IFPA Foodservice Conference draws 900 buyers, record attendance

MONTEREY, Calif. – The buzz was real. 

The International Fresh Produce Association’s July 28-29 Foodservice Conference attracted a record attendance of nearly 2,000 and more than 900 registered buyers from about 250 companies, show organizers said.

The buyer-to-supplier ratio was of almost 1:1, IFPA reported.

“It has been a great show and very busy,” said Charlotte Vick, partner with Wilson, N.C.-based Vick Family Farms. “It seems like everyone's happy to be back in person.”

IFPA CEO Cathy Burns called the expo portion of the Foodservice Conference the “best five and a half hours in the produce and foodservice industry.”

Burns said a diversity of buyers helped boost the energy at the show.

“This sector was the hardest-hit sector during the pandemic, and they are now on the road to recovery,” she said. The event presented a great opportunity to come together with the full supply chain present, creating energy focused on solutions, Burns said. 

“(Attendees) are actually having conversations to address solutions to all the headwinds that are coming at them,” she said. The innovations on the expo floor, the presence of chefs and K-12 school foodservice professionals, and discussions about nutrition policy all created value for attendees, Burns said.

The conference kicked off on July 28 with a number of small group experiences, including the K-12 Foodservice Forum, which drew almost 100 K-12 professionals from around the U.S.

“It's nice to have conversations here that are informing what we're going to do at the Washington conference,” she said, referring to IFPA’s advocacy event set for September in Washington, D.C.. “Advocacy and having the data to be able to support our advocacy efforts, is going to be a game changer for the industry.”

Health issues are at the center of the plate right now, for the nation and the world, she said. The U.S. alone spends $1.4 trillion on diet-related diseases, and she said the produce industry has a big part of the solution to that.

“It is definitely our time,” she said.

IFPA recognized the winners of the Expo awards which included Best of Show Winner Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co., Best of Show Runner-Up Duda Farm Fresh Foods and Best Product Promo Winner Rijk Zwaan for the company's new Red Vein Arugula.