IFPA Washington Conference Marks a Pivotal Moment for the Fresh Produce Industry

June 12, 2026

WASHINGTON — The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) concluded its annual Washington Conference this week with a clear and compelling message: the fresh produce industry’s voice is being heard at the highest levels of government.

Over three days in the nation’s capital, IFPA members engaged directly with U.S. federal policymakers, including two Cabinet members, Members of Congress, multiple agencies and a senior White House advisor, and advanced active legislative and trade priorities — all while real-world policy decisions with direct consequences for the industry continued to unfold around them.

IFPA members responded in full, attending 180 different meetings with Members of Congress in both the House and Senate. For those industry leaders unable to attend, the work is not over. IFPA’s advocacy network and upcoming opportunities to host elected officials during summer recess offer meaningful ways to keep the momentum going and ensure the industry’s voice continues to be heard between now and the next major policy inflection point.

A Speaker Lineup That Reflected the Industry's Seat at the Table

IFPA welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and White House Senior Advisor Calley Means, alongside legislative champions from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate. Representatives from the FDA, CDC, and Department of Labor, provided insight during many panels as well. Together, they represented the full breadth of federal nutrition, agriculture, food safety, trade, and public health policy.

Secretary Kennedy drew significant attention with his remarks on MAHA and the sweeping reforms underway to align federal food programs, medical education, and consumer labeling with whole, real foods. Secretary Rollins and Calley Means reinforced the administration's commitment to a food system built around whole foods and regenerative agriculture, while sessions on food safety underscored the industry's ongoing commitment to science- and risk-based standards that protect consumers and strengthen trust across the supply chain.

Congressional leaders across committees demonstrated the bipartisan appetite for policies that strengthen the produce supply chain, support growers, and expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Policy in Motion: Advocacy Happening in Real Time

IFPA members in attendance were in Washington while critical work is happening. The U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), a cornerstone trade framework for the fresh produce industry, is actively under review. IFPA’s USMCA working group, composed of member leaders with deep expertise across the supply chain, has been engaged in this process and convened in Washington, and the association will continue to communicate with members as developments emerge.

On labor, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson unveiled his Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, legislation designed to reform the H-2A visa program, one of the most persistent and consequential challenges facing fresh produce growers. IFPA members were on the Hill as the first proponents of this new bill, and their firsthand accounts of workforce pressures reinforced the industry’s needs in the most direct way possible.

On nutrition, IFPA members championed bipartisan legislation, The Accountable Produce is Medicine Act, to pilot payment models for Produce Prescriptions within Medicare and Medicaid – and urged Congress to ensure fruits and vegetables remain a staple in WIC, School Meals, and food banks.

IFPA also formally launched its Fruits & Vegetables: All Day, Every Day campaign during the conference, a national effort to drive consumer behavior change that is aligned with the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and designed to position fresh produce as foundational, not optional, to a healthy life. Members participated in fresh produce deliveries to congressional offices as part of the campaign launch, pairing a powerful policy message with a tangible, memorable moment.

“Across every conversation, from nutrition and trade to labor, food safety, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), our united voices made the case for policies that protect our growers, strengthen our supply chain, and expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” said IFPA CEO, Cathy Burns.

Member Presence: The Irreplaceable Power of Personal Stories

The consistent theme from the Members of Congress who spoke from the stage was clear: member stories move people. Legislators and administration officials underscored that what changes minds in Washington is not data alone, it is the grower who explains what a labor shortage means for a family farm, the distributor who walks a senator through what a trade disruption costs in a single season, the retailer who connects consumer health outcomes to the availability of affordable fresh produce.

"Our industry has never lacked purpose and what we witnessed over three days in Washington made clear that purpose is now turning into progress,” said Burns. “When Cabinet Secretaries and Congressional leaders fill a room, it is because of who this industry is and what it represents: every person on this critical supply chain that feeds and nourishes this country every single day. The quality of engagement at this conference is a sign of the long-standing investment the industry has made in U.S. advocacy and solidifies where it is headed. We have earned our seat at the table. And we will not simply respond to the future. We will define it."

IFPA Washington Conference Marks a Pivotal Moment for the Fresh Produce Industry

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