Consumer Brands Association

What Consumer Brands Association does

The Consumer Brands Association (CBA) is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade association formed in 2018 through the merger of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Products Association (FPA), representing nearly 2,000 iconic consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand members across food, beverage, household, and personal care categories. The CPG industry the association represents contributes approximately $2.5 trillion to U.S. GDP (10% of national GDP), supports 22.3 million American jobs (10.5% of total U.S. employment), and generates $1.5 trillion in labor income. CBA operates from its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, with a staff of 101-250 employees led by President and CEO Melissa Hockstad, and is governed by a board of CPG-executive members chaired by Mark Smucker (CEO of J.M. Smucker Co.) as of January 2026.

CBA's core product offering is a suite of precompetitive transparency and labeling infrastructure. SmartLabel is a QR-code-based digital disclosure platform covering over 100,000 products from 1,000 brands, providing consumers access to ingredients, allergen details, recycling instructions, and recall notifications; it is preparing for the GS1 Sunrise 2027 transition to 2D barcodes. FACTS UP FRONT is a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labeling system (calories, saturated fat, sodium, added sugars) that appears on approximately 70% of U.S. packaged food and beverage products and enjoys 75% consumer trust. Supporting programs include Truth About Ingredients and Food Processing Facts websites, the annual CPG Legal Forum (300+ attendees), the CPG Speaks virtual leadership series, and the National Consumer Transparency Week (second annual iteration held June 8-12, 2026).

Revenue is generated through annual membership dues from approximately 2,000 CPG companies, with separate "Industry Allies" membership for allied organizations; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. Beyond membership revenue, CBA monetizes through programs and events (CPG Legal Forum, CPG Speaks, Better Process Control School, Food and Beverage Labeling Course) and convenes cross-industry coalitions such as the Recycling Leadership Council (formed January 2026 with Closed Loop Partners). The association also generates value through regulatory advocacy—securing a preliminary injunction blocking Texas SB 25's compelled warning-label requirement and helping shelve California AB 2034—while opposing state-level ingredient disclosure regimes and lobbying for federal preemption.

Name

Consumer Brands Association

Legal name

Consumer Brands Association

Website

https://consumerbrandsassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Consumer Brands Association is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade association representing nearly 2,000 consumer packaged goods brands across food, beverage, household, and personal care, operating the SmartLabel digital disclosure platform and the FACTS UP FRONT nutrition labeling standard from its Arlington, Virginia headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

akta.pro primary industry

Food Standards, Labeling & Claims Regulation (HLAJAEAB)

Keywords

• Trade association services
• Consumer packaged goods
• Industry advocacy
• Regulatory compliance
• Product transparency

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The Consumer Brands Association operates as a not-for-profit trade association representing the consumer packaged goods industry. Revenue is generated through membership dues from nearly 2,000 iconic CPG brands across food, beverage, household, and personal care sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Consumer Brands Association is a not-for-profit trade association representing nearly 2,000 consumer packaged goods companies across food, beverage, household, and personal care sectors. It provides policy advocacy, regulatory engagement, industry-wide standards, and consumer transparency tools (SmartLabel QR-code platform, FACTS UP FRONT nutrition labeling) to its member companies.

Product overview

The Consumer Brands Association operates a suite of consumer transparency programs and industry platforms for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The core offerings include SmartLabel (digital QR code-based transparency platform) and FACTS UP FRONT (front-of-pack nutrition labeling), which together provide comprehensive product information to consumers. Supporting resources include Truth About Ingredients and Food Processing Facts websites. The association also convenes industry professionals through programs like the CPG Legal Forum and CPG Speaks virtual leadership series. The CPG industry represents nearly 2,000 iconic brands, contributes $2.5 trillion to U.S. GDP, and supports 22.3 million American jobs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FACTS UP FRONT: Industry transparency initiative providing at-a-glance nutrition information on front of food and beverage packaging
• SmartLabel
• Recycling Leadership Council (RLC)
• Food Processing Facts
• Truth About Ingredients

Products and services

• SmartLabel Digital QR code-based platform providing consumers with detailed product information including ingredients, allergen details, recycling instructions, and recall notices. Used by CPG manufacturers across food, beverage, household, and personal care categories.
• FACTS UP FRONT Voluntary front-of-package nutrition labeling system displaying calories, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars with percent Daily Value information. Available to CPG manufacturers as an industry-wide labeling standard.
• Truth About Ingredients Digital resource helping consumers access factual information about ingredient safety, cutting through online misinformation about food and beverage ingredients.
• Food Processing Facts Digital resource providing fact-based information about food processing methods, their role in ensuring food safety, improving nutrition security, and reducing food loss and waste.
• CPG Legal Forum

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of American adults aware of FACTS UP FRONT label
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Closed Loop PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Consumer Brands Association and Closed Loop Partners are founding members of the Recycling Leadership Council (RLC), a coalition launched to modernize the American plastic recycling system. The RLC brings together leaders across technology, automotive, consumer goods, toys, and other industries to work with Congress on driving manufacturing and recycling innovation and upgrading aging recycling infrastructure.
• Recycling Leadership CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Consumer Brands Association leads the formation of the Recycling Leadership Council, a broad coalition of companies from recycling, manufacturing, packaging, and consumer products sectors seeking to address outdated recycling frameworks. The coalition intends to push for policy frameworks that unlock investment and manufacturing innovation for America's aging recycling infrastructure.
• AMERIPENcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025AMERIPEN, Consumer Brands Association, and Consumer Technology Association released a joint report with Smithers estimating that industry-led source reduction efforts decreased U.S. packaging volume by approximately five million metric tons between 2019 and 2024. The partnership provides independent assessment of the American packaging industry's progress in reducing and optimizing packaging.
• Consumer Technology AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025AMERIPEN, Consumer Brands Association, and Consumer Technology Association released a joint report with Smithers estimating that industry-led source reduction efforts decreased U.S. packaging volume by approximately five million metric tons between 2019 and 2024. The partnership provides independent assessment of the American packaging industry's progress in reducing and optimizing packaging.
• The Recycling PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 August 2023Consumer Brands and The Recycling Partnership partnered to integrate Recycle Check recycling instructions into SmartLabel QR codes. This allows consumers to access zip code-level recycling information for products, helping navigate the fragmented recycling system with nearly 10,000 local programs nationwide. The partnership aims to reduce consumer confusion and improve recycling rates.
• Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic BeveragesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsumer Brands Association's Recycling Leadership Council supports innovations such as Waiākea's carbon-negative algae-derived ink for product labels. The association advocates for federal recycling standards that would enable technologies like this.
• GS1coreTechnology or IntegrationSmartLabel is preparing for GS1's Sunrise 2027 project that will transition retailers from UPC barcodes to 2D barcodes by end of next year. The transition will enable consumers to access product information via QR codes while allowing retailers to handle sales, flag recalls and automatically discount items nearing expiration.
• National Association of ManufacturerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerConsumer Brands Association joined with NAM, American Beverage Association, and Food Industry Association to form a coalition opposing Kennedy's MAHA food agenda. The coalition is lobbying for uniform federal ingredient standards to preempt state-level regulations.
• American Beverage AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerConsumer Brands Association joined with NAM, American Beverage Association, and Food Industry Association to form a coalition opposing Kennedy's MAHA food agenda. The coalition is lobbying for uniform federal ingredient standards to preempt state-level regulations.
• Food Industry AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerConsumer Brands Association joined with NAM, American Beverage Association, and Food Industry Association to form a coalition opposing Kennedy's MAHA food agenda. The coalition is lobbying for uniform federal ingredient standards to preempt state-level regulations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Beverage Association: Trade association for the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Coalition partner with CBA on ingredient disclosure preemption; directly comparable as a CPG-sector advocacy body with member companies also represented by CBA.
• SNAC International: Trade association for the snack industry. Smaller but directly comparable trade body serving snack food manufacturers — many of whom are also CBA members — with overlapping food labeling, nutrition, and ingredient safety advocacy.
• Food Industry Association (FMI): Trade association representing food retailers and wholesalers. Direct peer as a CPG/food industry advocacy body that partners with CBA on regulatory coalitions (e.g., opposing Kennedy's MAHA agenda) and overlapping member companies.
• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): Largest U.S. manufacturing trade association. Coalition partner with CBA on federal preemption and MAHA opposition, representing an overlapping advocacy and policy engagement model for industrial member companies.
• AMERIPEN: American Institute for Packaging and the Environment — trade association for packaging manufacturers and users. Coalition partner with CBA on packaging sustainability reports and recycling policy; directly comparable advocacy model for an adjacent CPG value-chain segment.
• Personal Care Products Council: Trade association for the cosmetic and personal care products industry. Comparable membership-based advocacy model addressing ingredient safety, labeling, and FDA regulation — segments that overlap with CBA's household and personal care members.

Others

• Grocery Manufacturers Association (historical): Predecessor entity that merged with Food Products Association in 2018 to form CBA. Not an active peer, but historically the same organization serving overlapping CPG advocacy functions.

Broad incumbents

• National Retail Federation: Largest U.S. retail trade association. Comparable as a broad incumbent in trade advocacy, with overlapping interest in supply chain, sustainability, and consumer-facing transparency that intersects with CBA's SmartLabel/G1 Sunrise 2027 work.

Emerging players

• Consumer Technology Association (CTA): Trade association for the U.S. consumer technology industry. Coalition partner with CBA and AMERIPEN on packaging source-reduction research; comparable as a major standards-and-advocacy trade body with cross-industry coalitions.
• American Chemistry Council: Trade association representing the U.S. chemical industry. Adjacent peer given CBA's chemical management policy work and overlapping interest in FDA ingredient regulation and packaging sustainability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/consumerbrands
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtUehfpXw8vm2O4mgGRHCPQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConsumerBrandsAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/consumerbrandsassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Consumer Brands Association