Fresh ‘worth fighting for,' says IFPA CEO Cathy Burns

ATLANTA — The 2024 International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce and Floral Show is off to a dynamic start as CEO Cathy Burns took the stage Oct. 17 to deliver the State of the Industry keynote, which covered a range of topics from advocacy to artificial intelligence, climate change to increasing produce consumption and the global health crisis.

IFPA is more than a place or a program, it’s a community that’s connected to each other, where everyone has each other's backs, said Burns to a packed Georgia World Congress Center.

“As we sit here, less than three miles away from Dr. Martin Luther King's Museum, I'm reminded of the words from his wife, Coretta Scott King: ‘The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate action of its members.’ And boy, compassion is what is needed for those affected by the devastation from the recent hurricanes," said Burns. 

In support of those impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene, Burns said IFPA has made a donation to the World Central Kitchen and invited others to do the same.



Advocacy update

Last year, Burns called on members and those in the global produce and floral community to get more involved in advocating on industry issues and public policy.

This year, thanks to the industry’s advocacy, along with like-minded allies and congressional champions of fresh produce, the fruit and vegetable benefit was saved in the Women, Infants and Children program in the U.S., said Burns.

“Besides doing the right thing for children and their families by keeping fruits and vegetables on the plate, we saved $1 billion in produce sales … and we will continue to fight for more opportunities to grow consumption and to improve our growers’ prosperity through the various titles of the farm bill,” Burns said.

The industry also secured over $25 million from the USDA, $10 million of which is earmarked for new sustainable packaging and $15 million that uses science for alleviating maximum residue limit requirements.

Burns further noted that IFPA was recently granted observer status in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“This allows us to be at the table during climate negotiations,” she said.



Innovation and AI

Burns discussed the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the industry, from AI-powered self-checkout systems to innovative packaging solutions and more.

Analytical AI and generative AI hold breakthroughs for our community, said Burns citing McKinsey.

“Analytical AI solves specific tasks using structured data that is very goal-oriented, like using machine learning to discover patterns and data for customer feedback on a new product,” she explained. “Generative AI creates new content with unstructured data and is open-ended and creative.”

And while the potential of AI is profound, distrust of the technology persists.

“When it comes to trust around AI, the World Economic Forum finds only 55% of employees are confident their organization will implement AI in a trustworthy and responsible way,” she said. “While AI has likely contributed to workplace anxieties, there is a huge opportunity to move more daily work from the routine to the rewarding. The power of the conversation remains unequaled.”



Sustainability and climate smart

From aerial drones that deliver beneficial bugs to lower the need for pesticides to AI-powered beehives that manage pollinator health to waste bins that reduce food waste, technology is transforming the industry from farm to table, but challenges to sustainability remain.

“In addition to AI, sustainability and climate are certainly top of mind,” said Burns. “I continue to remind people, if you really, really, really care about this environment and the planet, the best thing you can do is eat more fruits and vegetables. We are the most sustainable product on the planet.”

The implications of climate change are staggering.

Global temperatures have reached all-time heat records in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe and the U.S., and “as a result of this volatility, food inflation could increase by 3% per year in the next decade due to ‘climate inflation, and this trend is likely to worsen through 2035,” said Burns. “A separate study found climate change through 2050 is likely to cost $38 trillion per year.

“Insurer Lloyds found that, if agricultural innovation fails to keep pace with climate change over the next 30 years, there is a 50% chance of a ‘major’ global food shock,” she added. 




Global health crisis

“While these challenges press us to transform how we take care of our people and how we take care of our planet, I believe our biggest hurdle is the growing global health crisis,” said Burns.

Low fruit and vegetable intake poses a significant health risk worldwide, and IFPA aims to address this through policy and innovation, Burns said. She cited data which found healthy diets are out of reach for about 3 billion people, with another study revealing that up to 1 billion were at risk of losing access to healthy diets if a major food system shock occurs.

“We are the solution to the global health crisis,” said Burns. “By bringing our community’s voice and ideas into the broader sphere of food, medical, and government entities, The Foundation for Fresh Produce will champion increased fruit and vegetable consumption for societal well-being. To drive our mission further, we will appoint a chief medical officer to advise the work of The Foundation,” Burns said. 




A time of change, a time to fight

“AI implementation, climate, global health crises, lagging consumption — these are just some of the uncertainties as we head into 2025, a year of potentially massive change, but perhaps the biggest unknown is the impact of over 70 plus global elections this year,” said Burns.

Citing the advocacy outreach and outcomes that will flow from those more than 70 global elections held in 2024, Burns revealed the elements of a policymaker-oriented campaign under the banner “Fight for Fresh.”

Burns says the size and scope of the global fresh produce and floral community alone, gives the industry “immense influence.”

“We need to be ready to respond when our community’s outcomes will require us to be ready to respond when our importance and relevance to the world is questioned, challenged, or worse, disregarded,” she said. “We need to be unapologetic.

“We need to be ready to respond to help policy makers understand that we fight for fresh,” she continued. “We fight for fresh because fresh is worth fighting for.”