It has been an honor to serve as the Association’s board chair for 2024. I am both extraordinarily proud of everything that we have accomplished and blown away by how quickly the year has flown by.
Our Purpose Statement: To empower, nurture, and connect the food-away-from-home ecosystem so it may thrive and responsibly meet consumer needs, remains at the forefront of all our decisions.
Here are some of our accomplishments for 2024:
We have a new brand identity. Our new name, IFMA The Food Away from Home Association sets a clear and powerful message about who we are as an organization. Our new brand logo includes a graphic depiction of four intersecting “swirls” that represent segments of the industry – and our membership types – joining together through the work of the association to support the whole ecosystem. Read more here>>
Nearly 200 operators have joined the association, and 50 additional manufacturer, supply chain, and service provider companies became new members in 2024! It’s been exciting to launch our membership efforts to reflect the entire food away from home ecosystem and we look forward to building our benefits and networking opportunities for everyone.
Our annual events welcomed more than 2,700 attendees – the yearly event schedule included COEX, the Gold & Silver Plate Weekend, a Virtual Marketing & Sales Conference, and our Presidents Conference.
We held a pilot Operator / Supplier Xchange event for the College & University foodservice segment in Q4. Over a dozen C&U operators and an equal number of manufacturer companies participated in one-on-one meetings over the course of a day in Dallas and the feedback was so positive that we plan additional segment Xchange events next year.
Our popular in-person Foodservice Fundamentals course hit SRO levels this year and we’ll offer the course quarterly in 2025. Fundamentals is also available digitally and can be customized for company teams. We had over 150+ individuals take the in-person and digital courses in 2024, and we went to six companies with the customized course.
Our webinars help educate and inform – we hosted 27 webinars this year with a combined 4,700+ registrants. Our most popular were: New, Now & Next: Menu Trends to Watch; College & University Operators - A Supplier Collaboration Guidebook; and our 2024 Foodservice Industry Forecast
The participants in our Foodservice Leadership Councils became members this year and continue to provide integral thought leadership that reflects the concerns of their segments. They represent: Elementary & Secondary Schools, College & University, Business & Industry, Healthcare, and Restaurants. We recently added a brand-new council representing Sales Agencies that will begin work in the new year.
We launched a new podcast and industry newsletter. In the podcast, Food CEO Xchange, the Association President & CEO, Phil Kafarakis, holds personal conversations with industry executives, giving you direct access to their hard-won wisdom and practical insights. The newsletter, The Food Industry Pulse, provides need-to-know information from across the industry of food producers, manufacturers, distributors, supply chain, service providers, and operators.
We are heading into 2025 with more big plans, and we are honored that you are with us as we get set to fully launch our re-branding, build a cross-industry initiative to address the challenges of food waste, add new training opportunities, and make multiple enhancements to our benefits and services, notably in improved career-networking through our Education Foundation.
Before closing, I must recognize my colleagues on the board and the team of employees at the association; they are some of the best in the industry and their dedication and creativity are unmatched. As I move into an advisory role as Past Chair, I know we’re in great hands!
I am very pleased to be passing the torch of Board Chair next month to Teri Trullinger, Group Vice President, Field Sales at Cargill Foodservice. Teri has provided invaluable service through her board involvement over the past several years and I am honored to support her leadership.
Thank you for your continuing membership and support of our Association. I wish you a wonderful and prosperous New Year and hope our paths will cross at a Food Away from Home Association event in 2025!
Ben Wexler
2024 Chair
IFMA The Food Away from Home Association Board of Directors
President, Custom Culinary