Exclusive: NCA’s John Downs and Brian McKeon gain key industry advocacy recognition
John Downs delivers the "Candy Dish" at the SOTIC event in Miami, as he looks forward to this month's Sweets & Snacks event. Pic: Neill Barston
The National Confectioners Association is in celebratory mood after its CEO and president, John Downs, and Brian McKeon, senior vice president of public policy, have been named among The Hill’s top lobbyists of 2025, reports Neill Barston.
Notably, the influential Washington publication has kept a strong eye on the nation’s core political developments, monitoring significant developments under the incoming second term of President Donald Trump.
For its part, the NCA’s top team, including Downs and McKeon, has been advocating on behalf of the confectionery sector in terms of delivering progress on the National Farm Bill, leading the charge for delivering support for sugar production in the US, against a tide of rising prices in recent times that led to a deficit in supplies for the region.
Brian McKeon has been a senior VP for policy for the NCA for over three years. Pic: NCA
In addition, the key trade organisation has supported companies in a stance regarding the introduction of import tariffs for cocoa products, and welcomed the government’s decision to recently issue an exemption for US businesses, given that the crop cannot be grown on a commercial scale in America.
As previously reported by Confectionery Production, the NCA has also backed manufacturers in the region in relation to the use of widely-used food colourings and dyes within the sector, which some states have moved to propose bans despite the FDA previously having cleared such ingredient items for use within the industry.
Notably, as our title reported from this year’s State of the Industry Conference in Miami, NCA’s president John Downs noted that maintaining a strong advocacy presence in Washington was of crucial importance at a time of considerable regulatory change.
However, with US confectionery sector again registering continued resilience in its markets, with the region recording improved figures of $54 billion in 2024, projections for the market moving into 2026 remain optimistic in the wake of major investment from both major brands within the industry, as well as innovations coming through from independent businesses.
