Operations

International Foodservice Manufacturers Association reveals new identity

Image: IFMA The Food Away from Home Association

November 18, 2024

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association has revealed a new identity for the 72-year-old organization, now branded IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, according to a press release.

The change was announced at the organization's Presidents Conference and was prompted by the group's strategic planning and scrutinizing the state of the industry. Following the pandemic, the foodservice supply chain and ecosystem became interconnected. IFMA conducted surveys and engaged in deep conversations with existing members and industry peers, and realized that it needed to adapt to the needs of its members and industry.

"We have committed to the whole industry by broadening our membership rolls," Ben Wexler, president of Custom Culinary and 2024 board chair, said in the press release. "We know that manufacturers remain at the core of all we do, and by adding new categories of membership – notably operators, those in the supply chain, and service providers to our industry – we can better engage the entire ecosystem. It's critical we all work together — not in silos — to address critical issues that advance the industry."

Phil Kafarakis, president and CEO of IFMA The Food Away Association, said keeping IFMA as part of of the group's name was critical.

"It's important to us that we maintain our legacy as IFMA while growing to serve a more dynamic and transformed foodservice community," Kafarakis said in the press release. "Our new name is purposeful and sets a clearer and more powerful message about who we are as an organization."

Four intersecting swirls represent segments of the industry joining together through the work of the association.

"Our expanded membership enables us to be the industry connector, creating a gathering spot where challenges that face all segments can be addressed," Teri Trullinger, group vice president, field sales at Cargill, and incoming 2025 board chair, said in the press release. "We'll be leveraging the breadth of membership to meet our mission to lead a dynamic, transparent, and engaged food-away-from-home community."

A soft brand rollout is expected by January. The organization will conduct a full rebranding in 2025. The first initiative will focus on addressing food waste across the segments of food-away-from-home.

IFMA The Food Away from Home Association is a trade association founded in 1952. The organization empowers, nurtures, and connects an inclusive and diverse $1.5 trillion food-away-from-home ecosystem of manufacturers, distributors, operators and others.