“This is a positive step towards bringing more fairness, transparency, and predictability to Canada’s grocery supply chain and for consumers,” the ministers said.

In the statement, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture said “years of work and widespread industry participation” has been put into developing the Code of Conduct. Until recently, Walmart and Costco were the only two major grocery retailers to not join the Code of Conduct. Metro and Sobeys signed on last year, while Loblaw agreed this past May after months-long negotiations and a social media-driven campaign by angry consumers urging others to boycott Loblaw stores due to high prices.

Stemming from friction between retailers and suppliers, the code was developed by the industry to promote transparency and fairness, and to solve disputes. It’s been in the works since 2021.

“The goal of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct is to bring fairness, transparency, and predictability to our grocery sector and supply chain,” a statement from AAFC said after Loblaw joined the Code of Conduct in May. “We believe that uniting all supply chain partners around these principles will produce the best outcomes for the sector and all Canadians.”

—with files from Janelle Rudolph

The post All major retailers agree to join Grocery Code of Conduct appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“We are ensuring a fair and equitable environment for our growers, which is fundamental for the prosperity of the entire supply chain,” said FVGC in a news release.

FVGC’s executive director, Rebecca Lee, is listed as a member of the steering committee in charge of developing the code.

The industry-developed code, which proposes rules for fairness and transparency in the grocery sector, is expected to stabilize growers’ incomes, the FVGC said.

“Canada’s Grocery Sector Code of Conduct acts as a protective measure for the entire supply chain,” it added. “It addresses longstanding issues such as payment terms and contract fairness, which are crucial for the viability and sustainability of Canadian growers.”

It isn’t expected to increase costs to consumers, the news release said.

The code has run into headwinds in recent days as two of Canada’s largest grocers expressed reluctance to sign on to it.

Last week, Loblaw executive chair Galen Weston told the standing agriculture committee the code as currently written would cause higher prices, and Walmart Canada chief executive officer Gonzalo Gebera expressed similar sentiments.

Weston said Loblaw takes issue with clauses that govern written contracts with suppliers, whether retailers can charge suppliers fees when orders aren’t fulfilled, and others.

Michael Medline, CEO of Empire Company Ltd., which owns Sobeys, supports the code.

“This code is not a document comprising overly prescriptive regulations, but simply a straightforward set of principles of good behaviour developed by industry itself. That’s it. It won’t increase food prices, as Loblaw has claimed,” said Gary Sands, senior vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.

–with files from Karen Briere. Geralyn Wichers is associate digital editor of AGCanada.com.

The post Grocery code will stabilize producer incomes, say fruit and vegetable growers appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The company said in a release Monday that it “took immediate action and engaged cybersecurity and recovery experts” when it learned of the problem, and its in-house and third-party experts are investigating.

A company representative said separately via email Monday that the incident has caused “operational and service disruptions that vary by business unit, plant and site” but didn’t specify which facilities were or are affected or how.

Mississauga-based Maple Leaf’s operations in Canada include hog slaughter plants at Brandon, Man. and Lethbridge, Alta.; five fresh poultry plants in Ontario and one at Edmonton; hatcheries in Ontario and Alberta; five feed mills in Manitoba; and pork and poultry further-processing sites in five provinces. The company in late September also announced it had completed construction work on a major new poultry plant at London, Ont.

“Our farms have adjusted their practices due to the system outage, and we feel confident in our ability to care for our animals and meet their needs,” Maple Leaf said via email.

Asked Monday about the nature of the incident — a ransomware attack or computer virus, for example — Maple Leaf wouldn’t specify, but said via email it’s “deploying our business continuity plan and implementing workarounds to mitigate the impact on our operations and business.”

Meanwhile, it said it “expect(s) some disruption in our operations and service levels” as it works on “restoring business continuity.”

In its release, it said it “will continue to work with all its customers and suppliers to minimize these disruptions.”

Maple Leaf’s systems outage isn’t the first cybersecurity breach to affect Canada’s meat packing sector. Canadian operations of Brazilian meat packer JBS briefly halted last summer when that company’s U.S. arm was hit by what was later confirmed to be a ransomware attack.

Elsewhere in Canada, major grocery firm Empire Co., whose retail chains include Sobeys, Safeway, IGA and FreshCo among others, also announced Monday its operations have been affected by an unspecified “IT systems issue.”

Empire said in a release its grocery stores remain open as usual and aren’t yet seeing “significant disruptions,” except that some in-store services are “functioning intermittently or with a delay” and some in-store pharmacies are “experiencing technical difficulties in fulfilling prescriptions.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Cybersecurity ‘incident’ hits Maple Leaf systems appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

In a deal still subject to review by the federal Competition Bureau, Empire Co. announced Monday it will pay $800 million for the grocery chain, currently co-owned by a management group and investment firm Berkshire Partners. The deal is expected to close at the beginning of next year.

The Ottawa-based chain, which started with a single store at Cornwall, Ont. in 1981, now includes 26 stores mainly in southeastern Ontario, with plans now afoot to expand its space in southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) — areas where Empire says its own chains are so far “under-penetrated.”

Those expansion plans are expected to continue as “early priorities” for the Farm Boy business under Empire ownership, “through a combination of new site builds and conversions of some existing Sobeys locations.”

Nova Scotia-based Empire described Farm Boy as a “highly scalable” platform with “industry-leading” growth and metrics, which will allow Empire to accelerate its own growth in urban markets.

Boston-based Berkshire has owned an unspecified equity stake in Farm Boy since 2012. Its managing director Chris Hadley said at the time that the Farm Boy stores “deliver a unique fresh and friendly shopping experience compared to other food retailers.”

Farm Boy bills itself as carrying “hundreds” of Ontario products from local suppliers, including fresh produce, meats, dairy and cheeses, baked goods, seafood and fresh prepared foods, including gluten-free, organic and “natural” items.

“Farm Boy has a best-in-class brand with stellar customer loyalty,” Empire CEO Michael Medline said in a release, noting the chain’s offering are “particularly appealing to urban and suburban consumers.

“We believe we will be able to build on their historical industry leading same-store sales growth of 5.3 per cent and five-year (compound annual growth rate for earnings) of 21 per cent to double the size of the business in the next five years.”

Working with Empire, “we will strengthen the already-strong Farm Boy brand, starting with urban and suburban markets in Ontario and eventually rolling out to other areas of Canada,” Farm Boy co-CEO Jeff York said.

York and co-CEO Jean-Louis Bellemare will remain in their roles for the long term, reporting to Medline and managing the business separately from Empire’s other operations, the company said. The two co-CEOs also agreed to reinvest in the business in return for a 12 per cent stake in the continuing Farm Boy business, Empire said.

For Farm Boy, the deal allows access to Empire’s “infrastructure and capabilities” in real estate, sourcing and logistics, providing for certain “non-customer-facing synergies” and “faster and even more effective store expansion.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Sobeys parent to buy fresh-food grocer Farm Boy appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The Nova Scotia-based grocery chain on Tuesday announced ABP’s Island View Farms is now the “primary” brand for beef sold at the five Sobeys, five Co-op and three Foodland stores the grocery company supplies on Prince Edward Island.

The agreement, phased in over the past few weeks, “means P.E.I. customers can choose local first, it means larger herd sizes for P.E.I. and Maritime beef cattle producers, and it means ABP has a committed local partner as it increases plant capacity and grows its business,” Peter Doucette, general manager for Sobeys Atlantic, said in a release.

Sobeys said the agreement means about 80 per cent of the selection at the 13 stores stores is now supplied by ABP, under the packer’s Island View and Certified Island Beef brands.

Sobeys said Tuesday it entered talks 18 months ago with ABP and Atlantic Canada’s cattle producer groups, to make sure ABP’s plant capacity and cattle herds in the region could be expanded to meet the added demand.

The federally-inspected ABP plant at Albany, northeast of Borden, now has the capacity to supply the P.E.I. stores on top of its other existing business, the packer said.

ABP said it’s also looking for more supply from beef producers, to further expand its space in both domestic and export markets. “We hope local producers can ramp up production of beef cattle by at least 10,000 head per year in total,” the company said via email.

Brian Morrison, chair of P.E.I. Cattle Producers, said in Tuesday’s release the grocery chain “has really stepped up in terms of their commitment to local cattle producers. They have sat at the table with us and helped us plan our herd growth to ensure we have the capacity to meet their needs.”

The ABP plant, which was built in partnership with local producers, sources beef from producers in P.E.I. as well as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and is the only federally inspected cattle slaughter plant in Atlantic Canada.

The plant, however, booked annual losses for years after its opening in late 2004. The P.E.I. government has committed regular funding to ABP since 2009, following a 2007 cash infusion from the federal, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. governments.

Since then, the plant has set up a ground beef production line and rolled out its branded beef lines such as Island View, Certified Island Beef and Blue Dot Reserve.

The new deal with Sobeys “means additional volume through our plant in a business where volume is a key ingredient to operate efficiently and cost-effectively,” ABP president Russ Mallard said in Tuesday’s release.

“We appreciate the commitment Sobeys is making to assist us in our goal to ensure ABP is here for the producers in our region for the long term.”

The specifics of ABP’s agreement with Sobeys weren’t made public, but the two companies said via email they want to see it continue over the long term.

“We are confident (customers) will be very happy with Island View Farms beef, so we cannot see any reason at this point to be anything but optimistic for a long-term supply arrangement.”

Asked whether the arrangement could eventually expand elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, the two companies said they “want to make sure we get it right on the Island first and then will look to future plans for expansion to other provinces.”

Sobeys, whose roots in Atlantic Canada’s grocery business date back to 1924, has been on an aggressive expansion track coast to coast since 1987, taking over the Thrifty Foods chain in British Columbia in 2007, the Safeway chain in Western Canada in 2013, and several Co-op Atlantic grocery stores last year.

The company also operates the IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Price Chopper and Lawtons Drugs chains, for a total of over 1,500 stores across all 10 provinces. — AGCanada.com Network

The post Sobeys locks in Atlantic Beef for P.E.I. stores appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

SunGold Specialty Meats’ Lamb Tonight line of meats began selling at Sobeys, Safeway, and Thrifty Foods stores across Canada earlier this summer. It features 10 ready-to-cook lamb products, including lamb burgers, sausages, meatballs, kabobs, and seasoned ground lamb.

But along with making the lamb easy to use and attractive for consumers, it also wanted to share the story of its producers, so the labels contain pictures and background on some of their lamb-producing families.

Polson’s Farm is one of the featured operations, and Nathanael Polson has already lots of feedback.

“I have an aunt in Toronto, and she goes to Sobeys and sees the lamb with our picture on it,” said Polson, who’s breeding 1,600 ewes at his family operation near Tees. “So she tells her friends. It’s a connection, and it can snowball. We’ve had extended family even in Red Deer see it, and all of a sudden, it gives more ownership to what we do.

“People today seem to need a story to buy.”

SunGold sees Lamb Tonight as a good news story all around.

“We’re taking underutilized cuts and creating more value out of the carcass, which is good, not just for SunGold, but also for producers,” said general manager Miles Kliner. “The reality is we need lambs to be successful, and producers need to make a living to make more lambs.”

The Lamb Tonight line also features innovative packaging, made possible by a $1.7-million investment in both mixing and packaging equipment for the Innisfail processing plant. Those improvements were completed in May, adding 30 new jobs over the last few months.

“This project represents another significant investment by the shareholders into the lamb industry,” said Dwayne Beaton, SunGold CEO. “It also provides new retail packing options for our current fresh lamb meat and offal business.”

“The equipment allows us several new options for pre-cut, ready-to-sell product for the retail environment that we believe will help grow the lamb category, to better satisfy growing demand,” said Kliner, adding work is underway to find new ways to utilize culls.

Because of the lingering wartime stigma attached to the term mutton, processing older sheep has often been an expense item for producers rather than a return. So with a marketing plan and a more palatable term, the introduction of some innovative sheep meat products could be down the road as well.

Interacting with consumers is a priority for Kliner, and not a week has gone by since Lamb Tonight launched in June that he hasn’t personally dealt with at least one call or inquiry.

“A lot of them are technical in nature. The No. 1 question is whether the product is pork free, since it seems many people have severe pork allergies, and a lot of products use hog casings. But we use all collagen-derived bovine casings, so we can maintain our halal certification.”

There are also no fillers or preservatives in the Lamb Tonight products.

Sales have increased since the product launch, but has been modest so far. However, Kliner said he’s confident the product quality and marketing effort, including producer stories, will drive demand higher.

“I’m excited. We see Lamb Tonight products as a gateway for people who haven’t tried lamb before,” he said. “We wanted to provide consumers with a more convenient lamb product. These value-added items offer a lower price point compared to lamb cuts.

“They’re simple to cook. We’ve had tremendous feedback. People are looking for different choices.”

On the farm front, Nathanael Polson doesn’t mind the trappings of his retail ‘fame.’

“Value added is a good thing. It helps the bottom line,” he said. “Margins are so small for both producing and packing lamb. We trust if they’re making money, we make more money.”

Stories about 12 Alberta lamb producers can be found at lambtonight.com.

Lamb consumption: small but growing

Canadians only eat, on average, about a kilogram of lamb per year — a small fraction compared to their consumption of pork, beef, or chicken.

But despite that, the country’s sheep producers can’t supply the market, with 50 to 60 per cent of lamb being imported every year, mostly from New Zealand, Australia and the U.S.

But SunGold says lamb is the only red meat protein category growing in per capita consumption in Canada over the past decade. Also, Canadians eat more lamb per capita than Americans.

The post New meat products hit the spot for lamb producers appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The grocer members of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), which include Loblaw, Sobeys/Safeway, Metro and Wal-Mart Canada, said Friday they are “voluntarily committing to the objective of purchasing cage-free eggs by the end of 2025.”

However, David Wilkes, senior vice-president for government relations and the grocery division at RCC, said in a release that the grocers’ commitment is “made recognizing the restrictions created by Canada’s supply management system.”

The cage-free timeline, he said, thus “will have to be managed in the context of availability of supply within the domestic market.”

The RCC also noted the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) expects to release a new Canadian code of practice for layer hens later this year.

When released, NFACC’s layer hen code is expected to guide Canada’s egg sector on various aspects of farm management and welfare practices, by way of “recommendations and requirements for housing, care, transportation, processing and other animal husbandry practices,” the RCC said.

The RCC, Wilkes said, “remains firmly committed to the NFACC process and will work with other participants to not only advance our voluntary commitment to move to cage-free environments by the end of 2025, but also by ensuring suppliers adhere to the code’s recommendations.”

Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) last month announced a transition plan to move all Canadian layer hens away from conventional battery cage-style housing into “enriched housing, free-run, aviary or free-range” by 2036 — “assuming the current market conditions prevail.”

Without mentioning the RCC announcement, the national egg producer group said in a statement Friday it “look(s) forward to working with retailers to ensure high-quality Canadian eggs remain on grocery shelves everywhere, and we will continue to work with our supply chain to do so and to align our approaches as much as possible.”

EFC on Friday also noted its members have long supported and taken part in the NFACC process and brought last month’s industry plan forward for the NFACC review of the egg industry code or practice.

“We believe a code that takes into account what the egg industry analyzed, developed and proposed to be realistic will be stronger, and a tremendous framework on which to make many other enhancements to our industry for years to come,” EFC said.

EFC also said it’s committed to research on hen housing systems as well as consumer preferences, and to make sure decisions on industry practices are “evidence-based.”

Doing so, the egg producer group said, “ensures choice and price stability to shoppers while protecting the entire supply chain from shortages or the production of eggs for which there are no market.”

EFC also reiterated Friday that the various layer hen housing systems in use today “all have trade-offs across a host of sustainability factors including animal health and well-being, environment, food safety, worker health and safety and food affordability.”

Various non-government animal welfare groups on Friday hailed the RCC’s move, noting RCC grocer members account for 90 per cent of grocery store sales in Canada.

World Animal Protection Canada executive director Josey Kitson said in a separate release that the council’s decision “will have a transformative effect on the way that laying hens are housed in Canada.”

Nathan Runkle, president of the Canadian arm of Mercy for Animals, in another release, called RCC’s pledge “a watershed moment for farmed animals and caring consumers in Canada” and said it marks a “tipping point” for the egg sector.

“Any food company that has not yet adopted a cage-free egg policy is simply out of step with consumer expectations and business trends.”

Major quick-service restaurant chains operating in Canada have made announcements similar to the RCC’s in recent months, varying in the level of housing they expect for layer hens.

A+W said earlier this month it plans to get all its eggs from open-barn suppliers within two years. The owner of Tim Hortons and Burger King said last month it would take the chains’ North American egg supplies cage-free by 2025, and McDonald’s last fall pledged to shift to free-run eggs in the same time period. –– AGCanada.com Network

The post Major grocers pledge cage-free eggs by 2025 appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The Quebec-based co-op on Wednesday booked net earnings of $47.5 million on sales of $5.875 billion in its fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 2015, up from $38.31 million on $4.662 billion in fiscal 2014.

The company also declared a deep cut in its patronage dividends, at $40.6 million for 2015, down from $92.3 million the previous year and $110.5 million in 2013.

The company, as part of the “Agropur 2015” strategic review it launched in 2012, set a goal that year of “generating $75 million in increased earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and joint ventures” (EBITDA) over 2013 to 2015.

In its 2015 annual report this week, the company instead described its 2012 goal as being “to reduce our costs by $75 million by 2015,” and added it has “exceeded that objective, with savings on an annualized basis of $84 million.”

In its year-end release Wednesday, the company said that for 2016, it has launched a new “three-year, $100 million cost-reduction program.”

Agropur, whose brands include Natrel, Quebon and Island Farms, didn’t specify Wednesday what it plans to do to meet the deeper cost-cutting target.

CEO Robert Coallier said in the annual report, however, that the company “will seek further synergies.”

Agropur in 2015 closed the deals it announced the previous year, buying the assets of New Brunswick’s Northumberland dairy co-operative, and Sobeys’ former Canada Safeway milk processing plants.

“The addition of the five acquired plants gives (Agropur) a national footprint,” the company said Wednesday.

During 2015, the co-op announced plans to shut an aging Montreal-area fluid milk processing plant at Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville by late May this year.

Agropur also said in November it will close the former Grace-Mar Dairy plant at Chilliwack, B.C. by late October this year, upgrade the former Safeway plant at Burnaby and shift its B.C. fluid milk processing there.

The company’s B.C.-based Island Farms arm also announced in October it would discontinue its yogurt line due to “declining” sales in recent years.

On the investment side in 2015, Coallier noted the company also improved its Oka cheese production capacity and completed major upgrades on plants at Lethbridge, Alta. and St-Hyacinthe, Que. plants, plus an aseptic product line at Bedford, N.S.

Agropur, he said, also completed the first phase of a project to standardize its computer platforms and processes under “a single solution.”

Agropur on Wednesday also noted its U.S. operations have contributed a “significantly increased proportion of total revenues” in 2015, at 44 per cent, up from 36 per cent the previous year.

In its U.S. plants, Coallier said, Agropur has increased its feta cheese capacity by 30 per cent and tripled its mozzarella capacity. — AGCanada.com Network

The post Agropur plans three years of deeper cost cuts appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Pete Luckett, the owner of the Pete’s Fine Foods stores in Halifax and Bedford, N.S. and a related wholesale business, announced Thursday he’ll sell those operations to Nova Scotia-based Sobeys for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to wrap up Monday (Nov. 2).

The “open concept” stores specialize in produce and other fresh groceries including deli, bakery, meat and fish sections.

“It’s the right time for me to transition from the grocery industry into the winery business,” Luckett said in Sobeys’ release, referring to Luckett Vineyards, which he opened in Nova Scotia’s Gaspereau Valley in 2011.

Sobeys said it plans to continue to operate the stores under the Pete’s Fine Foods brand and “maintain the unique market culture and customer-focused flair for food on which the business was built.”

Luckett will continue in a “consulting capacity” with the business and its management and staff will be “provided with employment in their current roles,” Sobeys said.

“Pete has instilled a unique culture in his stores and a food offer that resonates with his customers. We don’t want to change that,” Peter Doucette, general manager for Sobeys Atlantic, said in the same release.

Rather, he said, Sobeys plans to “build the Pete’s brand and grow the opportunities for the business in Atlantic Canada. With Sobeys’ resources and ability to support growth and expansion in the region, we can make that happen.”

“With this agreement, customers can enjoy peace of mind knowing that the stores will continue to prosper and expand while offering that same extraordinary shopping experience,” Luckett said.

Luckett, who started his greengrocer career in England’s outdoor food markets, moved to Canada in 1979 and started the “Pete’s Frootique” business in New Brunswick in 1982, eventually shifting his operations to three Nova Scotia stores, the Pete’s Fine Foods outlets in Halifax, Bedford and Wolfville.

The Wolfville store closed in May this year, however, as the company said it “struggled to capture local customers.”

Luckett has become a well-known media personality and speaker during his career in Atlantic Canada. He appeared regularly for 14 years on the CBC TV program Midday, showcasing new and exotic varieties of fresh produce for viewers across the country. He later hosted a “food adventure” TV series, The Food Hunter, on the Food Network from 2002 to 2004. –– AGCanada.com Network

The post Pete Luckett’s stores to become arm of Sobey’s appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Amid ‘grocery wars,’ Jamie Oliver, ‘hormone free,’ Walmart, and a storm of related debate, this is the core question many producers and others in animal agriculture have about the new swath of expectations and ‘sustainability’ programs taking hold in the industry and the marketplace.

One person with a unique, up-close perspective on what’s happening at both the ranch and the boardroom level, is Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, a fourth-generation rancher and CEO of CL Ranches, which grazes around 28,000 acres near Jumping Pound, just west of Calgary.

Copithorne-Barnes grapples daily with the practical realities of today’s rising pressures on animal agriculture and has also dealt directly with many of the movers and shakers behind initiatives at Sobeys, A&W, McDonald’s and others.

She also has a front-row seat to developments both nationally and internationally, through her role as chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.

Copithorne-Barnes spoke at the 5th Annual UCVM Beef Cattle Conference in Calgary in June and offered a number of insights.

Undercover visit

In July 2013, unbeknownst to her, a marketing representative of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver posed as a member of the Sobeys meat team out for a tour of the ranch, asking questions about animal welfare and videotaping her answers.

“I thought it was a little odd that he was adamant about seeing our feedlots, even though we had emptied them out about the third week of April. He wanted to see the pens. And when we got there one of the questions he asked was, ‘Why would you put all of these calves into these backgrounding pens when you have these big, beautiful open fields?’

“I was beginning to get a bit suspicious of the line of questioning and I said, ‘Think of yourself being here in the middle of January when it’s 40 below, the wind is blowing, and there’s a foot of snow on the ground. Where would you rather be? In these pens with the protection of the fence, clean bedding and adequate food, or out in the open field, facing that wind?’”

A month later she learned the truth about the covert mission — Oliver’s team was evaluating beef suppliers to help Oliver decide if he would participate with Sobeys on what has become the “Sobeys and Jamie Oliver Partnership,” a high-profile marketing initiative built around the “Certified Humane” concept.

She may not agree with all parts of the approach, but Copithorne-Barnes said it’s hard to fault Sobeys from a purely business perspective.

“How do you say this was a wrong move for Sobeys to make? Jamie Oliver has 4.5 million (Twitter) followers. This is a man of incredible influence.”

‘Better Beef’

The next group to visit was A&W, which was considering a “Better Beef” campaign, which promises beef with no added hormones and steroids.

“Before A&W rolled out its marketing plan, its executives actually took the time to come out and visit a number of operations,” she said. “The questions they asked were real, genuine, and they really tried to learn and understand. But we all know the reality of their marketing when they rolled this program out. I am no way endorsing the fact that to call this better beef was responsible. Thankfully, even they eventually started to realize the negative impact this was having at the producer level. That’s why you don’t see the words better beef in the slogan anymore.”

Despite the damage caused, again it’s hard to argue the business rationale, she said.

“A&W decided that the hormone-free concept was something its consumers were asking for. It needed to learn how to supply it and it became the very first national hormone-free burger available to Canadians. Business is business whether we like it or not. It had to follow consumers’ dollars and this is where A&W decided to go.”

‘Verified sustainable’

Arguably the most important retailer initiative is McDonald’s pledge to begin purchasing “verified sustainable” beef in 2016, with Canada selected for the company’s first verified sustainable beef pilot project.

Copithorne-Barnes said the inclusive and collaborative approach McDonald’s has chosen is encouraging and arguably the best among the big retailers.

“It’s really been a driving force in bringing together a multi-collaborative platform in order to ensure that sustainable beef will be defined in a way that everybody can define and accept.”

That multi-stakeholder process stands in contrast to the opportunistic approaches of some companies, she said.

“You look at one of the more extreme examples, such as what Chipotle in the U.S. is doing, where it’s clear it has decided to drive consumers’ thinking for its own gain, whether there’s truth or not to how it is representing things,” she said. “McDonald’s, on the other hand, wants to make sure that everyone involved in this concept has a voice at the table and it gets it right.”

This means working with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Canadian roundtable, Alberta Beef Producers, and many other industry players. It also includes a strong science basis.

This shows in McDonald’s position on antimicrobial use. Rather than promote antibiotic free, it supports ‘judicious decision-making.’ Bruce Feinberg, McDonald’s global animal health and welfare officer, has simply stated: “McDonald’s believes that animals deserve care and we still support the treatment of sick animals.”

It’s important for producers to have clear, science-based criteria that aren’t unfairly restrictive, said Copithorne-Barnes.

“This is more likely to happen when industry is part of the decision-making team.”

The road ahead

Copithorne-Barnes’ take on Walmart is an interesting one.

The company recently urged its meat and egg supplier to curb antimicrobial use, which garnered massive media coverage.

“The press called this absolutely earth shattering and a game changer, which made me laugh because it was about the last one in the game.”

But she was still relatively happy at where Walmart landed.

“What I was most proud of with Walmart is that for once it was a recommendation. Walmart has a tendency to send out prescriptive edicts. ‘You will or else we won’t.’ This was the first time when it comes to a sustainability factor that Walmart has said we ‘recommend,’ and the reality is I think a lot of that has to do with McDonald’s and others making a lot of headway through the concept of collaboration.”

But there are other issues to deal with.

“For example, I know first hand that antimicrobials are just the first step. We will be facing more questions about Ractopamine and hormones coming up very soon.”

But the recent signs of progress are also encouraging, she said.

“If we can keep what we’re doing open and transparent, at both a national and global level, hopefully these companies such as Walmart, Unilever, Nestlé, that are all walking down this path right now, will pay attention to this and we will have approaches we can live with.”

It’s important for the beef industry to work together, reach out to consumers and retailers, and “continually come up with new and creative ways to influence and deliver our messages.”

Social media will be a key part of that, but old-style communication is, too.

“One of the most productive things I’ve been able to accomplish in the past year and a half is to have people come out to the ranch so I can show them what we’re doing,” she said. “It’s one thing to have a 400-page document explaining what we’re doing. It’s another if you can see it or if I can tell you in my own words.

“We don’t need to get complicated. Just talk about the simple things we do every day and why we do them. That can go a long way.”

The post The new world of ‘sustainable’ beef appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.