This year’s International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) BB #:378962 Retail Conference, June 6-8 in Oak Brook, IL near Chicago, offered attendees solid takeaways on multiple facets of the symbiotic relationship between grocery retail and fresh produce.
Education sessions ranged from transformational changes in food and beverage purchases and produce prescriptions to upcoming Food Safety Modernization Act mandates and the necessity for building strong relationships for better success in retail.
Three of the four dealt with the uncertainty infusing daily operations related to inflation, higher costs, and labor, with each offering ideas and solutions on how to not just survive but thrive.
Collaboration was a key theme running throughout the sessions, encouraging partnerships to create efficiencies and a united front to raise consumption.
Produce prescriptions represent a prime opportunity for suppliers, retailers, the federal government, and healthcare providers to rally behind the benefits of the food as medicine or greater “food care” movement. Mollie Van Lieu, IFPA’s vice president of nutrition and health encouraged retailers to get on board so their stores can participate as the program picks up speed.
One example of a retail platform for accepting produce prescriptions, Fresh Connect, part of About Fresh food distribution group, is already in use at some Ahold Delhaize banners with plans for expansion. Produce prescriptions, everyone agreed, represent a win-win for the industry to drive sales of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Another facet of collaboration is the upcoming implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act’s new mandate in January 2026. Ed Treacy, IFPA’s supply chain and sustainability vice president, warns retailers to begin work now on how they will comply with FSMA 204, the accelerated traceback program, given the complexity of implementing the measures from field to fork.
The final presentation of the day more fully emphasized collaboration and how it can often provide stellar results when paired with empathy.
Betsey Folan, senior vice president of organizational and executive development at strategic consulting firm pro-voke, LLC, brought three participants (Brian Cook, president of Local Bounti Corporation; Michael Emery, director of merchandising, category and produce pricing for Hannaford Bros. Company, LLC; and Alex Jackson, vice president of sales and procurement for Frieda’s, LLC) to discuss their experiences in a think tank format.
Through prompts and exercises, participants were forced to react and think differently about their own perceptions, and expectations, for partnerships. The experience was described by the panel as thought-provoking, humbling, and enjoyable. The bottom line: by turning the tables on high-level discussions to embrace simplicity like ELI5 (explain like I’m 5), empathy, warmth, and yes, fun—strategic partnerships can take on much more meaning and be far more beneficial for everyone involved.
Overall, this year’s Retail Conference touted both the conventional and unconventional in strengthening sales of fresh produce in retail: the former includes flexible pricing, promotion (including food as medicine), and elevated food safety practices; the latter suggests pairing insight with introspection, which will lead to more innovative and stronger partnerships throughout the supply chain.
This year’s International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) BB #:378962 Retail Conference, June 6-8 in Oak Brook, IL near Chicago, offered attendees solid takeaways on multiple facets of the symbiotic relationship between grocery retail and fresh produce.
Education sessions ranged from transformational changes in food and beverage purchases and produce prescriptions to upcoming Food Safety Modernization Act mandates and the necessity for building strong relationships for better success in retail.
Three of the four dealt with the uncertainty infusing daily operations related to inflation, higher costs, and labor, with each offering ideas and solutions on how to not just survive but thrive.
Collaboration was a key theme running throughout the sessions, encouraging partnerships to create efficiencies and a united front to raise consumption.
Produce prescriptions represent a prime opportunity for suppliers, retailers, the federal government, and healthcare providers to rally behind the benefits of the food as medicine or greater “food care” movement. Mollie Van Lieu, IFPA’s vice president of nutrition and health encouraged retailers to get on board so their stores can participate as the program picks up speed.
One example of a retail platform for accepting produce prescriptions, Fresh Connect, part of About Fresh food distribution group, is already in use at some Ahold Delhaize banners with plans for expansion. Produce prescriptions, everyone agreed, represent a win-win for the industry to drive sales of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Another facet of collaboration is the upcoming implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act’s new mandate in January 2026. Ed Treacy, IFPA’s supply chain and sustainability vice president, warns retailers to begin work now on how they will comply with FSMA 204, the accelerated traceback program, given the complexity of implementing the measures from field to fork.
The final presentation of the day more fully emphasized collaboration and how it can often provide stellar results when paired with empathy.
Betsey Folan, senior vice president of organizational and executive development at strategic consulting firm pro-voke, LLC, brought three participants (Brian Cook, president of Local Bounti Corporation; Michael Emery, director of merchandising, category and produce pricing for Hannaford Bros. Company, LLC; and Alex Jackson, vice president of sales and procurement for Frieda’s, LLC) to discuss their experiences in a think tank format.
Through prompts and exercises, participants were forced to react and think differently about their own perceptions, and expectations, for partnerships. The experience was described by the panel as thought-provoking, humbling, and enjoyable. The bottom line: by turning the tables on high-level discussions to embrace simplicity like ELI5 (explain like I’m 5), empathy, warmth, and yes, fun—strategic partnerships can take on much more meaning and be far more beneficial for everyone involved.
Overall, this year’s Retail Conference touted both the conventional and unconventional in strengthening sales of fresh produce in retail: the former includes flexible pricing, promotion (including food as medicine), and elevated food safety practices; the latter suggests pairing insight with introspection, which will lead to more innovative and stronger partnerships throughout the supply chain.
