More than 40 snack industry executives fanned out over Capitol Hill Wednesday, May 19, for dozens of in-person meetings with members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to discuss such major issues as food safety, nutrition, labor, and energy policy, highlighting the Snack Food Association’s Annual Day in D.C. Spring Summit.
The Capitol Hill meetings followed a day of SFA committee meetings and a program of outstanding speakers provided by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as part of its Small Business Summit. This year, SFA co-located its Spring Summit with the Chamber event giving members a chance to participate in that program and network with business executives from other industries across the nation.
“This was a great opportunity for our members,” said SFA President & CEO Jim McCarthy. “They were able to meet many leading small business company executives, share ideas, and discuss common problems. A number of our members attended the Chamber’s Small Business rally on Capitol Hill, and that was a terrific experience for them.”
Outside of his committee hearing room, Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) meets with (L-R) Craig Hatfield, Bryce Corp.; Daryl Thomas, Herr’s Foods, Inc.; Charlie Rufo, Inteplast Group; and Sean Shanley, Bryce Corp.
Following a meeting with Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and his legislative director, Monica J. Volante, Darrell Thomas, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Herrs Foods, Inc., said the session illustrated the importance of SFA members taking advantage of the annual Day in D.C. grassroots lobbying opportunity.
“He took the time to see us. He was very approachable, and there was an alignment with our interests. I was encouraged by his common sense approach and the time he devoted to us,” said Thomas. In fact, Pitts stepped out of an important committee markup session to meet with Thomas and other SFA members from Pennsylvania, including Craig Hatfield and Sean Shanley, Bryce Corp. Pitts asked specific questions about their concerns and business operations, and then Volante stayed to continue the conversation after her boss returned to the committee meeting.
“You need to be here,” said Thomas, a past chairman of SFA. “Everybody wants to sit at home and lament about what goes on in Washington, but this is your chance to get your message heard.”
Sen. George Voinovich (R-OP) and his legislative assistant, Dana Smullen, met in the senator’s conference room with a group of SFA members, including Michael Harper, Richard Rudolph, and Mike Singleton, Rudolph Foods Company, Inc.; Tom Esposito, Fuch’s North America; and Nick Chilton, Wyandot, Inc.
Voinovich, who listened carefully as Harper and the other participants emphasized support for key pending food safety legislation, concurred with their opposition to a proposed amendment that would ban Bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic containers.
“I don’t know how much of this is science-based,” he said of concerns that BPA is a health threat. “I don’t know whether this is real or not.”
The discussion turned to energy policy, and Chilton emphasized opposition to efforts to increase from 10 percent to 15 percent the portion of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline. “We oppose anything above 10 percent,” Chilton said, explaining that increased diversion of acreage to corn to support ethanol production increases the cost of many commodities used in the snack industry.
Asked by Voinovich about various climate change proposals, Rudolph emphasized his company’s support for sustainability. “We’re very focused on being as green as possible,” he said. Added Harper, “We are embracing sustainability. We are taking steps to reduce natural gas, energy, and water consumption. We are doing it voluntarily – not because government is requiring us to do it.”
“Unfortunately, you don’t get enough credit for that,” Voinovich commented. “We have people here today who believe the government needs to get into everything. It’s scary as hell.”
Tim Fallon, president and general manager, Kettle Foods, Inc., and Charlie Rufo, market development manager, Interplast Group, met with Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and his legislative assistant, Tyler Frisbee. Blumenauer complimented Fallon on Kettle Chip’s focus on natural and organic products and for the company’s investment in sustainable technology.
The conversation also covered food safety, child nutrition, obesity, sodium, energy, and numerous other issues—as did all of the Capitol Hill meetings with SFA members. Fallon pointed out that because farm acreage in Oregon has been diverted from potato to corn production, his company is now buying potatoes from California and shipping them 800 miles – adding to input costs.
They discussed the importance of including exercise and improving health habits in the battle against obesity. “Making it cool is important,” Blumenauer said. “And what you folks are doing is making good food cool.”
After that session and on his way to yet another, Rufo said the Day in D.C. experience was “educational and informative, and extremely important.”
“It is an opportunity to network and represent your company, your industry, small business, and yourself at a very reasonable cost,” he added. “I hope to see even better participation in the future.”
The Chamber’s Small Business Summit opened Monday, May 17, with a reception at the U.S. Chamber and photos on the roof of the building overlooking the White House. On Tuesday, the program included remarks by former Commerce Secretary and Kellogg’s CEO Carlos Gutierrez; Sheila C. Johnson, CEO, Salamander Hospitality, LLC, and president & managing partner, Washington Mystics; former Rep. Joseph Scarborough, host of MSNB C’s Morning Joe, and Dr. Martin Regalia, senior vice president and chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
SFA committee meetings also took place Monday and Tuesday.