Tyson Rejoins Consumer Brands Assn. After an Eight-Year Absence
Tyson has rejoined Consumer Brands Assn. after an eight-year absence and placed Kyle Narron, Tyson’s group president of prepared foods, on Consumer Brands’ board of directors.
Also joining was Land O'Frost, “the largest family-owned brand of packaged deli meat in the U.S.,” according to the Consumer Brands announcement, and flavor company IFF.
Tyson was among 10 food companies that left the predecessor organization, Grocery Manufacturers Assn., in 2017. Most were circumspect on why they left, generally citing goals outside of the organization, but CEO Denise Morrison was clear when she made Campbell the first to leave that GMA had lost its way.
The association had worked and lobbied against several consumer-friendly causes. A Washington state judge fined GMA for violating the state’s campaign-finance disclosure laws by hiding the names of companies that contributed to an $11 million campaign to defeat a 2013 ballot initiative to label foods with genetically engineered ingredients.
GMA became CBA in 2020.
The other departures in 217 were Nestlé USA, Dean Foods (now defunct), Mars, Unilever, Hershey Co., Cargill, Kraft Heinz Co. and DowDuPont. Half rejoined but Mars, Unilever, Hershey and Cargill still are not members.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.