IFMA The Food Away from Home Association

What IFMA The Food Away from Home Association does

IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, formerly the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, is a 501(c)-style nonprofit trade association founded in 1952 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The organization operates as the central industry hub for the $1.5 trillion U.S. food-away-from-home (FAFH) sector, serving four horizontal member categories: Manufacturers, Supply Chain Partners (broadline and specialty distributors, cash & carry, redistributors), Operators (commercial restaurants, non-commercial foodservice, c-store, grocery foodservice, foodservice management), and Service Providers (technology, market research, consulting, sales agencies, financial services). Its mission is to facilitate relationships, illuminate business opportunities, and convene cross-segment collaboration across this fragmented industry.

The association's product surface is built around three technology layers: IFMA Scope (a tiered member portal offering operator landscape data, segment forecasts, and consumer spend analytics across 211 designated market areas), the Path LMS online learning platform (delivering Foodservice Fundamentals and related coursework), and a virtual event infrastructure supporting webinars and conferences. Core deliverables include recurring research (Datassential 500 Report, Red Meat Market Insights Report, Operator Guidebooks), member-based programs (Foodservice Leadership Councils, Next Gen Execs, Consumer & Operator Research Group), and an event portfolio anchored by the Presidents Conference, COEX (Chain Operations Exchange), Go2MarketEdge, the Gold & Silver Plate Awards Celebration, and the Operator/Supplier Xchange.

IFMA's business model is subscription-led, with tiered annual membership dues ranging from $450 (Individual Operator) to $8,950 (Service Provider Tier III), with Supply Chain Tier II priced at $6,950. Operators participate dues-free in exchange for service commitments. Secondary revenue streams include event registration fees (Presidents Conference, COEX, Go2MarketEdge, Virtual Marketing & Sales Conference, Foodservice Fundamentals) and advertising/sponsorship packages sold to industry decision-makers. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors under Illinois law and maintains an Education Foundation as a programmatic subsidiary.

Name

IFMA The Food Away from Home Association

Legal name

International Foodservice Manufacturers Association

Website

https://foodaway.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IFMA The Food Away from Home Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1952 that serves as the industry hub for the $1.5 trillion U.S. food-away-from-home sector, convening manufacturers, supply chain partners, operators, and service providers through tiered memberships, conferences, research, and education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IFMA generates revenue primarily through tiered annual membership dues from four categories: Manufacturers, Supply Chain partners, Operators, and Service Providers. Membership tiers provide escalating access to conferences, research, training, and networking benefits.
2. Event Registration Fees: The association charges registration fees for conferences including Presidents Conference, COEX, Go2MarketEdge, Virtual Marketing & Sales Conference, and Foodservice Fundamentals training. Events range from member-only gatherings to industry-wide celebrations.
3. Advertising & Sponsorships: IFMA offers advertising and sponsorship opportunities across its programs, events, and digital platforms to reach the food-away-from-home industry's decision makers. The association provides media kits for advertising inquiries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IFMA is a nonprofit trade association that delivers membership, networking, education/training, and market research services to companies in the food-away-from-home industry. It sells tiered memberships, paid industry conferences, professional training courses, and industry research reports to foodservice manufacturers, supply chain partners, operators, and service providers.

Product overview

IFMA The Food Away from Home Association is a trade association serving the $1.5 trillion food-away-from-home industry, providing a platform of interconnected programs, events, research resources, and member services rather than a traditional software product. The core member benefit portal is IFMA Scope, which provides data on operators, segments, and markets. The association organizes major conferences including COEX, Presidents Conference, Go2MarketEdge, and Virtual Marketing & Sales Conference. Awards programs include the Gold & Silver Plate Awards Celebration and Legends Award partnership with the National Restaurant Association. Educational offerings include Foodservice Fundamentals training and webinars. Research resources include the Datassential 500 Report, Red Meat Market Insights Report, Operator Guidebooks, and Consumer & Operator Research Group studies. FSMA 204 compliance resources are available through a partnership with Starfish. The association facilitates networking through Foodservice Leadership Councils and the Next Gen Execs Program for emerging leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IFMA Manufacturer Membership (Tier I, Tier II, Tier III)

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• StarfishcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IFMA announced a strategic partnership with Starfish, the leading neutral data-sharing network for global food supply-chain traceability, to accelerate Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) compliance for food-away-from-home members. Starfish provides a data-sharing network that enables supply chain traceability required under the new FDA regulations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• National Grocers Association: US trade association for independent grocers, many of whom operate foodservice programs. Comparable association-style membership and events, but primary focus is retail rather than food-away-from-home operators.
• Restaurant Association of Maryland: State-level restaurant and foodservice trade association. Comparable member-based advocacy and events model but serves a single US state rather than the national food-away-from-home ecosystem.

Direct peers

• International Caterers Association: Trade association for the catering industry. Comparable member-driven model serving a foodservice segment with events, education, and advocacy programming.
• FMI - The Food Industry Association: Trade association serving food retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Comparable member-based model and similar event/research programming aimed at foodservice supply chain participants.
• International Dairy Deli Bakery Association: Trade association for dairy, deli, and bakery categories in retail and foodservice. Comparable member-driven association serving food-away-from-home suppliers with expos, education, and research programs.
• National Restaurant Association: The largest US trade association for the restaurant industry. Directly comparable as a foodservice trade association offering membership, events, training, advocacy, and awards that overlap with IFMA's portfolio.
• American Culinary Federation: Professional association for culinary professionals in the foodservice industry. Comparable as a membership organization serving foodservice practitioners with certification, education, and events.
• Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART): Hospitality training and education association serving foodservice and lodging organizations. Comparable as a member-based association focused on workforce development in the food-away-from-home space.
• Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management: Association for corporate and contract foodservice management professionals. Closely comparable target segment (non-commercial foodservice operators) and similar member-driven programming.

Broad incumbents

• American Beverage Association: Trade association for the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Broader and larger incumbent with overlapping foodservice manufacturer members and similar advocacy, events, and communications capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IFMAWORLD
• Facebookfacebook.com/ifmaworldcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-foodservice-manufacturers-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/ifmaworld

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFMA The Food Away from Home Association