The National Confectioners Association is an American trade organization that promotes chocolate, candy, gum and mints, and the companies that make these treats. NCA lobbies the American government in favor of the confectionery industry, evaluated at US$35 billion. Confections are produced in all 50 states. The association "annually hosts the National Candy Show in Chicago, as well as the Candy Hall of Fame".

Candy Hall of Fame

The Candy Hall of Fame is an event produced by the association that recognizes the achievements of leaders across the confectionery industry globally.

Class of 2021

* Michelle Frame, Victus Ars * Pam Gesford,

The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...

Forrest Mars Jr. Forrest Edward Mars Jr. (August 16, 1931 – July 26, 2016) was an American heir and businessman. He was the eldest son of Audrey Ruth (Meyer) and Forrest Mars Sr., and the grandson of Frank C. Mars, the founder of Mars, Incorporated. He se ...

(posthumous), Mars Wrigley Confectionery U.S. * Deb Grenon, My Favorite Company, Inc. * Barry Phillips, SpartanNash Co. * Kurt Rosenberg (posthumous), Promotion in Motion Companies * Alan Scharhon, Halfon Candy Co. * Mark Schlott, R.M. Palmer Co. * David Shaffer, Just Born, Inc. * Douglas Simons, Enstrom Candies, Inc. * Robert Taylor, Burdette Beckmann Inc.

Class of 2017

* Peter Blommer, Blommer Chocolate Co. * Rick Brindle, Mondelez International, Inc. * Sara Clair, Brown & Haley * Ray Cote, American Chocolate Mould Co. * Basant Dwivedi, The Promotion In Motion Cos., Inc. * Mary Beth Geraci, Carlin Group * Richard Hartel, University of Wisconsin-Madison * Scott Hartman, Rutter’s Holdings Inc. * Rob Nelson, Elmer Candy Corp. * Dave Taiclet, 1-800-Flowers.com/Fannie May Confections * Mary Villa, URM Stores Inc.

Controversy

In March 2007, the

Chocolate Manufacturers Association The National Confectioners Association is an American trade organization that promotes chocolate, candy, gum and mints, and the companies that make these treats. NCA lobbies the American government in favor of the confectionery industry, evaluate ...

, whose members include Hershey's,

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...

, and

Archer Daniels Midland The Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, commonly known as ADM, is an American multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation founded in 1902 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company operates more than 270 plants and 4 ...

, began

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whic ...

the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA) to change the legal definition of chocolate to allow the substitution of "safe and suitable vegetable fats and oils" (including

partially hydrogenated vegetable oils In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple es ...

) for cocoa butter in addition to using "any sweetening agent" (including artificial sweeteners) and milk substitutes. Currently, the FDA does not allow a product to be referred to as "chocolate" if the product contains any of these ingredients. To work around this restriction, products with cocoa substitutes are often branded or labeled as "chocolatey" or "made with chocolate". On March 7, 2017, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' reported that the NCA was lobbying the Trump administration. The NCA's goal, as reported by the ''Post'', was to advocate for the rollback of government policies that make the production of NCA members' products more expensive. One of the controversial issues reported by the ''Post'' was the scheduling of NCA events at Trump-owned properties. Thus, money is being paid by the NCA to Trump as they seek to influence government policy.

References

External links

Official website
br /> American confectionery Food industry trade groups Culinary professional associations 1884 establishments in Illinois Businesspeople halls of fame {{prof-assoc-stub