GMA: 2009 priorities will be safety, security

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has predicted that sustainability and safety will be standards for 2009. “Sustainability will not only continue to gain prominence in the mainstream, but this year, some think it could even become standard,” said Rebecca Pollack, lead editor of a special year-end report for GMA’s SmartBrief information service. Pollack also noted that the Food and Drug Administration will get more oversight over imports, and that food safety legislation can be expected when the Obama administration and a Democratic-led Congress take charge in January. A GMA poll of its members and supporters revealed that food safety, which received 40% of the vote, and environmental sustainability, which received 24%, are expected to become even more important in 2009.