WASHINGTON — Gregory R. Page, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cargill, has been elected to the board of directors of the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Mr. Page was elected at the Jan. 10 board meeting of the group, held in conjunction with the mid-winter conference of the Food Marketing Institute in Orlando, Fla.

Additionally, five companies joined the G.M.A. — American Italian Pasta Co.; Giant Eagle Corp.; Perfect Puree of Napa Valley, L.L.C; Syngenta Corp.; and Teradata Corp.

Mr. Page has been with Cargill since 1974. He has held positions with the company in the United States and abroad, including working with the start-up of a poultry processing operation in Thailand and Cargill’s financial markets group. He was elected president of the company in June 2000 and chairman and c.e.o. in 2007. He is a member of the Eaton Corp. board of directors and heads the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.