ARLINGTON, Va. – The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has rebranded as FMI – The Food Industry Association. The brand refresh reflects the organization’s expanded membership which represents a more interconnected supply chain.

“FMI provides the most productive forum for connecting and holding constructive dialogue across the food industry,” said Leslie Sarasin, FMI president and CEO. “Driven by consumer relevance, we are in the business of food, wherever it is bought, sold or produced, and we are well-positioned to represent everything in the shopping basket — and work closely with every participant in the marketplace.”

FMI was formed 40 years ago with the merger of the Super Market Institute and the National Association of Food Chains. But the organization of today represents retailers, producers and a wide variety of companies providing industry services. FMI – The Food Industry Association represents a renewed focus on the array of experiences of today’s grocery shopper.

“Over the last two years, we’ve inspired a recommitment, a renewal of vows among the FMI membership,” said Board of Directors Chairman Joe Sheridan, president and COO of Wakefern Food Corp. “We’ve even changed who can be a member in the association as a logical step in a direction we’ve been traveling for years, offering greater parity between retailers and their product supplier partner members at the Board of Directors level.

“As our customers change,” Sheridan continued, “so do our industry and our association to better serve and reflect their needs.”