DENVER — Last year, AACC International renamed its annual conference Cereals & Grains 18, and this year at Cereals & Grains 19, held Nov. 3-5, the association rolled out its new name and logo, the Cereals & Grain Association (CGA).

The change was a year in the making and was done carefully, with the association listening to members, conducting focus groups and observing what was happening in the industry.

“We wanted our name to be more reflective of our community,” said Amy Hope, chief executive officer, CGA. “Our members aren’t just in R.&D. or research. We’re more interconnected and interdisciplinary now.”

The name change also has energized the 100-plus-year-old association. Started in 1915, as the American Association for Cereal Chemists, the organization went through another name change in 1991 to AACC International to reflect the global membership. But the members have since moved away from cereal chemistry to be a much broader scope of expertise including research and development, engineering, academics, research and food safety.

“We wanted to be more inclusive in our membership, especially for young people just entering the industry,” Ms. Hope said. “They might have looked at AACC International and said ‘Well, I’m not a cereal chemist,’ but we are so much more than that. Everyone in our sphere can say they work in cereals and grains.”

The name change and logo were approved almost unanimously by the membership.