Snack World - August 2012 - (Page 16)

75th Anniversary Turbulent Times Association changes leadership, names and locations during the 1970s. BY BILL LEVY I f snack food manufacturers could have gazed into a crystal ball in 1970 and seen what was in store for them during the next 10 years, they might have opted for early retirement. The industry was being reshaped by mergers and acquisitions, and unforeseen domestic and world events also kept companies off balance. The Potato Chip Institute International (PCII), a forerunner of the Snack Food Association, also underwent a major metamorphosis that culminated in a new membership base, location and name. After representing potato chippers for 40 years, the Potato Chip Institute International broadened its membership in the mid-1970s to include producers of a wide range of salty snacks. 16 Snack World August 2012 www.sfa.org Although freshman Congressman George Bush was the guest speaker at PCII’s 33rd annual meeting at Houston, TX, in 1970, a prophetic message from PCII Research Director Ora Smith, PhD, is what most chippers remembered. Dr. Smith, aka Mr. Potato, cautioned that America was on the verge of a nutrition revolution that threatened to engulf the snack food industry. “As an industry, we are too often apologetic about the nutritional value of potato chips,” he said. “We need not be and should not be. On the contrary, we should extol the value of chips for their caloric content and energy value, especially for youngsters.” Dr. Smith’s remarks would soon become a rallying cry for chippers besieged by junk food critics. Meanwhile, potato chip sales topped the $1 billion mark for the first time in 1970. PCII officers also had to find a successor to the seemingly irreplaceable Harvey Noss in the early 1970s. Mr. Noss had lead the association he helped found for more than three decades. After spirited debate, the board elected Larry Burch, 35, to lead PCII. During his interview, Mr. Burch outlined a new marketing thrust for PCII. He also believed the association needed greater member involvement and should expand its research efforts. In April 1974, the association expanded its government relations program in an effort to keep members on top of legislation and regulations affecting their businesses. It hired a public relations counseling firm in the Washington, DC, area to work closely with its legal counsel. Economic storm clouds continued to swirl when PCII members gathered at Houston for CHIPSPO ’75. The theme was “Meeting the Challenge of Change,” and the group was bent on finding new ways to improve quality, sales, distribution and, above all, profits. At the packed business members meeting, Mr. Burch passed along some good news. During the previous three years, membership increased 41%, income virtually doubled and the institute was on sound financial footing. During its first four decades, PCII had remained true to its name, but by 1975, few companies were marketing only potato chips. Combined sales of tortilla chips, popped corn, pretzels, cheese twists, shoestring potatoes, parched corn and popped pork rinds totaled $1.5 billion — the same volume as the potato chip category. Although it made sense to bring other snacks under PCII’s umbrella, many chippers did not want to see the association’s name diluted. When PCII’s Long Range Planning Committee http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - August 2012

Snack World - August 2012
Table of Contents
Letter from SFA - Please Be Involved
Supplier's Corner - Opportunities Abound
SFA Update - Drought prompts petition for renewable fuels waiver
SFA Update - Potato research yields two promising varieties
SFA Update - Coalition challenges Hours of Service rule in court
Calendar of Events
75th Anniversary - Advocating for Snacks
Snacks for the New Millennium
75th Anniversary - Mega Merger
75th Anniversary - Turbulent Times
Saying farewell to Four Industry Icons
Government Affairs - Left in Limbo
Marketing - The Snack School
New Snacks
Products & Services
Ad Index

Snack World - August 2012

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