State Department of Agriculture and Markets Announces Increased Presence at Nation’s Largest Produce Show

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets today announced the successful expansion of its display highlighting New York-based products at the annual Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo which took place Oct. 18 and 19 in Anaheim, California. The three-day show is the largest to showcase fresh produce and related products annually in the United States, with up to 22,000 industry buyers and other professionals from 60 countries visiting.

“We were proud to feature New York State’s finest NYS Grown & Certified specialty crops, foods and beverages at this show,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. “This year, the Department expanded its display in response to industry feedback to help food growers and producers increase their visibility and broaden their market reach and consumer base to the West Coast and around the globe.”

The PMA Fresh Summit Convention & Expo brings together buyers, producers and food companies to taste products and form new business connections. It spans approximately 600,000 square feet and features over 1,000 exhibitors showcasing products that appear in food stores’ produce sections.

For over 35 consecutive years, the Department has organized a New York exhibitor pavilion or cluster at the PMA show to highlight New York State food and beverages. Additional New York companies exhibit throughout the trade show floor. 

The Department’s pavilion expanded this year to feature maple, a NYS specialty crop, as well as fruits and vegetables, in that are marketed through the New York State Grown & Certified program.

Representatives from the New York State Vegetable Growers Association and the New York State Maple Producers Association helped staff the Department’s pavilion.

New York State Maple Producers Association Executive Director Helen Thomas said, “The booth setup arranged by the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets at this show provided an excellent backdrop for us to showcase NYS maple products. Maple is proudly NY Grown and Certified, and the show gave us the ability to introduce hundreds of visitors to our products. They were able to sample a range of products that showed maple’s versatility as a sweetener – everything from pure syrup and sugar to barbecue sauce to maple cotton candy.  This visibility will help the NY Maple Industry to expand our markets.”

New York State Vegetable Growers Association President and Reeves Farm Owner Brian Reeves said, “The PMA convention is the largest show of its kind in the Americas and hosted many participants from around the world.  It offers the opportunity to showcase New York's variety of specialty crops to both potential new customers and established buyers of our products.”

About New York State Grown & Certified
Governor Cuomo launched NYS Grown & Certified in 2016 to help meet the growing consumer demand for local foods grown or produced to a higher standard. The program certifies New York State producers who adhere to high food safety and environmental stewardship standards. It is supported by a marketing campaign, including on-product labels, promotional materials, and sales materials.

Currently, more than 2,500 producers are participating in New York State Grown & Certified, representing over 550,000 acres of farmland. For more information on NYS Grown & Certified, visit certified.ny.gov, or follow the program on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.