Arlington, VA, July 24, 2007 – Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association (GMA/FPA), will deliver the opening keynote address of the Conference at PACK EXPO on Monday, October 15, 2007 at 10:10am. The Conference at PACK EXPO will be held in conjunction with PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2007, running from October 15-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Both the show and the conference program are sponsored and produced by PMMI.

In a presentation entitled “Consumer Confidence: A Shared Objective of the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry and Policymakers,” Dooley will point out that in order for the food, beverage and consumer package goods (CPG) industry to thrive, consumers in the U.S. and around the globe must be able to trust the brands they buy and the foods they eat.  The United States has a tremendous track record when it comes to food safety, however, recent events have shaken consumer confidence in the safety, security and sustainability of the food supply.  Working closely with policymakers and food and consumer products companies, GMA has developed a comprehensive program to help modernize our nation’s food safety net and bolster consumer confidence in CPG products and brands.   

Mr. Dooley was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Food Products Association (FPA) in 2005 and is now the President and Chief Executive Officer of GMA/FPA. Previously, Mr. Dooley served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2004, representing the 20th District of California. He served on the House Agriculture Committee, and was Ranking Minority Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry as well as the House Resources Committee. Mr. Dooley is a fourth-generation farmer and partner in Dooley Farms, growing cotton, alfalfa and walnuts in California's San Joaquin Valley. He earned a Bachelors degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis and, as a Sloan Fellow, earned a Masters degree in Management from Stanford University.

The keynote session on Tuesday, October 16 at 10:10am will be offered by John A. Luke, Jr., chairman and CEO of MeadWestvaco Corporation. His presentation, titled “Coming Full-Circle: Sustainability throughout the Packaging Lifecycle,” will focus on the growing importance of sustainability to the packaging industry, its customers and consumers.

Dr. David Acheson, Assistant Commissioner of Food Protection at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will present the conference’s closing keynote address on Wednesday, October 17 at 10:10am. He will highlight the challenges the FDA faces in ensuring that the U.S.’s food supply continues to be among the safest in the world in his presentation called “Assuring Safety in the Global Food Market: Our Shared Responsibilities.”

Registration for the keynote presentations and the entire Conference at PACK EXPO program is currently available on www.packexpo.com. The fee for registrations received on or before September 24, 2007 will be $55 per session. After September 24, 2007 and on-site, the cost will be $75 per session. Registration for the exhibits at PACK EXPO Las Vegas is required in order to register for any keynote presentation or conference session.

To register for PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2007 or obtain more information, visit www.packexpo.com. You can also contact PMMI’s Show Department at (703) 243-8555; fax: (703) 243-8556; or e-mail expo@pmmi.org.

PMMI is a trade association whose more than 500 general members manufacture packaging and packaging-related converting machinery in the United States and Canada. PMMI’s thirty-two supplier members manufacture commercially available packaging machinery components. PMMI's vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging. Its mission is to improve and promote members' abilities to meet the needs of their customers. Visit www.pmmi.org for more information.

PACK EXPO Las Vegas will be held October 15-17, 2007 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. The show will be co-located with the PROCESS EXPO, the Converting & Package Printing EXPO and the International Bottled Water Association’s 2007 Convention and Tabletop Trade Show. PACK EXPO International will be held November 9-13, 2008 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.  PMMI also produces EXPO PACK México, the premier packaging show in Mexico serving the Latin American region. This show will be held June 24-27, 2008 at Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico.

Visit www.packexpo.com for more information. 

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