PHOTO GALLERY: At IFPA's Global Produce & Floral Show 2025
The International Fresh Produce Association's (IFPA) annual Global Floral and Produce Show (GFPS) got underway at the Anaheim Convention Center in California last week, and over three days it served up plenty of innovation and insights to the more than 20,000 attendees from 60 countries.
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
“A lot” has changed over the last 12 months, said Cathy Burns, CEO of IFPA in her state of the Industry address, which kicked off the annual show. Recalling when she spoke to attendees at the 2024 show, she said the biggest unknown then was the impact of elections being held around the world. “These elections have delivered turbulence,” she said. “With disruption occurring at the speed of social media.”
READ: Fresh insights - Canadian Grocer's 2025 Produce Operations Survey
Burns went on to say that one of the biggest challenges facing the industry this year, have been tariffs and their impact on global trade. She emphasized her organization’s belief in science-based trade policies and transparent, rules-based trading systems.
She also spoke of consumers and how IFPA’s own research has shown that 66% of consumers are responding to tariffs and inflation by purchasing fewer foods and opting for smaller sizes. The bright spot: fresh fruits and vegetables are the items consumers are least likely to give up, with only 5% reducing purchases of these foods.
Supply chain pressures were also noted. Burns said “this year’s crops were one of, if not for many, the most expensive ever harvested, shipped and sold." To tackle the problem, the association launched the Supply Chain of the Future, a global effort (with participants including Sobeys and Walmart) to identify key challenges and “co-create” solutions to reduce costs and improve efficiency through things like shelf-life predictability, dynamic incentives, harmonized standards and smart data escrow. Pilot programs have already been conducted with leafy greens, berries and mushrooms, she said, with tools developed to calculate ROI, ensure data privacy and simplify implementation.
“As we create a more resilient supply chain, we also must also consider it’s essential links–people,” said Burns, noting the pressure to access farm labour this year has been “enormous.”
Artificial intelligence is also top of mind at IFPA, said Burns. “To be honest, I’m obsessed with AI,” Burns said. Beyond making the association more efficient, “It’s ensuring that every member has the power to see around corners, anticipate trends, and act faster with confidence … our industry cannot and will not be left behind.”
INNOVATION ON SHOW
On the expansive GPFS show floor more than 1,100 exhibitors were on-hand to show off their goods—from apples (galore) to zucchiolo (a new vegetable variety) and everything in-between. Canadian Grocer was on the show floor checking out the latest innovations—swipe through the gallery below to see what caught our attention.
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More than 1,100 exhibitors filled Anaheim, Calif.'s Orange Convention Center for the Global Produce & Floral Show 2025 -
Malena Produce was showcasing zucchiolo, a new vegetable variety that is a cross between a zucchini and cucumber -
Carrot fries from Grimmway Farms that are ready for the air fryer -
Buck Naked debuted its "fridge-friendly" Unstinkable Onion at the show -
Merchandising pizazz on display at Melissa's booth -
Wonderful's newest offering: No Shell Dill Pickle pistachios -
Crispy Green's freeze-dried, single-ingredient Crispy Fruit will be landing in Canada early next year -
Protein dips and spreads from Marzetti -
Ippolito is giving Brussels sprouts a glow-up with these new Queen VictoriaBrussels Bites kits -
Danish company Northern Greens was showcasing its convenient organic liquid herbs, which are starting to become available in Canada -
Mini Medjools now available in Organic Chocolate Espresso flavour -
Jackfruit in a convenient new format -
From Mastronardi Produce, new Sunset Pop Its bite-sized cucumbers -
Little Mini Reds and Yellows are touted as snack potatoes - great for dipping -
No fuss, ready-to-use peeled ginger from Spice World -
Purely Picked Veggies - in Traditional and Spicy varieties - from JMB -
Oishii's premium strawberries grown in smart farm with no pesticides -
Melissa's convenient Hot Pot Essentials Kit -
Mucci Farms' Paper Top Seal Packaging -
Clever apple merchandising from CMI Orchards
