Melissa Hockstad: Packaged Food’s Chief Advocate
As Washington intensifies its scrutiny of ultraprocessed foods, additives and ingredient transparency, few executives will have a bigger seat at the table than Melissa Hockstad. As president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, Hockstad is emerging as a leading voice for the packaged food industry as it navigates the regulatory and political momentum of the moment. Representing an industry that supports more than 22 million jobs, the trade group has argued that nutrition policy must remain grounded in sound science rather than broad labels like “ultraprocessed,” while defending the role of food processing in safety, affordability and innovation. Still, the regulators are circling and the public eye is squinting to recognize what’s truly healthy, making Hockstad a central figure in the upcoming food fight.