The effort to build production of certified sustainable beef in Canada is getting a major boost from Walmart.
The retailing giant says its Canadian division will become a major buyer of beef certified by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB).
“This is the largest public commitment made by a single retailer to date: 1.5 million pounds of beef sourced from CRSB certified sustainable farms and ranches will be purchased by Walmart Canada over the next calendar year,” the company said in a news release.
Read Also
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
“A milestone moment, this commitment contributes to advancing beef sustainability in Canada — and it’s only the start. The amount of beef Walmart Canada sources from CRSB certified sustainable farms and ranches will continue to increase each year.”
That view was echoed by roundtable chair Anne Wasko.
“Leadership from organizations like Walmart inspires change and supports the Canadian beef sector’s continuous improvement goals,” she said.
In a video accompanying the news release, the official in charge of buying meat for Walmart Canada said he was personally excited because he’s in a position to “influence what happens around us and practices in our industry.”
“We also know we need to go to the next level,” said Rob Pereira. “We’re going to continue working with farms that are putting forward practices that are better for the environment, better for the community.”
This spring, Walmart Canada announced beef patties from its Your Fresh Market brand would bear the roundtable’s “mass balance” certification logo (which means at least 30 per cent of the meat is from certified farms).
Canada is now several years into its certified sustainable value chain, an initiative first started as a pilot with McDonald’s and Cargill. Farms, feedlots and processors wanting to fold into the value chain must pass an audit by an authorized certification body (such as Verified Beef Production Plus) according to standards laid out by the roundtable.
For meat to qualify, animals must have spent their lives on and been processed by certified facilities. Farmers are then paid per head for every animal born on their farms and successfully brought through the value chain.
As of June 30, there were 1,332 certified farms and ranches in Canada, accounting for more than 17 per cent of the Canadian cattle herd. The roundtable’s 2021 annual report said 5.6 million pounds of certified beef had been sold in the past year.
Walmart listed two of its key goals as “preserving 35 million acres of native grassland in Canada” and telling its customers why it is purchasing sustainable beef.
Other companies have also started to buy certified sustainable beef in the past year: B.C.-based Intercity Packers (the first to offer home delivery), Shark Club Sports Bar and Grill, Gordon Choice (the first boxed beef program to make such a claim), and Centennial Farm Service (the first premium beef brand with a claim). They joined McDonald’s Canada, Loblaws, Harvey’s and Chop Steakhouse and Bar, which were already using a claim mark.
“When you’ve got more end-users, drawing more product through, I think that’s kind of a key reflection of that increased growth from a demand perspective,” Wasko said.
The roundtable also added a third auditing body. The Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance Program provides audit services to Ontario feedlots, something Wasko said should increase interest for producers in that province.
By the end of the year, the number of audited processors, likewise, had grown. Five processors (Cargill High River, Cargill Guelph, JBS Canada, Atlantic Beef Products and Harmony Beef) are currently certified.
Including beef sold in the last year, about 14 million pounds have been sold with a CRSB claim since 2018.
