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MFA Leader: D.C. ‘Gridlock’ Leads To Local Initiatives And Need To Stay Ahead Of The Issues

Chris Flynn, far right, at the RFA convention, is pictured with, from left, Guy Crosby, Ph.D., science editor for America's Test Kitchen; RFA President Steve Loehndorf of Reser’s Fine Foods; Karen Bishop Carbone of Kettle Cuisine; and Robin Beane of Hans Kissle.
Chris Flynn, far right, at the RFA convention, is pictured with, from left, Guy Crosby, Ph.D., science editor for America's Test Kitchen; RFA President Steve Loehndorf of Reser’s Fine Foods; Karen Bishop Carbone of Kettle Cuisine; and Robin Beane of Hans Kissle.

Last updated on October 21st, 2015 at 03:34 pm

Chris Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association (MFA), speaking to the Refrigerated Foods Association’s national convention in Boston recently, says federal gridlock has opened the floodgates for local and state initiatives on the issues of plastic bags, plastic water bottles, minimum wage and GMO legislation.

Flynn says the threat of local initiatives is real and continues to spread. He says few realized the power of local initiatives when an 84-year-old woman got up at a town meeting in Concord and proposed a plastic water bottle ban. Concord became one of the first communities in the U.S. to ban the sale of single-serving plastic water bottles. The ban resulted from a three-year campaign by local activists to reduce waste and fossil fuels. Flynn says the ban has hurt Crosby’s Marketplace, a key independent retailer in Massachusetts, which saw a 5 percent drop in business after the first year of the ban.

The most prevalent local initiative now relates to GMOs; legislation has been approved by several states but opposed by many food groups and associations in part because of a lack of a national standard. Another growing local initiative involves minimum wage, as Flynn notes there are 12 municipalities in California that have a different minimum wage. In Massachusetts, there are 14 communities that have banned plastic bags, and Dunkin’ Donuts had to change its foam coffee cup to another container in Brookline, Massachusetts. More than 100 communities have banned cigarettes in pharmacies.

Flynn says, in plastic bag legislation alone, he has to check local papers and websites to find where the issue is coming up at town meetings and on ballots.

“I think the key to all of us is finding out ahead of time, plan ahead and be ahead of the curve,” he said. “In over 30 years, I have never seen such local activity. It has really picked up the last four to five years.”

He adds that another key to getting ahead of the issues is to get organized on a local level and encourage community officials to tour a facility to get a better understanding of the issues, costs and challenges facing an operator.

Flynn also says not to be afraid to ask for association assistance from groups like the MFA, Food Marketing Institute and the National Grocers Association. Flynn says the MFA has taken a proactive stance in opposing the state’s bottling bill and has worked extensively with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in recycling and sustainability issues. Flynn notes that taking proactive positions and getting ahead of the issues is “the way to go.”

“A lot of this is educating the public and informing them about the issues and giving them the right information,” he said. “Get the message out so that people can understand it. And don’t be afraid of involving people in the industry to get the message out.”

Regarding the GMO issue, Flynn says he hopes the issue is headed toward a national solution with a federal agency defining standards.

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Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
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