IFMA The Food Away from Home Association Podcast

During this episode of The Weekly Takeaway from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Communications Director Heather Lalley and Managing Editor Peter Romeo discuss the recent announcement of an additional $89 million to fund preschool nutrition programs, plus the latest updates from grocery and c-store foodservice and a look back at the industry response to 9/11. Find The Weekly Takeaway on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

During this episode of The Weekly Takeaway from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Communications Director Heather Lalley and Managing Editor Peter Romeo discuss the pushback against the proposed Sysco-Restaurant depot merger, new federal school nutrition funding and the latest moves in retail foodservice. Find The Weekly Takeaway on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Jerry Morgan joins the latest episode of the CEO Exchange podcast from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. Association CEO Phil Kafarakis sits down with the CEO of fast-growing restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse to discuss the full-service chain's success and the challenges of taking over a company following the death of its leader. 

During this episode of The Weekly Takeaway from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Communications Director Heather Lalley and Managing Editor Peter Romeo discuss the industry forecast for 2027, wrap up the Go2MarketEdge AI event and follow up on recent big regulatory news. Find The Weekly Takeaway on  Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

On this episode of The Weekly Takeaway from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Communications Director Heather Lalley chats with Dr. Joy Dubost, food scientist and regulatory expert, about the FDA’s proposed rule concerning ingredients determined to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Find The Weekly Takeaway on  Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

During this episode of The Weekly Takeaway from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Communications Director Heather Lalley and Managing Editor Peter Romeo discuss the Association’s AI event, pending regulatory changes and new beverage rollouts. Find The Weekly Takeaway on  Spotify and Apple Podcasts.  

During this episode of The Weekly Takeaway from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. Communications Director Heather Lalley and Managing Editor Peter Romeo discuss the ongoing cyclospora outbreak, upcoming changes to 7-Eleven leadership, and Gen Z drinking habits impacting the food-away-from-home industry.

Welcome to the first episode of The Weekly Takeaway from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. Communications Director Heather Lalley and Managing Editor Peter Romeo discuss the ongoing cyclospora outbreak, upcoming changes to immigration regulations, innovations in grocery and c-store foodservice and more stories impacting the food-away-from-home industry.

Long before Indian cuisine caught on in the foodservice mainstream, colleges and universities were regularly serving the Asian fare in their dining halls. You can say the same about plant-forward dishes, boba, stir fries, Mediterranean specialties, gluten-free choices, and a host of other selections that are now as common across the food-away-from-home universe as forks and spoons. So what’s next? What cuisines offered today in colleges and universities are likely to become virtual staples of other segments as the students age into prime customers of restaurants, employee cafeterias, and even senior living facilities? We asked Jeffrey Palmer, Executive Director of Campus Dining and Retail Operations for the University of California at San Diego. Here’s what he had to say in this first of a podcast series focused on what the chairpersons of our Foodservice Leadership Councils expect to be discussing with their peers during 2026.  

Even in the best of times, few food-away-from-home segments are as complicated and demanding as the K-12 market. And these are definitely not the best of times. In addition to the usual budgetary issues, school foodservice directors (FSDs) are facing major revisions of what the government is defining as “healthy,” or what should be on kids’ cafeteria trays. What’s that going to mean for the FSDs? Here's what Danielle Bock, this year’s K-12 Silver Plate Winner and chairperson of our school Foodservice Leadership Council, expects in 2026.

Lisa Eberhart, a registered dietician with more than 20 years of experience in college-and-university foodservice, airs her take on the federal government’s trumpeted plan to improve the health of young people.

After an extraordinary year of chaos and uncertainty, what can the food-away-from-home business expect in 2026? In the debut episode of Reality Check, the head of insights, education and research for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association explains why the business needn’t panic. As Charlie McConnell has summarized it, the sky isn’t falling. He'll provide the color on why the industry is likely to see an acceleration of growth next year, albeit it moderate.