IFPA talks food affordability, packaging policy with Canadian prime minister  

International Fresh Produce Association executives attended a Nov. 15 roundtable meeting focused on U.S. and Canadian consumer food affordability with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

IFPA CEO Cathy Burns and Vice President of Innovation Vonnie Estes attended the meeting, hosted by Michael Janis and the San Francisco Market.

“To drive consumption of fruits and vegetables, we must continue to create preference for produce and increase access, which includes ensuring affordability,” Burns said in a news release. “We are grateful for Prime Minister Trudeau’s partnership in today’s roundtable as we discussed opportunities to make food more affordable, such as through government investment in projects like Food Fix or produce prescriptions.

“However, as IFPA members expect us to advocate on issues impacting their businesses, we also used our time to ensure that Canadian policymakers don't also make food less affordable, less safe and less accessible, which will be an outcome of legislation that seeks to eliminate produce packaging options in Canada," Burns added.

Burns referred to the planned rule from Environment and Climate Change Canada to eliminate plastic packaging in produce sold in Canada by 95% by 2028.

While IFPA recognizes the efforts of the ECCC to reduce the environmental impact of single-use packaging, Burns said in the release that plastic plays an important role in ensuring shelf life of certain fresh categories, as well as affordability and convenience. In addition, PLU stickers allow the elimination of packaging altogether while supporting accurate pricing and consumer choice, the release said.  

There is a need to exempt plastic packaging for fresh and fresh-cut products, as well as functional PLU stickers, from proposed packaging bans in Canada, IFPA officials said.

"PLU stickers solve a lot of challenges at retail, and they are critical to price integrity and product identification — especially for organics, and more packaging would be needed without them,” Estes said in the release. “A Canadian rule is demanding all PLU stickers be compostable, and we shared that multiple efforts are in progress to develop a compostable sticker; for example, IFPA is working with Sinclair on a USDA grant for a compostable option, and IFPA member (and Canadian-based company) Accu-Label has one in development as well.

"Of course, innovation takes time in addition to investment and we’re working to create a compostable adhesive that will stick to all fruits and vegetables," Estes continued. "We were clear that the shortest and most effective path to decreasing plastics is in innovative partnerships.”