IFPA CEO: Fresh produce needs to own the MAHA conversation 

WASHINGTON, DC – In this time of Make America Healthy Again, fresh produce needs to establish itself as the whole food solution. 

“We need to own the narrative on whole foods in this city,” said Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 said at the Washington Conference on June 10, 2025. 

Burns presented her “State of the Fresh Nation” at the conference, and much of her emphasis was on how fresh fruits and vegetables fit into the MAHA discussion, after its namesake report came out, portraying the Trump administration’s position on public health. 

While the report mentions fruits and vegetables in a positive light, there are troubling sections calling into question commercial agriculture and how it is sometimes a threat to public health, she said. 

Attendees of the conference visit the staffs of their Congressional representatives this week, and Burns said this is the opportunity to tell them how fresh produce can be the greatest driver of MAHA. 

“Anytime health is part of the conversation, we should win,” she said. “Fruits and vegetables fit hand in glove with MAHA goals to improve public health. We are whole foods. Be that clear.” 

One challenge the industry faces are proposed restrictions to fruit and vegetable funding in SNAP’s Women Infants and Children (WIC) program. It’s frustrating, Burns said, because two years ago, this funding was under threat, and ultimately, it wasn’t cut, but it’s being proposed again. 

She said WIC cuts are inconsistent with the stated goals of MAHA, and conference attendees need to tell that to their representatives and the administration. 

Burns said half of babies born in the U.S. are eligible for WIC. Research has also shown that for SNAP users, only 9.1 percent of what they spend is on fruits and vegetables, while that number is 10.3 percent for the rest of consumers. 

“Half the plate should be fruits and vegetables,” Burns said. “We need better fruit and vegetable incentives. That is our conversation to own. Health means eating more fruits and vegetables.” 

Burns said fruit and vegetable spending in SNAP represents about $1 billion. 

“This is worth fighting for,” she said. “Let’s go fight for fresh.”