The Michigan Dietetic Association (MDA) originated from an informal meeting of dietitians attending a convention of the Southeastern Michigan Dietetic Association on April 25-26, 1929. Realizing the need for a statewide organization, they convened the first MDA meeting on April 26, 1929 at Post Tavern in Battle Creek, Michigan, with seventeen people attending. Miss Lenna F. Cooper, Food Director at the University of Michigan, was elected President, and Bess Whittaker, Michigan State College, was elected Vice-President.

The MDA was accepted for affiliation by the American Dietetic Association in April 1931. A professional organization, the purpose of the MDA was to provide dietetic practice education, encourage research, and promote optimal health and nutrition. The MDA has played an important role in the growth of the dietetic profession. Many prominent dietitians were members of the organization. Lenna Cooper was one of the founders and first vice president of the American Dietetic Association, serving as president in 1938-1939. Miss Cooper was appointed Superintendent of Dietitians for the U.S. Army during World War I. She spent the greater part of her career as Head Dietitian at the Battle Creek Sanitarium Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan, one of the pioneering institutions in the field of nutrition. She also authored several books on dietetics.

Mary I. Barber, another well known member of the Michigan Dietetic Association, was the first "dollar a year woman" in Washington when she accepted appointment by the Secretary of War as Food Consultant to the Quartermaster Department in charge of Army menu planning during World War II. She was awarded the nation's highest civilian award, The Emblem for Exceptional Civilian Service, for her efforts. She wrote many books, including a history of the American Dietetic Association.