WASHINGTON -- At the kickoff of the Washington Public Policy Conference Sept. 12, the newly formed United Fresh Produce Association will share its new logo, staff structure, a combined board of directors and the vision for an organization that will reach out to newly added fresh-cut industry members.

The conference itself will not look much different from past Washington Public Policy Conference gatherings, said Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association, which is merging with the International Fresh-cut Produce Association. "The biggest change will be the people coming to the meeting," he said. "We're all in tune to fresh-cut issues more than ever before."

Lawyers are hastily wrapping up final details of the merger that will be announced Sept. 12 at a press conference and during the formal celebration banquet that evening. IFPA Chairman Mark Miller and United Chairman Maureen Torrey Marshall will outline the 46-member board of directors, a staff organization chart and the new group's identity and vision.

The group will allow for a stronger presence on Capitol Hill and a stronger food-safety emphasis, said Mr. Stenzel, who praised the combined talents of David Gombas and Jim Gorny.

As an example of that increased food safety focus, the Washington conference is holding a food safety and defense seminar as one of three new educational seminars offered before the opening session. The seminar is gathering key officials from the Food & Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to discuss the latest in produce safety, FDA policy changes and research priorities. The other two seminars will focus on ways to improve advocacy and crisis communication.

Attendees of the three-day meeting come to Washington each year to send a message to elected officials about critical issues facing the produce industry, with immigration reform at the top of this year's list. "It's the hottest issue," said Mr. Stenzel.

Along with voicing support for a new guest worker program during Capitol Hill visits, conference attendees will be part of a rally on Capitol Hill with the National Council of Agricultural Employers and the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform.

Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, a key player in the administration's immigration reform team, is speaking to the group to offer a first-hand look at federal immigration policies.

The meeting is attracting other top decision-makers in Washington. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), considered the father of the fruit and vegetable school snack program, is speaking Sept. 13 on federal nutrition programs. Congress is considering how best to extend the snack program and that is one of the legislative priorities this year.

Other priorities include a push to ensure that fresh fruits and vegetables survive in the newly proposed food package for the Women, Infants & Children program and funding for specialty crop block grants.

At the meeting, the new United Fresh Produce Association will lay out for the first time federal policy changes that would help specialty crop producers in the 2007 farm bill.

Mr. Stenzel said that he is hoping to have legislation introduced next month that outlines the group's wish list for the upcoming farm bill. Legislation stemming from a compromise between retailers and the produce industry on country-of-origin labeling would come this fall, he said.

On Sept. 14, the conference will host Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL), who will speak on the remaining agenda for the U.S. House of Representatives, followed by FDA's Robert Brackett, who will discuss the latest food safety policies.

The final speaker, who is neither a government official nor a produce executive, is National Restaurant Association CEO Steve Anderson. The restaurant industry and the produce industry work on the same side of many issues, said United's Amy Philpott. Mr. Anderson will discuss how produce companies can work with the foodservice industry on food safety and immigration reform.