Ivanka Trump unveils fresh produce access initiative in first public appearance since Trump’s second term

Ivanka Trump made her return to the national stage on Thursday in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she announced her latest initiative focused on expanding access to fresh produce, an issue she had long advocated for. Having largely stayed out of the public eye during her father’s second term, this marked her first significant reappearance in the spotlight. 

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Ivanka advocates for fresh produce with Planet Harvest 

For the first time in public, Ivanka opened up about her role as a co-founder of Planet Harvest, a Chicago-based “profit-for-purpose company” established in 2023. The company claims to offer “innovative, whole harvest solutions that resolve inefficiencies in the supply chain,” focusing on improving the way fresh produce is sourced and distributed. 

The summit, which spotlighted America's heartland as a centre of growth and innovation, was co-founded by Walmart heirs Olivia, Tom, and Steuart Walton. It was hosted by their Bentonville-based think tank, Heartland Forward.

The interview was conducted by Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global who told Axios in a statement that the “decision to focus on democratizing access to healthy food comes at an unprecedented moment in our country’s health care journey, where we’re finally recognising the scale of the crisis in chronic diseases.” 

The remarks seemed to be directed towards Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He recently shared the urgency to crack down on processed food for the agency, pledging to remove the “epidemic of chronic illness” from the country and “Make America Healthy Again,” as reported by MSNBC. 

On stage, Ivanka said, “Food can be used medicinally and food can be used to heal our bodies. Food can be part of the solution.”

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Trump’s previous remarks on Ivanka’s fresh produce efforts 

Prior to his eldest daughter's appearance, Trump shared with Axios that she started Planet Harvest, “to reimagine how American produce moves — not just through the supply chain, but across communities. … By connecting fresh and surplus harvests with those who can benefit from them, we’re supporting farmers, reducing food waste, expanding access and using good nutrition to improve health.”

He added that she developed “a real passion for supporting American farmers and getting more food into communities in need” while she contributed to U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farmers to Families Food Box program amid pandemic.