ABA builds government relations team, enhances advocacy efforts

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ABA builds government relations team, enhances advocacy efforts

10 Oct 2024

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

WASHINGTON, DC — Staying informed regarding policy issues is crucial for commercial bakers as they navigate their businesses in relation to state and federal issues.

The American Bakers Association (ABA) has spent the past year building its government relations team to include robust expertise that supports the biggest issues facing the baking industry on federal and state levels.

During NEXUS, powered by BEMA and ABA, which was held Oct. 1-3 in Washington, DC, ABA took attendees through many of those issues and shared the team’s efforts to address them.

ABA’s government relations experts, led by Rasma Zvaners, VP of government relations, include Campbell Genn, senior director of government relations; Thomas Bailey, director of government relations; and Bill Dumais, manager of state affairs.

“This new team supports ABA’s strategic plan on several levels,” Zvaners said. “I look at the advocacy we do every day as the basis of what’s expected of us for being responsive in the regulatory and legislative space. Framing that within the strategic plan with specific goals around workforce and category growth enables us to proactively stay in front of issues and keep the industry engaged.”

Focus on workforce

As ABA focuses on making the baking industry a destination workplace, Bailey joined the association with a focus on labor and workforce.

He previously worked on Capitol Hill addressing Department of Labor regulations and leading policy development for the House Committee on Education and Workforce, focusing on workforce development and higher education initiatives specifically in the area of manufacturing.

“Thomas will be taking the lead on our workforce priorities, in particular with our strategic plan as well as legislatively,” Zvaners said. “And more broadly, he’ll also help us discover different types of solutions that we can provide for members, as his experience helps us think outside the box in providing new tools to consider.”

While labor has been an ongoing concern for the industry since before the pandemic, a post-COVID reality has proven that workforce issues have evolved, not waned. Bailey will focus not only on legislative issues but also areas such as grant funding to bolster manufacturing education and job opportunities.

“Sometimes we look at workforce through a narrow lens,” Zvaners said. “Through our strategic planning process, working with our diverse membership and having a robust dialogue, it’s apparent that different members have different needs. With Thomas’ expertise, we can put more tools in the toolbox.”

“I look at the advocacy we do every day as the basis of what’s expected of us for being responsive in the regulatory and legislative space.” — Rasma Zvaners | VP of government relations | American Bakers Association

State-level engagement

Regulatory complexities are also happening at the state level and at the beginning of the year ABA brought on a full time state manager.

“This past year, we’ve worked to increase our ABA state presence,” Dumais said. “We started small by building on the existing foundation, working in coalitions to address the impacts of state ingredient bans.”

With member companies representing California, New Jersey, Minnesota, Texas and more at Nexus, Dumais reminded attendees about the impact that individual state regulations have on the industry as a whole.

Part of Dumais’ focus is on encouraging the US Food and Drug Administration to determine what foods are safe across the country and avoid micro regulations that would vary state-to-state, greatly impacting commercial bakeries who have facilities or customers in different regions.

“At the end of the day, we’re representing the entire industry,” Dumais said. “Regardless of whether a member company makes buns, cookies, bread or something else, we’re actively identifying emerging threats that impact everyone.

ABA is also focusing on state regulations that can sweep from region to region, with California often passing regulations that pick up steam in western regions.

Currently, Dumais noted, 13 states have introduced one or more types of ingredient bans. These have come after California enacted the country’s first ban on four food ingredients.

So far, ABA has experienced some successful pushbacks, including a California-like bill in Illinois, which proposed a ban on the same four ingredients, plus titanium oxide. ABA’s efforts resulted in stopping the bill in the Illinois House of Representatives after it passed in the state Senate.

“That was a victory for us,” Dumais said. “We’ve been able to push back on attempts by individual states that are creating redundant regulations and ingredient bans or creating state statute prohibitions on certain ingredient categories and food dyes and additives.”

To support government relations work at the state level, ABA’s state affairs working group focuses on many of the top local issues. The group consists of members with a vested interest in state relations, including legal professionals and anyone who focuses on government relations within their organization.

“The working group is a mechanism to attract from membership those with interest and expertise in this area,” Dumais said. “The goal is to receive information from them and, in turn, hone the industry’s response to current and emerging issues as part of our efforts to promote positive change as part of ABA’s strategic plan.”

Navigating the nutrition landscape

While ingredient bans are happening at the state level, ABA is also focusing on issues around nutrition and commodities at the federal level, which is an emphasis area for Genn.

FDA should soon finalize its “healthy claim” rule, which will allow products that meet certain specifications for sodium, sugars and fats to mark it as “healthy” on the front of pack. ABA has voiced concerns regarding the rule.

“To date, there has not been that sort of claim with specific requirements associated with it,” Zvaners told NEXUS attendees. “We commented on this rulemaking when it was proposed. We’re encouraging FDA to look at what USDA’s dietary guidelines says for levels of sodium, salt and fat. But our biggest concern is what sort of qualifications ABA members would need in order to put a voluntary ‘healthy claim’ label on their packaging.”

As Genn champions this issue, the final rule is expected to come out before the end of the year.

She has noted while the US sits between Mexico and Canada, both which have labeling mandates, there is no data to support a correlation between front-of-pack labeling and increased overall health.

“The commercial baking industry can help bridge the gap in consumer, policymaker and child education about the essential role of grains in the diet,” Genn said, noting ABA’s direct involvement with USDA to promote the MyPlate initiative, which visually represents the recommended food groups according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“ABA will continue exploring ways to increase public understanding of the role grains play in providing nutritious, shelf-stable and cost-effective products,” Genn added.

For more information on ABA’s government relations team and their efforts on behalf of members and the industry, visit the ABA website.

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