International Fresh Produce Association

What International Fresh Produce Association does

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is a nonprofit trade association headquartered in Newark, United States, that serves as the consolidated industry body for the global fresh produce and floral supply chain. It was formed in 2021 through the merger of the United Fresh Produce Association and its predecessor entity, and operates as a member-governed organization led by a board of directors with Cathy Burns serving as co-chair. Its membership spans fresh produce growers and producers, produce retailers and suppliers, and the broader specialty crop industry, with operational reach across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

IFPA's product surface is built around three pillars: industry events (the IFPA Retail Conference and Golf Tournament, the IFPA Annual Event in Anaheim), standards development (commodity-specific food safety guidelines for controlled environment agriculture produced in cooperation with the CEA Alliance), and regulatory/compliance collaboration (notably the FSMA 204 traceability initiative with seven peer food industry organizations). A flagship program, the Packaging Innovation Program, is supported by a $5 million USDA Foreign Agricultural Service investment for 2026 and serves specialty crop exporters facing divergent global packaging regulations. IFPA also leads coalition advocacy on major trade policy issues, including the USMCA renewal ahead of its July 2026 deadline, where it co-founded a ~40-member Agricultural Coalition representing roughly $149B in U.S. agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico.

IFPA's revenue model is membership-based, drawing income from member dues, event registration fees, and program participation fees. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. There is no evidence of a traditional software product, proprietary technology platform, or AI capability; the organization's value proposition rests on advocacy, events, and standards rather than technology commercialization.

Name

International Fresh Produce Association

Legal name

International Fresh Produce Association

Website

https://freshproduce.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IFPA is a nonprofit trade association serving the global fresh produce and floral supply chain through advocacy, industry events, food safety standards development, and coalition leadership on U.S. trade and regulatory policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Produce Industry Trade Association Services

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Value Chain Development & Supplier Upgrading (BPADAMAI), Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF)

Keywords

• Fresh produce association
• Industry trade advocacy
• Food safety standards
• Produce supply chain
• Specialty crop industry

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is a member-based nonprofit trade association that serves the global fresh produce and floral supply chain. It delivers value through trade policy advocacy, food safety guidelines development, industry events and conferences, packaging innovation programs, and coalition representation for growers, shippers, retailers, and suppliers.

Product overview

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is a trade association for the fresh produce industry, offering event-based programs (annual convention and trade shows), industry collaboration initiatives (Packaging Innovation Program, FSMA 204 Collaboration), and standards development (food safety guidelines). IFPA does not offer a traditional software product or technology platform but instead provides advocacy, events, industry programs, and compliance resources for its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Packaging Innovation Program A USDA-supported industry program helping U.S. specialty crop exporters develop packaging solutions that extend shelf life, reduce food loss and waste, and comply with global packaging regulations including the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and Canada's Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations.
• IFPA Retail Conference and Golf Tournament An annual industry conference and tournament held April 27-29 in Phoenix, Arizona addressing Extended Producer Responsibility regulations, packaging compliance, food safety standards, and produce industry challenges for retailers and suppliers.
• Commodity-Specific Food Safety Guidelines for Controlled Environment Agriculture Second Edition industry guidelines developed with the CEA Alliance covering regulatory requirements, worker health and hygiene, water treatment, lot management, and traceability for controlled environment agriculture producers of leafy greens and herbs.
• Food Industry FSMA 204 Collaboration A cross-industry collaboration of eight food organizations helping produce and food industry members prepare for compliance with the U.S. FDA's Food Traceability Rule (FSMA Rule 204), which mandates comprehensive tracking and tracing for high-risk foods including fresh produce.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Agricultural Coalition for USMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of approximately 40 U.S. agricultural organizations including IFPA, formed to lobby the Trump administration to preserve the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement ahead of its July 2026 renewal deadline. Released economic analysis showing Canada and Mexico account for roughly one-third of U.S. agricultural export value worldwide, with exports generating $149 billion in domestic economic activity.
• CEA AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CEA Alliance cooperated with IFPA to release the Second Edition of commodity-specific food safety guidelines for controlled environment agriculture, focused on leafy greens and herbs. The updated document covers regulatory requirements, worker health and hygiene, water treatment, lot management, and traceability.
• U.S. Food Waste PactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by nonprofits ReFED and World Wildlife Fund, the U.S. Food Waste Pact shows retail and foodservice sectors reduced food waste in 2024. The initiative nearly doubled its signatory base in 2025 with 14 new businesses joining. Pilot projects demonstrated food waste reductions averaging more than 50%.
• Specialty Crop Farm Bill AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of specialty crop groups under the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance advocating for farmer assistance. IFPA co-chair Cathy Burns called for aid packages allocating at least one-third of funds to specialty crop producers who account for one-third of U.S. crop sales.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural ServiceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA FAS invested $5 million in the 2026 IFPA Packaging Innovation Program supporting seven companies including Natur-Tec to develop packaging solutions that extend shelf life, reduce food loss and waste, and help U.S. specialty crop exporters comply with global regulations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• United Fresh Produce Association: United Fresh Produce Association was one of the predecessor organizations that merged in 2021 to form IFPA. It is included here as a historical peer for context on IFPA's lineage rather than as an active competitor.
• CropLife America: CropLife America is the trade association for the crop protection and plant science industry that supplies inputs to IFPA's produce grower members. It is an adjacent/ecosystem peer that collaborates with IFPA on regulatory and policy issues affecting specialty crop production.

Broad incumbents

• American Farm Bureau Federation: Farm Bureau is the largest U.S. general agriculture trade association and a likely ally/competitor for IFPA in federal farm bill, trade, and disaster relief advocacy. It covers row crops broadly but competes for influence on specialty crop policy.
• FMI – The Food Industry Association: FMI is a broad food retail trade association with overlapping membership among grocers and food retailers that are also IFPA retail members. It competes for advocacy attention on food safety, packaging, and supply-chain issues from the retailer/downstream side.

Direct peers

• Western Growers Association: Western Growers is a trade association representing fresh produce growers, packers, and shippers in the western United States. It directly competes with IFPA for produce industry members in overlapping geographies and advocates on similar labor, water, and trade issues.
• National Potato Council: The National Potato Council represents U.S. potato growers and is a fellow Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance member. It pursues similar federal advocacy on labor, trade, and research funding, making it a directly comparable specialty crop trade body.
• U.S. Apple Association: USApple is a commodity-specific trade association representing apple growers, packers, and marketers. It is a specialty crop peer that overlaps with IFPA members on labor, trade, and Farm Bill advocacy, and competes for the same specialty crop policy attention.

Regional players

• Canadian Produce Marketing Association: CPMA is the principal Canadian fresh produce trade association and a natural regional counterpart to IFPA. Both organizations operate in the USMCA corridor and collaborate on cross-border trade, packaging compliance, and food safety standards.
• Southeast Produce Council: The Southeast Produce Council is a regional produce trade association focused on the southeastern U.S. It is a peer for IFPA in networking events, retail/supplier engagement, and produce industry promotion.

Emerging players

• Organic Trade Association: The Organic Trade Association represents the organic food and farming sector with significant produce overlap. It is an emerging player in adjacent standards-setting and advocacy that intersects with IFPA's food safety and sustainability work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IntFreshProduce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Fresh Produce Association