The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) wrapped up its annual Global Produce & Floral Show in Atlanta, Georgia, from October 16 to 18, 2024. This was a transformative three-day event for fresh produce and floral.
The third annual Global Produce & Floral Show, which was held on one of the largest floors in a decade, attracted over 3000 buyers and attendees from over 70 countries.
“The Global Show is one of the greatest good-for-my-soul moments of the year,” said IFPA CEO Cathy Burns. “This year delivered. There was an incredible mix of innovation and energy that carried through the entire program as the global industry came together once again to celebrate our positive impact on people, plates and the planet!”
Burns kicked off the event with her State of the Industry presentation on Thursday morning. In the fast-paced presentation, she covered the upcoming trends in innovation, climate and sustainability, and industry advocacy wins. Specifically, Burns announced that IFPA has been granted observer status to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and recapped the WIC win earlier this year.
The IFPA Board of Directors 2024 and 2025 Chairs also addressed the crowds. 2024 Chair, John Anderson of Oppy shared industry successes over the past year, including the introduction of the Fight for Fresh campaign, a model for future campaigns to reach policy and lawmakers across the world. 2025 Chair, Tammy DeBoer of Harris Teeter also introduced the 2025-2027 IFPA Strategic Plan and how it will advance the industry and position us for the future.
Attendees also heard from transformative leaders like the founder of Netflix, Marc Randolph; the founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First, Reshma Saujani; CEO of Kroger, Rodney McMullen; Bulwark Contributor and political expert, A.B. Stoddard, and countless other industry experts who also spoke during the Education Festival.
In addition to the education sessions that provide insights and predictions to build our businesses and increase consumption, the Expo provided two full days of networking with over 1100 exhibitors from 32 countries. Over 130 companies exhibited for the first time at the show, and there were more than 210 Fresh Ideas Showcases for new and innovative products.
The show floor was one of the most extensive floors in years at 331,000 square feet, with only the 2018 show in Orlando surpassing this year’s floor.
State of the Industry
During the State of the Industry keynote session today at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show, IFPA CEO Cathy Burns revealed the association has been granted observer status to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, thereby allowing IFPA to represent the fresh produce and floral community in climate negotiations. IFPA Vice President of Sustainability Tamara Muruetagoiena will serve as the organization’s representative on the UNFCC.
“Climate change is a top concern for our members and it’s an incredible honor that IFPA’s work in sustainability and climate-smart agriculture has resulted in the association being granted this status by the United Nations,” said IFPA CEO Cathy Burns. “The fresh produce and floral community is part of the solution through our commitment to climate-smart agriculture practices, and we will ensure our voice is heard to influence outcomes in global forums such as the UNFCC and COP29.”
IFPA research has found that failure to act on climate and extreme weather are the top 2 global threats with the highest potential to damage societies, economies, and the planet. The climate-resilient future study noted that a global mean temperature rise in the range of 1.5 to 4.5°C by the end of the century would agriculture far beyond manageable thresholds.
Related Article: Global Produce and Floral Show 2024: The Super Event of the Agricultural Industry
Educational Festival
On Thursday, 10/17, Abasto Media attended some sessions of the Educational Festival.
During Increasing Demand in Retail Space, Yan Branco, Lead of produce Sourcing Innovation and CEA Development at Sobeys, and Tristan Simpson, Founder and CEO of Tristan Michele Marketing, shared their thoughts about how people look for experience in the produce department.
“People are looking for experience, especially the younger generation,” said Branco, Lead, Produce Sourcing Innovation & CEA Development at Sobeys.
“We forget we’re in the best part of the store. In the produce department, our ability is to be fresh at the peak of the season, and a little bit on the marketing side is about training. The consumer displays health merchandising, branding, and other marketing promotions”, said Tristan Simpson, Founder & CEO at Tristan Michele Marketing.
On Real Intel on AI for the Fresh Produce & Floral Industries, Matthew Hoffman, Plant Health Technology Lead at Driscolls, said that most IA uses increase human efficiency in the research process.
Erin Logan, Vice President of Retail Strategy at Merkle, said that IA is changing operational efficiency. CPG companies are seeing a big entitlement, projected to be over 100 billion in revenue by the end of 2025. This operational efficiency, though, can come from a few different areas, and there are three specific areas that we’re seeing: in-store operations, internal assistance, and business disruption.
David Karwacki, co-founder and CEO of BloomIQ Technologies, said that IA helps make the unpredictable predictable.
Women’s Fresh Perspective Breakfast
Brenda Briggs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, received the 2024 Frieda RapopoWomen’san Women’s Catalyst Award honoree.
This annual award honors an individual in the produce and floral industries who has women’s leadership, development, and participation by mentoring and paving the way for future generations of female leaders.
Reshma Saujani, leading activist and founder of Girls Who Code and Mom First at Null, gave an insightful conference to women and men attending.
Saujani said that girls are conditioned to perfectionism because while society encourages boys to be just as they are, girls learn how to “behave.”
Saujani advised women to practice imperfection, do something where they “suck” at it, and make structural changes. These three actions, she said, would lead to failure, learn from there, and expose us to new adventures.
“It is always going to be hard to be the first or the only one”, Saujani said.
Global Produce & Floral Show 2025
Save the date for next year: The Global Produce and Floral Show 2025 will be held October 16-18 in Anaheim, CA.