What Can a Consumer DO!!!??

There's no doubt about it. The food processors in this country have done the consumers of Canada the greatest dis-service ever. I have more than a little knowledge when it comes to identifying Canada sourced food in the grocery stores. But it looks like not only have our processors run off to Asia, our regulators have made the "Made in Canada" label a joke and worst than useless!

In conversations with consumers (that means 'shoppers' boys) everywhere, the topic comes up. People are frustrated and angry that their ability to make choices on the food available in their grocery stores, has been taken away from them.

I feel qualified to find good local, fresh foods now, when they are plentiful and real farmers markets are supplying a wonderful array of fresh locally grown vegetables and fruit.

I am very concerned that this winter I will have no choices that provide any comfort about my family's food sources.

I do believe that customers of these large retailers will leave in droves. They are only buying now because no sources with good labelling are readily available but I believe that the demand is there and it is growing.

Consumers don't complain about things in stores like they should, they leave and find alternate sources for their food. THIS is what is behind the growing demand for organic foods. I know that I can go to small organic stores and find local Canadian foods all year. If I have to this is what I will do.

Now, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has handed the Organic movement the single thing it needs to equate quality and CANADIAN with a label. Oh, and they have helped publicized it to boot! Where does this leave the 'other' farmers in this country?

As a group, they have been asking Ag Canada to develop a label or regulations to identify grown in Canada foods for a long time. The government continually avoids this final step because they believe they will hit the trade barrier wall with anything that smacks of Country of Origin Labels!

Why was this not the case for Organic foods which are being imported at an unprecedented pace? The new Certified Canadian Organic label will definitely act as a country of origin barrier to many imported food items.

I saw a commercial for Natrel Milk the other evening and flashed on the screen at the beginning is the statement: "Natrel milk does not contain rBSt or anti-biotics like all milk produced in Canada".

As a consumer education effort it is a baby step, but someone out there understands what I do. Food shoppers are avoiding products when they cannot identify them as Canadian and we better give them the tools in a hurry, before their hard won confidence in our food products is lost.

They do not know that the majority of milk is produced and processed here. Better tell them quick. I can't think of a better use for the blue cow... but boy, you'd better back that up with some fast, high profile info to educate them.

Wheat Board Latest.....

I have to give the Canadian Wheat Board credit. They are fighting hard to stop "Canada's New Government", from imposing something on them they never asked for and that their producers appear to NOT want. I have followed this particular battle for quite some time.

Note:As all my archived posts from Dairiblawg's former site have not been entered here, yet. Not all older posts will be available for the interested reader. When time permits they will be posted here.

I wish them well in their battle. Many of the other sectors of agriculture should be hoping for this as well.-CG

AGRICULTURE
Battle heats up over barley monopoly

Canadian Wheat Board takes Ottawa to court this week over Conservatives' move to open up market

JOE FRIESEN
July 23, 2007

The Canadian Wheat Board is taking the government to court this week in a last-ditch attempt to preserve its monopoly on barley sales.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Good news for all of us!

The July issue of the (Ontario) Milk Producer had a lengthy article that all of us should be paying a lot of attention to. Entitled: "CLA:milk's emerging miracle fat" , it is full of information about Conjugated linoleic acid ( CLA) , the CLA Network, some of the research results and the many modern health ills that CLA may be able to defeat.

The dairy industry is to be commended for their assistance in forming this collaborative network of scientists and research. As the article mentions, Health Canada is notoriously slow in allowing health claims for food products. Having a large body of science and research in one place, should improve the odds, when the time is right. A large clinical trial in the human population is likely the next step, if the industry wants the word to get out to the public.

Witness the explosive results from Vitamin D research results, earlier this year. Before Health Canada could act, the Canadian Cancer Society,was already advocating its increased usage for the public! If the industry is really lucky, the same result could happen with CLA. Having the best information and removing the 'saturated fat' stigma from my favourite food group, will result in better information to the public about the value of dietary dairy fat.

From the CLA Network website:

Health sells, but who's buying?

February 12, 2007

Consumer survey gauges prospects for CLA-enriched dairy products.

Download the PDF file

Faster than you can say Omega 3, specialty dairy products that showcase nutritional content and health benefits are rapidly becoming the major drivers of growth in the dairy sector.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is one of the latest and arguably the most promising dairy component to show potential in this area. But with a complex and ever-shifting environment of consumer attitudes regarding health value, the success of potential CLA-enriched dairy products will depend heavily on understanding the customer.

To help kick-start that process, the CLA Network conducted a major telephone survey of consumers in Alberta and British Columbia. The survey was designed not only to gauge potential attitudes and acceptance of CLA-enriched products, but to unveil consumer perceptions that can assist in the development of successful marketing strategies.

CG

Campaign to Keep Cheese Real

OK, guys... this website is great! I checked it out and it is chock full of really good information about the whole regulation-standardization issue. The only problem is, WHO is seeing it?

Apart from agricultural circles, I am betting NOT many.

This campaign needs to engage the larger cheese buying public or it will NOT be effective! How about a full page ad in the more prominent national dailies? Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has done this before in a battle between butter and margarine. I would think that this particular fight needs the public involvement to be really successful.

They are only going to find out about it if we tell them. So let's tell them .

See the Real Cheese!

At Last!

As a consumer in this country and a female, I have despaired for years, about the attitude in agriculture over "what consumers really want". I was shot down time and time again by a mostly male dominated industry, who were convinced the only issue was price!!!!

But if any of them had taken the time to wade thought the confusion of misleading labels, the ridiculous "made in Canada" labelling guidelines, or try to find Canadian grown "anything" in food products, perhaps something would have happened sooner.

Our consumers represent a vast, untapped resource to support what agriculture is trying to do when it fights to save processing, ensure Canadian ingredients, save farm land, fruit farms, ensure Canadian ingredients in cheese or what-ever!

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has finally taken some action on this issue. They commissioned a poll to find out what consumers would do or not do and what they wanted.

Some of the results:

95 per cent said they would buy Canadian products that are competitively priced and of equal or better quality to imported.

90 per cent felt Canadian agricultural products should always be easy to identify at the store.

83 per cent felt a branding system based on three criteria - grown in Canada, produced to high environmental and food safety standards, and providing a fair return to farmers – is a good or a very good concept.

46-50 per cent of consumers were willing to pay premiums for “labeled” fruits, vegetables, poultry, beef, pork and grain products.

Canadian processors are disappearing faster than you can say 'gone". We are losing 'pick your own' farms. If someone doesn't do something soon, even those of us who want to, will be hard pressed to find fresh, local, anything, without going to extra-ordinary means. Many time crunched consumers will be unable to afford the time to do this. I believe it has to be available in our grocery stores or we are lost.

Get going guys before it's too late for us all.