Following up from a commitment made a year ago to Fight for Fresh on behalf of its members and the worldwide fruit, vegetable and floral community, International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns shared how the organization delivered on that promise in the 12 months since the last Global Fresh Produce & Floral Show.
During her address at the convention Oct. 16-18 in Anaheim, California, Burns highlighted how IFPA’s beliefs drove how it delivered value and results via advocacy, innovation, sustainability, labor issues, technology adoption and nutrition.
“Last October, I said we would increase our advocacy investment here and around the world by ‘fighting for fresh’ when our future was threatened,” Burns said.
“I believe it has never been more important to be clear on what you stand for, who you stand for and what you believe in. It’s in those beliefs, and our work together in acting on them, that we can navigate the storms around us.”
Trade and tariffs
Noting that the “biggest impact facing us this year has been tariffs and their impact on global trade,” Burns shared how IFPA advocates for science-based, transparent trade policies and has successfully engaged with high-level U.S. government officials to represent industry perspectives.
In addition, the IFPA Board of Directors met with the U.S. Trade Representative and the National Economic Council in March to provide industry perspective and advocate for exemption of their products.
One innovation in the trade sector was the creation of Stanford’s AI-driven Geoeconomic Monitor, which is being used to analyze the tariff impacts. Consumer behavior is also adapting, with consumers focused on reducing their food waste and purchasing essential-only items.
A bright spot: IFPA Global Insights research finds fresh produce remains least affected by changing purchasing behaviors.
The health benefits of food trade were highlighted by research linking fruit and vegetable imports to reduced mortality from non-communicable diseases globally. “The bottom line is our products matter and save lives,” Burns noted.
To help future-proof the industry, IFPA launched the Supply Chain of the Future initiative to address rising costs and inefficiencies in the supply chain.
This initiative involves collaborative workstreams focusing on shelf-life predictability, dynamic incentives, harmonized standards and smart data escrow. Member engagement in this initiative has been strong and continues to grow.
Labor challenges and workplace dynamics
Citing worksite enforcement measures impacting farm labor, Burns highlighted the organization’s legal victories and collaborations with government agencies that have relieved some pressures on growers, including changes in wage rates and enforcement clarity.
“We won our lawsuit against the Department of Labor, which alleviated pressure on growers, and advised the Department to develop a less burdensome Adverse Effect Wage Rate – and they did – resulting in the most significant financial shift ever for growers in H-2A,” she said.
As artificial intelligence continues to influence workplace dynamics, trust in the technology varies wildly. In early 2025, it was reported that 31 percent of U.S. employees admitted to “sabotaging” their company’s AI strategy by refusing to adopt AI tools. By mid-year, younger generations were hiding their AI use because they felt it gave them a “secret advantage.”
By the end of summer, Deloitte reported two-thirds of Gen Zs and Millennials worldwide said they will seek roles they believe are safe from Generative AI-driven disruption. Yet, 60 percent also said GenAI skills are required for career advancement, with more than a third planning to pursue GenAI training.
To help its members access and act on the data contained in the IFPA industry and consumer research, the organization has launched an AI-powered Global Intelligence Engine to provide industry-specific insights from extensive data, aiming to enhance decision-making and financial outcomes.
Sustainability, climate and food safety convergence
Sustainability remains a top priority for IFPA, Burns said, as the issue is integrated into much of its advocacy efforts, from engaging with the U.S. Congress to the United Nations Environment Programme.
AI continues to make inroads in agricultural sustainability, from automating soil analyses to the use of digital twins that duplicate and predict real-world conditions. However, climate change continues to threaten the global economy and consumer behaviors.
“Studies show climate change could cost the global economy $190 trillion between 2050 and 2070, but if we use climate actions to keep global warming from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius and use innovation to feed the world more sustainably, the global economy could see growth of $121 trillion by 2070,” Burns noted.
She added that rising food prices are the second-largest effect of climate change that people see in their daily lives, only exceeded by extreme heat.
Food safety has also been impacted by an increasingly warming world, with researchers discovering that higher temperatures and increased humidity raises the risk of foodborne pathogens.
In addition, increased illness outbreaks undermine consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply, with 58 percent of global consumers saying they are extremely or very concerned about the safety of their food.
“IFPA believes food safety is a shared responsibility across the supply chain, and that regulations around the world should be clear, scientifically rigorous and not overly burdensome to our industry,” Burns said.
“To help our members, we led a scientific review of FDA’s cyclospora detection and testing – which was producing 90 percent false positives. Our efforts resulted in the agency changing its approach, which will save the industry hundreds of thousands of dollars on needless environmental sampling.”
In other FDA outreach, IFPA provided analysis to the agency on its “10-to-1” deregulation strategy, for every new regulation proposed at least 10 will be removed. Part of this was urging the FDA to recognize produce prescription programs as a supplemental benefit and approved for Medicare Advantage.
Nutrition priorities to drive consumption
“This is our moment to be crystal clear on what we believe so that we can influence sound, science-based outcomes. We believe bold, systemic and scalable nutrition policies are necessary to drive increases in consumption and advance public health. Fruits and vegetables are the solution. We don’t require reformulations, reductions or rebrands,” Burns said.
She noted that the organization has been heavily involved in working with the Make America Healthy Again Commission, providing policy recommendations that influenced the second commission report and a produce-first approach for all public health interventions.
IFPA and The Foundation for Fresh Produce are focusing their work on three areas to boost consumption:
- Leveraging public-private partnerships to scale impact and drive systemic change;
- Early intervention and child nutrition through the recently announced Child Nutrition Education Network, focused on advancing fruit and vegetable education for children and serving as a hub to map all organizations and programs worldwide, strengthen capabilities through shared tools and learning and attract funding to expand impact at scale; and
- Supporting Food Is Medicine programs to address chronic disease prevention and management.
“Earlier this year, Tufts University found that if all 50 states provided medically tailored meals to people who need them, it could save $32 billion annually in net healthcare costs and prevent 3.5 million hospitalizations,” Burns said. “The economic and human benefits could not be clearer.”
However, diet-related chronic disease continues to grow. Obesity will affect more than half of adults and almost one-third of youth by 2050. Helping fuel this disaster is the overconsumption of ultra-processed foods, as research in 14 countries showed a strong association between UPF sales per capita and obesity prevalence.
While GLP-1 drugs have helped some consumers reduce obesity and increase their produce consumption, with Eat Well Global finding that 67 percent of GLP-1 users turn to fruits and vegetables and move away from ready-to-eat meals, AI could help address the obesity crisis.
Burns noted that Apple is working on an AI agent to replicate a human doctor by analyzing user data from iPhones and Apple Watches. This agent will serve as a virtual health coach that offers personalized wellness recommendations – including nutrition.
Another solution is the digital twin program developed by Twin Health, where each patient receives a digital “twin” of their unique metabolism created with 3,000 daily data points collected through a set of Bluetooth-connected sensors.
Using this data, they track patients’ progress to help them avoid chronic conditions like obesity, prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. This is then shared with health care providers for personalized nutrition advice.
Unity in advocacy
Burns closed her annual keynote with a call for IFPA members and the industry to further unite in the fight for fresh.
“I began this State of the Industry by talking about what IFPA believes as an organization, so let me close by talking about what I believe as a person. I believe we can’t build a vibrant future for all unless we build a vibrant future for you. I believe we must judge our advocacy by our results, not just our actions. I believe we can achieve so much together. Because of that, I believe our future is incredibly bright, and we’re just getting started,” she said.
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