Joanna Parker of Circana to Keynote CEAg World 2026 Conference

Jonna Parker, VP of fresh foods at consumer behavior and market intelligence firm Circana, will open CEAg World Conference & Expo^SM with a keynote on the consumer trends reshaping the produce market, organizers have announced.

Parker’s session, “Follow the Consumer: Finding Opportunity in a Changing Produce Market,” will draw on real sales and shopper data to examine who’s buying, what’s driving growth across retail and foodservice, and which fruit and vegetable categories are gaining or losing ground. She will translate those trends into practical implications for controlled-environment growers.

“The produce market has been through a lot of change in a very short time, and growers need a clear read on what’s happening beyond the greenhouse,” says Kristin D. Zeit, content lead for CEAg World. “Jonna’s talk is a chance to step back from day-to-day production and look at the bigger forces shaping where the market goes next.”

“Growers are making real decisions about where to invest, and those decisions work best when they start with the consumer,” said Jonna Parker, vice president of fresh foods at Circana. “I’m looking forward to sharing what the data shows about how produce demand is shifting, and helping growers connect those signals to their own operations.”

CEAg World Conference & Expo returns Nov. 10-11 in Charlotte-Concord, NC, with a program centered on building stronger, more resilient greenhouse produce businesses. As the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry navigates tighter margins, changing markets, rising costs and evolving technology, this year’s agenda is built around the decisions operators face in growing for the long term.

The 2026 agenda goes deep on business fundamentals. Paul Sellew, CEO of Little Leaf Farms, headlines a management session that gets straight to point about workforce development and labor. Jim Kras, CEO of Edible Garden, tackles diversification beyond core CEA crops, a strategy more operators are leaning on. And Trevor Gibson of Equinox Growers digs into profitability and capital, two issues on every grower’s mind.

Food safety gets serious attention too. Monica Noble, former VP of quality and safety at 80 Acres Farms and chair of the CEA Alliance’s Food Safety Working Group, leads a session on the FSMA steps growers need to take now.

For growers who are newer to CEA, Connor Murphy of Goodness Gardens explains how to assess technology needs realistically. Other experienced growers, including Eric Highfield from Haven Greens, will help troubleshoot production issues with crops including tomatoes, leafy greens, and specialty produce.

Among the most anticipated sessions is “The Buyers Are In,” a panel featuring Yan Branco, senior produce buyer at Sobeys in Canada, alongside other retail and wholesale produce distributors. The discussion will put CEA operators face-to-face with the people deciding what makes it onto store shelves and consumers’ plates.

CLICK HERE to view the full agenda and speaker list.

CEAg World Conference & Expo registration is free for qualified commercial growers.

Learn more and register at: https://www.ceagworld.com/events.