September 7, 2022 – Washington D.C. and Newark De. – International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) BB #:378962 announced that Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member, John Boozman (R-AR) and FDA leaders Dr. Susan Mayne, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, and Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, will participate in The Washington Conference event held in D.C. from September 26-28.
“The Washington Conference is the only event for the produce industry to meet face to face with the leaders who write the policy and regulations that directly impact our industry,” said Rebeckah Adcock, vice president of U.S. government relations at IFPA.
“Those who attend will be in the position to directly influence the critical issues that will have long-term impacts on the industry, and, most importantly, they will have access to food and agricultural leaders like Senator Boozman, Deputy Commissioner Yiannas and Dr. Mayne as they provide their insights on the opportunities and obstacles for the industry.”
Senator Boozman will participate in the Opening General Session on September 27 and will share his insights and vision of how our industry can address agriculture policies. Senator Boozman is the highest-ranking Republican working directly on agricultural issues and will lend his years of experience advocating for and creating policy that impacts the nation’s agriculture sector.
Susan Mayne and Frank Yiannas will speak the afternoon of September 27 during a session titled “It’s Time to Focus on ‘Food’ at FDA” which will highlight key produce safety initiatives and partnerships that can serve as a model for collaboration as we face the future of food safety as an industry.
Attendees can see the schedule of events for the complete list of programming.
Opportunities to engage with leaders and policymakers include:
• More than 150 meetings with U.S. Senators and House Representatives.
• 3 Administration Briefings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United States Trade Representative.
• 4 Embassy Briefings with key staff from the embassies representing Canada, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
The Embassy briefings and meetings with Congress will take place on Tuesday September 27th, and Wednesday, September 28th. The event schedule also includes The Joy of Fresh on Capitol Hill event and a series of programming to inform on the key business issues impacting the produce industry and sessions to prepare industry members to share their stories and these issues with our Representatives. Key issues include: the Farm Bill reauthorization, Nutrition, Workforce and labor reform, and food safety.
More than 30 experts will be joining the panels for these sessions represent both industry and government including speakers from the American Business Immigration Coalition, Produce Alliance, National Restaurant Association, Bowery, Dole Food Company, Grimmway Farms, and the co-chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance.
The full schedule, including the details about education roundtables are found on the website where attendees can also register.
About the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)?is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. We exist to bring the industry together to create a vibrant future for all. We grow our member’s prosperity by conducting advocacy; connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to?take action?with purpose and confidence.? While IFPA is built on the legacy of United Fresh and Produce Marketing Association, it is not just a combination. It is transformational. Recognizing the industry required an even more powerful and unified voice, the leaders of the former United Fresh and Produce Marketing Association chose not to merge, but rather to create an entirely new organization to supersede their organizations, effective January 1, 2022.
Contact: Siobhan May, SMay@freshproduce.com +1 (302) 781-5855
