2013 Power 50: Pamela G. Bailey, No. 2 in Associations/Government/Public Sphere

Pamela G. Bailey

Pamela Bailey fought hard for the defeat of Proposition 37.

Proposition 37 was a California ballot measure for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food.

“Prop 37 was a poorly written measure that would have required us to provide misleading and confusing information to our customers,” said Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. “It would have also increased grocery bills for the average California family by hundreds of dollars per year.”

Just two months before the November 2012 election, Proposition 37 had an enormous lead in the polls, said Bailey. But the GMA stayed focused and continued in its efforts to educate voters on what Bailey said was the measure’s considerable flaws. California voters rejected the proposal.

In other areas, the GMA is leading the way for industry input during Food and Drug Administration’s rulemaking process on the Food Safety Modernization Act, which represents the most comprehensive reform of the nation’s food safety laws in 70 years.

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“The GMA and its member companies helped develop and pass FSMA because we — and our consumers — want to have the safest possible products,” said Bailey.

The GMA is utilizing its expertise to validate and strengthen the FSMA’s proposed regulations. It has been educating its members on what it takes to comply with the law, not only in the U.S. but also throughout the entire global supply chain. It is leading a food and beverage industry coalition of dozens of allied trade associations and hundreds of food safety experts to coordinate industry comments and to leverage its expertise with FDA, said Bailey.

Another priority for the GMA is the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, a joint effort of GMA, the Food Marketing Institute and the National Restaurant Association. The initiative now has more than 30 companies actively engaged in identifying ways to reduce the volume of food waste generated and sent to landfill.

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“We are working to achieve that goal by addressing the root causes of waste within their operations, securing pathways to donate safe food and recycle unavoidable food waste,” said Bailey.

The Alliance will soon release a report that identifies the sources of food waste. It is also working to compile a food industry best practices toolkit that will help individual companies accelerate their efforts to reduce food waste within their operations.

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