EXHIBIT 31.1

CERTIFICATION

I, Eric
Eddings, certify that:

| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | 1.          I have
 reviewed this Form 10-K of Monterey Gourmet Foods Inc.;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
| | 2.          Based
 on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a
 material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
 statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
 were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
| | 3.          Based
 on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information
 included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
 financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant
 as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;                   
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
| | 4.          The
 registrants other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing
 and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange
 Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:                                                                                
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | (a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
 disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
 ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its
 consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
 entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being
 prepared;
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | (b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or
 caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under
 our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
 financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
 purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; and    
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | (c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure
 controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about
 the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of
 the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and                                                                                             
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | (d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrants internal
 control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrants most
 recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely
 to materially affect, the registrants internal control over financial
 reporting; and                                                                 
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| | 5.          The
 registrants other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most
 recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
 registrants auditors and the audit committee of the registrants board of
 directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):           
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | (a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
 design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
 reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrants ability to record,
 process, summarize and report financial information; and                                                                                                       
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | (b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
 other employees who have a significant role in the registrants internal
 control over financial reporting.                                                                                                                                                                                                       

|                                                         | 
|-------------------------------------------------------- | 
|Date: March 24, 2009                                     | 
|                                                         | 
|/s/ ERIC C.
 EDDINGS                                     | 
|                                                         | 
|Eric C.
 Eddings 
 President and Chief Executive Officer | 

---