FMI’s Sarasin Selected as Conn. Food Association Person of the Year

The Connecticut Food Association (CFA) will present Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), with the Outstanding Industry Leader award at its 2016 Person of the Year banquet, which will take place Oct. 20^.

“Leslie is a tireless champion for the nation’s food retailers and wholesalers, and we’re thrilled to recognize her efforts in advocating on behalf of the food retail industry,” said Wayne Pesce, president of West Hartford, Conn.-based CFA. “Leslie fully understands the power the states hold in influencing policy and the broader food community agenda, and her leadership and knowledge has brought a new energy to our industry.”

Pesce added that Sarasin “is largely being recognized for her leadership role in the legislative victory that established federal pre-emption regarding the disclosure of genetically modified organisms (GMO). In 2013, Connecticut’s governor signed the first state law in the nation mandating the labeling of foods that contain genetically modified ingredients, so this year’s legislative victory at a federal level offered Connecticut businesses more flexibility and helped to preserve interstate commerce.”

“I’m incredibly humbled to receive this recognition from the Connecticut Food Association and to have my efforts acknowledged in a state so dear to the heart of my family is especially meaningful,” said Sarasin. “Some of our most politically active members hail from the Constitution State, and their advocacy efforts amplify the voice of food retail so effectively, it is heard well beyond Connecticut’s borders.”

Sarasin’s career in the food industry spans more than three decades. She joined Arlington, Va.-based FMI in October 2008.