EFMA SESNETM  Score

The use of the SESNE TM score on packaging and on food products will set food companies apart. EFMA members will develop the most comprehensive seal  (see Ecological Food page on this website for more information) based on a point system, which will measure the health and sustainability of food and beverage products. The SESNE TM score on packaging will represent the industry's only consistent measure of food's ecological worthiness.
 

EFMA National Convention

• The EFMA Annual Business Conference (ABC).  EFMA ABC will provide education and networking opportunities, including timely panel discussions, leadership presentations, poster sessions from industry leaders, awards ceremony and more. There will be networking between suppliers, distributors, retailers, consumers, editors and publicists, as well as key discussions about environmental issues.
• The EFMA Annual Conference Trade Show.  Bringing together ecological food and beverage manufacturers with key purchasing decision makers from the retail food trade and the foodservice industry to include key restaurant chains, this trade show will represent the most important business-to-business opportunity for all food and beverage companies who wish to promote their newest and most ecological food and/or beverage brands.
• The Green Grocery Standard Seminar.  This informative seminar will include a segment-by-segment industry forecast, plus a look at critical handling issues and emerging food and beverage trends in the ecological spectrum. The seminar will also offer data for foodservice needs, as well as interactive dialogue sessions which enable attendees to hear from peers. Companies can integrate the Green Grocery Standard Seminar into strategies that align with changing market demands.

 EFMA Regional Trade Fairs

EFMA will produce regional trade fairs for members to promote their products to consumers and local buyers.

Member Directory
The EFMA membership directory will be the green food and beverage manufacturer's specialty tool to access buyers, editors, suppliers of specialty equipment, green experts, consultants, competitors, government agencies, research institutions and more. It's a one-stop resource for connecting with the best people to help you succeed as an ecological food or beverage manufacturer.

Marketing and Communications Services

Part of the EFMA mission is to provide marketing support to its members.  We offer several unique marketing opportunities which are only available to EFMA members. What sets these programs apart from other professional trade associations is the rare combination of public relations strategies available to members. Because the trend toward more ecological foods and beverages is consumer driven, EFMA will direct much of its communications to the consumer, through internet channels, including local on-line newspapers, while simultaneously providing valuable information to editors of retail and foodservice trade publications.

Ecological Food News Network (EFNN)  

EFNN will be the primary communications tool of EFMA and EFF, and will be a collaboration of a soon to be announced Ecological Communications Company. EFNN will develop the content for EFMA and EFF websites and publish a quarterly on-line newsletter, as well as other communications products, including social networking programs, videos and more. EFNN will support members’ marketing efforts with a free on-line resource for distributing ecological food and beverage product information to both retail and foodservice food editors, as well as providing a database of ecological food and beverage products to consumers and retailers.

EFMA Press Directory   

Compiling data on industry publications and finding the right fit for your public relations can seem daunting. As an EFMA  member and you can download editorial calendars and detailed fact sheets provided by the editors of pertinent trade publications.  

Research & Technology  

EFMA is the foremost authority on ecologically processed foods and beverages.  No other organization will apply such a broad systems approach to understanding key handling steps from “cradle to cradle” along the complex chain of ecological foods and beverages. Acting as an active stakeholder, whose members are making sweeping advances in ecology and as a research agent by attending and/or otherwise participating in ecological food and beverage development forums, EFMA is leading the field in defining and setting standards for ecologically manufactured foods and beverages.

Educational Food Foundation (EFF) 

EFF will be the powerful industry tool to help manufacturers stay current with technology and standards which will be driven by consumer demand for ecological foods and beverages.

Alliances

EFMA will represent the category of ecological foods and beverages through a growing network of marketing partnerships and relationships with other associations. Members will be kept abreast of activities which will provide opportunities to network and conduct business with members in such organizations as:

• Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.  OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.
• Green America (formerly Co-op America) whose mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. They focus on economic strategies, mobilizing people in their economic roles—as consumers, investors, workers, and business leaders.
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems.
• Earth, Inc. whose mission is to enhance human well-being by promoting sustainable, fair, and efficient stewardship of Earth's natural, social, human and built capital.
• The International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) promotes industrial ecology as a way of finding innovative solutions to complicated environmental problems, and facilitates communication among scientists, engineers, policymakers, managers and advocates who are interested in better integrating environmental concerns with economic activities.
• Association of Food, Beverage and Consumer Products Companies (GMA) serves as a vital link between consumer packaged goods industry and policymakers at federal and state levels. Bolstering consumer confidence in the food supply is a core operating principle for GMA.
• International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) whose mission is to shape the future of foodservice by creating an environment for positive change and actionable solutions benefiting manufacturers and their foodservice channel partners.
• Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its 1,500 member companies — food retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores.
• International Food Safety Council promotes food safety by educating foodservice operators and their employees with respect to proper food safety and handling procedures. IFMA's support of IFSC underscores the association's commitment to building a safe food supply and a positive image for the industry.
• National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including chain restaurants, and grocery stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services.
• The American Institute of Food Distribution (The Food Institute) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1928 and is a "single source" for current, timely and relevant information about the food industry.
• Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) is dedicated to creating networking and educational opportunities that help packaging professionals succeed. 
• The Snack Food Association (SFA) is the international trade association of the snack food industry representing snack manufacturers and suppliers.
• Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) is the largest U.S. association of suppliers of equipment, packaging, ingredients and services to the global food, beverage and pharmaceutical processing industries.
• The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) is a nonprofit organization committed to providing high quality education and a neutral forum for the generation of ideas and discussion of law and public policy for its legal, policy, and regulatory communities.
• Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) is a trade association of retail marketing and advertising professionals, plus their counterparts on the agency, media and service-provider sides of the business.
• Association of Food Journalists is a networking system especially created for journalists who devote most of their working time to planning and writing food copy for news media worldwide.
• International Foodservice Editorial Council is the association for writers, editors and public relations professionals working in and with the foodservice media.

Membership is effective upon receipt of a completed application and payments of dues. Dues are payable annually and are not refundable. The amount of membership dues applicable to an Manufacturer Member company shall be respected as confidential information. 

In the member's first year, dues shall be prorated as described in each category, according to the month and date of the membership application. In all following years, dues are annual based on a calendar year. In the case of lapsed and restated membership, there shall be no proration.

Definition of Food/Beverage Sales:
Food/beverage sales shall mean all revenues generated from

products and services provided to the food/beverage industry.

Allied Membership in EFMA is available to individuals, firms, or corporations engaged in a non-sales capacity, or otherwise connected with the environmental industry, non-profit corporations, trade associations, news or publishing industry, educational industry or academics, agricultural industry, aquacultural industry, nutritional industry, excepting those qualifying for manufacturer memberships.

Annual Dues: $350

SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Special International Membership is available for food manufacturers whose residences are not located in the United States whose management wishes to incur reduced annual dues. Those international members whose management choose the special dues structure shall have no voting rights.