In the past few weeks many of us have begun looking for ways to channel as many of the dollars we spend on groceries to Canadian (and especially Alberta) producers as possible. We do it by looking for the Alberta Food Processors Association’s (AFPA) Made in Alberta label.
Food and beverage production in Alberta generates $28 billion in economic activity every year. Founded in 1974, the Alberta Food Processors Association represents more than 350 Alberta companies in the food and beverage industry. Another 250 Alberta companies have independently subscribed to the Made in Alberta program.
“We represent ranchers, growers, meat cutters, beverage producers and food processors,” said AFPA executive director Bianca Parsons. “Food processors are vegetable growers, bakeries, canneries and other industries like them – there are quite a few. Beverage producers are the brewers, distillers, dairies and companies making non-alcoholic products.”
So how does one confirm they have been made in Alberta?
“That’s the exciting thing about the Made in Alberta program,” Parsons said. “It’s a free program for both producers and processors. The AFPA has created a label and sticker for them to put on their products to identify them. If you can’t find that, read the packaging. Legally, the package must state where the product is made.”
The Made in Alberta website – MadeinAlberta.co – contains a catalogue of more than 1,000 products that are made in our province. “People can search for products based on their type,” Parsons said. “Some of them are widely known such as Alberta beef, but we also produce Alberta chicken and Alberta pork.”
There are others which are less familiar. For example, Alberta is the world’s largest producer of haskap berries, which are characterized by their tart, tangy taste reminiscent of sour cherries. They thrive in our old climate, and are made into a beverage that’s marketed under the Haskalife and Rosy Farms brands.
When you buy local, the entire amount you spend stays in the community. So while it may be cheaper to buy something produced in another part of the world, paying just a bit more for something made locally makes a difference, even if it’s only for one or two products.
Tariffs will hurt Alberta’s food processors. For example, vegetable growers who sell their produce in aluminum cans, import most of the cans from the United States. A 25 per cent tariff on aluminum will result in a substantial increase in price for consumers, because half the cost of producing canned vegetables is the cost of the can.
“We want people to realize that this is going to be hard,” Parsons said. “Producers are really scared about what they’re going to have to go through. Some of them have long-term contracts with large retailers that require them to use ingredients from the U.S. They’re scared that they’re going to also be subject to counter tariffs on things like packaging which can hurt their bottom lines.”
