'm leaving the discussion about lobbyists on the shelf because I'm no fan of them; however, I thought this was interesting study in how companies can follow customers or be left behind.

https://qz.com/1219503/food-manufacturers-are-leaving-the-grocery-manufacturers-association-signaling-an-end-of-the-big-food-era/

 

[Pucksterguy]

Read this next: “Nature is not good to human beings”: The chairman of the world’s biggest food company makes the case for a new kind of diet
This seems to tell me about mega corp food then the above article which sounds more like window dressing to me. I prefer to buy food from smaller local producers and almost never proccessed foods. I have a basic meat and potatoes with salad diet. With a big batch of home made tomato sauce or chicken soups. I use fresh herbs whenever possible. I grow my pwn in summer in pots on my apt balcony. Which I selected due to it's southern exposure for max sunlight.

 

[Lila]

Imagine that! Reading labels, looking for the ingredients one wants. How shocking! (Okay, I'll stop being sarcastic now.)
How beautiful

And how effective: I've seen myself how going into a store to ask for specific items/brands changes not only what the store offers (they were way more willing to make a change in the direction a customer asked for than I'd expected) but also, often, the conversation sparked either an awareness that 'Oh, this is what folks are looking for. Okay, then we'll stock it and see how it sells." or "Great, I love that stuff too. So glad to find someone who will regularly buy it. Welcome."
As you say, Pucksterguy, the small stores and neighbourhood places are naturally most receptive. Though I've had great luck also in big box stores. It's just that sometimes there I feel like they got the product I requested, but not necessarily the point (yet). It's a step by step process and I do feel like each of these conversations are steps in the process of taking back our belly sovereignty.

Those conversations themselves are gems, from my point of view.
Best opportunities ever to make real change, from the belly outward


My favourite was one time when I asked if a store could stock a specific brand. They were receptive and helpfully added that they'd call me when it arrived. They did so. I didn't have a chance to go to the store for a couple of days. When I did, I couldn't find the product. When I asked about it, I was told it had already sold out. Score! I knew then that this particular product was clearly here to stay.
I did have to wait a few days for them to restock, though

 

[Linda]

I agree with Pucksterguy about buying local and with Lila about how receptive stores are to new products. I know we are aware of what kinds of food are better for us; however, I'm interested in the next group of folks, such as family and friends.

As this larger group starts looking around and wanting less junk in their food, then we are in the tipping point range. Like most of you, I don't buy stuff from those multi-national companies for several reasons, but something happened in the last few years to cause them to change their ways - people were voting with their wallets.

tipping......tipping.......