IFPA Reorganizes to Amplify Food Safety

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) says it has reorganized to enhance and amplify its goals in the areas of produce safety and food safety regulations.

Under the new structure, IFPA’s regulatory and compliance expert, Paul Lewis, will join the government relations team and report to Alexis Taylor, chief global policy officer. Other members of the food safety team, including Angie Fraser, vice president of food safety and quality; Jorge Quintanilla, food safety manager; and Alison Saltzmann, food safety support coordinator, will join the science and technology (SciTech) team under Max Teplitski.

“Food safety is foundational to our industry’s success,” Teplitski says. “Aligning our experts across our advocacy and science teams will help us deliver on the strategic imperatives to future-proof our industry, garner worldwide influence and create more valuable and personalized touchpoints and resources for our members. Food safety is a shared responsibility across every role and every step of the supply chain; and it’s a central part to all of the work the SciTech team does including the on-going work in packaging, FSMA 204 readiness, regenerative ag, and the Supply Chain of the Future initiative.”

IFPA says its science and technology team also includes the portfolios for the supply chain, ag technology, sustainability and the global intelligence team, which delivers on its proprietary research and analysis. This team also serves as critical advisers to IFPA’s government relations team, the association adds.

“While we’ve always worked across our teams effectively, this alignment allows us to more meaningfully commit government advocacy resources to food safety on the industry’s behalf in D.C. and in priority global regions,” Taylor says. “There are growing pressures on how, where, how much and when we grow and deliver fruits and vegetables across the world. This reorganization will help us to discover and advocate for the most powerful solutions and strategies to ensuring our industry is positioned to not only address these growing challenges but find the opportunities in them as well.”

IFPA says this reorganization is effective immediately and won’t result in any changes to work planned this year or volunteer leadership activities.