United, IFPA Announce Intent to Merge

The United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association (UFFVA) and the International Fresh-cut Produce Association (IFPA) announced Wednesday that they intend to merge, to be called United Fresh Produce Association upon completion of the merger.

The board of directors of IFPA and UFFVA voted unanimously April 12 and April 14, respectively, to support the merger.

“IFPA was founded to meet the unique needs of the fresh-cut processor,” said Mark Miller, IFPA chairman. “The processor industry has become more and more mainstream than it was 20 years ago when it (IFPA) was founded. We’re looking to go back one step to the grower level and one step forward to the retail level, which is representation we currently do not have.”

The next step before moving forward with a merger is a vote by the memberships of each association. An electronic ballot seeking endorsement of each board’s action was to be sent to the voting members of each association April 19, with results to be reported May 6 at the United Produce Show at FMI.

If approved, the boards of IFPA and UFFVA have authorized their respective officers and executive staff to complete the legal requirements necessary to execute the merger as soon as possible.

Discussions to develop a strategic alliance between IFPA and UFFVA began last September and focused on the possibility of combining resources, expertise and industry leadership to better serve their respective memberships. On March 30, the executive officers of IFPA and UFFVA met to review a possible business plan for this strategic alliance and each recommended a full merger of the two associations to their boards.

Look for more information about the merger in an upcoming issue of The Fruit Growers News.