WASHINGTON, DC - The Washington Conference was host to some of the most influential members of the health movement, and the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) was one of them. The association spent three days advocating on behalf of fresh produce, honing in on food safety, immigration reform, nutrition, organics, and supply chain.

For a more detailed account of The Washington Conference, be sure to check out our recap with IFPA here. Throughout the event, the association was able to gather new insights for driving fresh produce consumption, as detailed in a press release.

Some of the key takeaways include:

• A – Advocacy, Authority, and Action: An attendance mark of 450-plus total registrants. Combined with the Spring Policy & Regulatory Forum, IFPA members are making things happen in DC
• D – Diet and Disease: IFPA and its members talked about nutrition prioritization in federal feeding programs and dug into how fresh produce plays a crucial role in reducing diet-driven diseases
• V – Vote: Mid-terms are coming and the upcoming elections have implications for produce and floral
• O – Oversight: IFPA met with high-level officials at FDA, USDA, USTR, and multiple embassies to talk about what our industry needs
• C – Coalitions and Congress: Through a variety of coalitions and its own work, IFPA updated its members on the state of play for immigration reform
• A – Appeal and Abundance: IFPA celebrated the Joy of Fresh with an abundance of free fruits, vegetables, and floral during Fresh Festival reception
• T – Time: It’s now for fresh produce and floral
• E – Economic impact: Produce and floral are a big deal in terms of the just-released IFPA economic impact study

As always, we applaud IFPA for its important work in advocating for the success of fresh produce.

International Fresh Produce Association