Circana’s Jonna Parker to keynote CEAg World 2026

Jonna Parker, vice president of fresh foods at Circana, will headline CEAg World Conference & Expo on Nov. 10-11 in Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina. Her keynote will focus on consumer and sales trends in produce and what they mean for greenhouse growers facing tighter margins and shifting demand.

Why it matters: - Controlled-environment growers are under pressure from tighter margins, changing markets, rising costs and evolving technology. - Parker’s keynote is designed to turn consumer and shopper data into decisions growers can use on crop mix, investment and sales strategy. - The conference is positioning itself as a place for greenhouse operators to get practical guidance on resilience and long-term growth.

What happened: - Jonna Parker, vice president of fresh foods at Circana, will open CEAg World Conference & Expo with a keynote on consumer trends reshaping the produce market. - The session is titled “Follow the Consumer: Finding Opportunity in a Changing Produce Market.” - CEAg World Conference & Expo returns Nov. 10-11 in Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina. - Registration is free for qualified commercial growers. - More information is available in the conference announcement.

The details: - Parker will use real sales and shopper data to examine who is buying produce and what is driving growth across retail and foodservice. - The keynote will also look at which fruit and vegetable categories are gaining ground and which are losing share. - Parker will connect those trends to practical implications for controlled-environment growers. - Kristin D. Zeit, content lead for CEAg World, said Parker’s talk is meant to help growers step back from daily production and look at the broader market forces shaping the sector. - Parker said growers are making investment decisions that work best when they start with the consumer, and that her session will focus on how demand is shifting.

Between the lines: - The agenda suggests CEAg World is leaning hard into business execution, not just production techniques. - Sessions on workforce, diversification, profitability, capital, food safety and technology point to an industry trying to protect margins while expanding beyond a narrow crop focus. - The “The Buyers Are In” panel signals a stronger focus on the retail and wholesale side of the supply chain, where shelf space decisions are made.

What’s next: - The 2026 agenda includes a management session led by Paul Sellew, CEO of Little Leaf Farms, on workforce development and labor. - Jim Kras, CEO of Edible Garden, will address diversification beyond core CEA crops. - Trevor Gibson of Equinox Growers will cover profitability and capital. - Monica Noble, former VP of quality and safety at 80 Acres Farms and chair of the CEA Alliance’s Food Safety Working Group, will lead a session on FSMA steps growers need to take now. - Connor Murphy of Goodness Gardens will discuss how newer CEA growers can assess technology needs realistically. - Eric Highfield of Haven Greens will help troubleshoot production issues involving tomatoes, leafy greens and specialty produce. - “The Buyers Are In” will feature Yan Branco, senior produce buyer at Sobeys in Canada, along with other retail and wholesale produce distributors.

The bottom line: - CEAg World is framing 2026 around one core idea: growers need a clearer read on consumers and buyers if they want to build more resilient greenhouse businesses.