History of the Refrigerated Foods Association

The visionary behind the Association’s formation is Mr. Don Sircy of Performance Manufacturing (pictured above with wife Maureen). He approached the Association’s Executive Director, Ms. Judy Stokes Gervais, with the premise of organizing an Association for this promising industry. After a meeting in Savannah, Georgia in October, 1980, the Salad Manufacturers Association was born. Dave Miller of Mrs. Kinser’s was appointed as the first President of SMA.

The Association’s main function has always been to serve the technical, marketing, and regulatory needs of its members and provide a network for the industry.

The Association serves as an information clearinghouse for businesses involved in the manufacture and sale of their food products.

The Association’s Technical Director, Mr. Martin Mitchell, was involved from the start with providing sound technical expertise and food safety information.

As the industry developed, the Board saw a shift in the product line of the majority of its membership. In 1992, the group changed its name to Refrigerated Foods Association to better reflect their product lines, which at this time included wet salads, home meal replacement options, refrigerated entrees, dips, desserts, ethnic foods, and side dishes.

Today, the Refrigerated Foods Association continues to serve this industry and strives to meet its varied needs - with technical information, regulatory updates, marketing tips, networking opportunities, training tools, and research reports.