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Alberta program puts local produce in the spotlight

CINDA CHAVICH

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 2:10 PM EDT 05/11/07

Province asking diners to 'do the planet a favour and bite into a meal that required a minimum of fossil fuels to get here' ...Read the full article

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  1. MJ Patchouli from Regina, Canada writes: What a smart program; I hope other provinces adapt it and not just for a special event. We should all be more conscious of where our food comes from and buy and eat accordingly.

    We could start by no longer calling our food source agriculture and instead referring to it as our food.
  2. Claude Mayrand from Surrey, BC, Canada writes: ... but all levels of government either eliminate farm lands when they award building permits of all types on local farm land, or unfairly tax farmers for "city" services they don't or can't receive.

    All levels of government must recognize that farms must be local for access to produce and grains and meat to be available using a minimum level of fossil fuels.

    All levels of government must encourage local industries to use locally produced farm products, local services and locally manufactured components.

    It isn't only the responsibility of the consumer to consider buying and using locally produced foods.

    What is the government doing during this period to encourage local farmers?
  3. D Chiu from Victoria, Canada writes: What may be more important is the total amount of fossil fuel consumed from production to retail in getting the food on our table. I read that New Zealand lamb production consumes fossil fuel at about a quarter of British lamb production fossil fuel consumption.
  4. j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes: There has been a "100 mile challenge" thing going on here in Winnipeg for the last year or so i.e. try to eat food that is produced within 100 miles of the city. Some people are giving it a go. I try to keep local as much as possible but at the same time I just can't stomach potatoes all winter. Nevertheless it is a noble promotion and increased public awareness can't hurt.
  5. bruce hutchinson from Canada writes: A noble gesture from the Province of the feedlot! Bulkley Valley beef travels to Alberta feedlots, then to slaughter, then back on the truck to Safeway.
  6. Eric Kirkpatrick from Vancouver, B.C., Canada writes: So Alberta wants their citizens to help reduce fossil fuel consumption but expect the rest of Canada (and their southern neighbours) to continue to consume their oil! I think those left wing environmentalists have been asking this of us for years.
  7. J M from Calgaristan, Canada writes: I thought all Albertans only ate from drive thrus on their way to the casino.
  8. Terry F from Edmonton, Canada writes: Eric Kirkpatrick - not sure I follow you. If you want oil, buy it. If not, there' are other customers we can sell it to. We don't "expect" because we don't have to in a free market.
  9. D Peters from Sundre, Canada writes: Eat local. Now there is a mouthful. Its a great idea but completely unrealistic. I would assume there are very few salt mines within a 100 miles of my home. Let alone pepper, vinegar, hell, if I ate what grew within a 100 miles of home my diet would consist of beef(with no salt or pepper) maybe some milk, rhubarb, root vegatables, and in that short span we call summer, maybe a bucket or two of miscellaneous berries. Forget about a dinner out and pigging out on Alaskan Crab legs, dripping in garlic butter. Instead I will have beef stew, with no salt, all winter. Not.
  10. Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: Wonderful... this again...

    I'd like to see the results of two studies:

    1. If a given metropolitan area (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver) were to switch entirely to local food sources, how long would it take for that population to completely run out of food?

    2. If food production were expanded in each region to accomodate local markets, how much additional land would need to be developed for food production?

    As an aside, I'm curious how many of these "local sourcing" fans are keen to spend the rest of their natural lives with little or no variety in their food diets because local growing conditions don't allow it.

    Trade in agricultural products has been going on for hundreds, if not thousands, of years simply because people like unique things. Thank heaven we're evolving past that archaic behaviour, eh?

    Sigh.
  11. Glynnmhor of Skywall from Canada writes: In January in Calgary, just about the only food that is both 'locally grown' and 'in season' is bison.

    I like lettuce, celery, oranges, apples, carrots, beans, rice, potatoes, and all those other things that just aren't being harvested in midwinter.
  12. stand up mimi from Canada writes: D Chiu - good point. We ought to be looking at the big picture, which means trying to decrease the use of fossil fuels at all points in production. New Zealand farmers began using grass to feed lambs after they lost their subsidies (and it was not easy for them to change this process). Can the UK not do the same? As for us, we would still be better off eating local AND making a point not to buy food that uses too much energy to produce. Buy field tomatoes instead of hothouse, for example.

    There are more reasons to eat local, however, than just lowering the consumpion of fossil fuels. The produce isn't developed for its storage ability, but for taste. It tends to be more nutritious for that reason, as well. You are investing in your own community and your own farmers. And in Canada, we are capable of growing such a wide variety of food that it's crazy to rely on what comes halfway across the world. Besides, if there was ever a global emergency, a local food supply is more reliable than one from, say, China.
  13. François Papineau from Montreal, Canada writes: I already buy local products as much as I can. The problem is to find these products in the groceries. Especially the big ones like Loblaws. It's why I prefer shopping in smaller groceries or at Metro
  14. j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Another Opinion from Toronto - geeze man, relax. It's not like anything has been legislated and people are being forced to do this. It's a public awareness campaign. If someone chooses to go the whole winter on stored root vegetables why do you care?

    As for food production expanding in regions to accomodate local markets I think there might be some legitimacy to what you are saying although a comparitive study would be handy to either prove or disprove that i.e. land use vs energy use. Ideally food processing of any particular product should be done where the food product is predominantly produced. I'm not too crazy about something that let's say is predominately grown in Manitoba getting shipped to S. Ontario to be processed, packaged and then shipped back to Manitoba. That makes no sense.
  15. Karen Johnson from Edmonton, Canada writes: The article states: "This program allows local chefs to make important, long-term connections with producers in their region," said Shirley McClellan, Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development."

    Ummm, Shirley McClellan retired with Mr. Klein. Cinda needs to do her homework. Or stop copying bits from last year's article.

    Encouraging awareness of the costs/benefits of choosing local food doesn't mean that anyone expects people to ONLY eat food grown locally (despite some of the experiments to that effect). There are obviously many things that would be excluded from our diets were that the case. I wonder why people respond to this type of educational and promotional program with derision. Good grief folks. Noone is saying you can't eat food grown elsewhere!

    And can you tell me why the 'location' for this story is Calgary? As Dine Alberta is a government program, why wouldn't the location be the centre of government. Just asking.
  16. Nanook of the North from High River, Canada writes: Actually there's a lot of local produce to be found in Alberta - Corn, berries of all sorts, potatoes, wheat, peas, beef, elk, bison...
    And you can wash it down with the best beer in the country - Traditional Ale.

    You could easily live off the land in Alberta.
    Anyone that says there's nothing here is an idiot that needs to shut up.

    If everyone tried to grow something in their yard or on their balcony and learned the basics of food preservation then we can stop importing crap from the states and we'd be self sufficient.
  17. j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes: stand up mimi from Canada writes: The produce isn't developed for its storage ability, but for taste.

    You got that right! If you compare a Manitoba grown carrot vs one grown in California it's like night and day. The carrots grown here in the rich soil of the Red River Valley are super sweet and delicious whereas California carrots are very bland. But then word gets out to all the food snobs and now the high end restaurants in California want Manitoba carrots which of course goes against the purpose of a campaign such as this. Weird isn't it?
  18. Glynnmhor of Skywall from Canada writes: Nanook of the North from High River, Canada writes:"If everyone tried to grow something in their yard or on their balcony..."

    There's no way that an ordinary city yard (much less a mere balcony) can grow enough food in a year to last one person for a year, much less a family.
  19. j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Nanook of the North from High River, Canada writes:If everyone tried to grow something in their yard or on their balcony and learned the basics of food preservation then we can stop importing crap from the states and we'd be self sufficient.

    Our grandparents practiced this all the time before stores carried imported foods, it's a lost skill that needs to be taught again. I make a marinara sauce out of my tomatoes at the end of the season that provides my family with a lot of good healthy meals for the winter (of course depending on my tomato yield)

    We'll have to agree to disagree about your statement about the best beer in the country! :)
  20. MJ Patchouli from Regina, Canada writes: We were in Superstore last week and my husband was excited about having fresh peaches -- seeing as how it's peach season and all. All our huge grocery store offered was hard, tasteless, pulpy peaches picked while unripe and shipped up here from California -- excuse me, we want delicious juicy ones from Ontario and BC?

    Why don't they know that? Why would it be cheaper to import from the US than to ship from another Canadian province?

    And tomatoes -- do the ones from the stores even taste like tomatoes?
  21. Rollo M Tomasi from that rare warm, sunny day, Belgium writes: You could easily live off the land in Alberta.
    Anyone that says there's nothing here is an idiot that needs to shut up.
    -----------------

    Sounds like a Hick who never left Alberta and has little idea what else is out there. Ah, Alberta, wide open space and closed minds.
  22. Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: For j adams: "It's a public awareness campaign. If someone chooses to go the whole winter on stored root vegetables why do you care?"

    I don't have a problem with a "buy local" campaign, but it's the sanctimonious attitude of its practitioners that bugs me. It's good for the environment... it's better for you... it's the right thing to do... and on and on and on.

    The facts are that there is NO evidence that helps preserve the environment in any meaningful way and there is NO evidence that the practice is remotely sustainable on a large scale.

    Now, I'm not saying I am immune to fads. I did listen to Disco for a brief period, after all. I just find it frustrating that people decide that because something appeals to them, that makes it MORE right than the way other people choose to live.

    It's a great idea in theory, but the "benefits" I keep hearing about sound like a lot of pseudo-scientific babble. I often buy produce from local farmers' markets but I don't have the right to be preachy about it... and neither does anyone else until they can produce some facts.
  23. Glynnmhor of Skywall from Canada writes: j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes:"Our grandparents practiced this all the time before stores carried imported foods, it's a lost skill that needs to be taught again."

    It's not the skills that are lacking, it's the land in cities; there isn't enough available. We grow in our garden that which we cannot get at the grocery stores; broad beans. Everything else is easier and cheaper to buy at Safeway or Co-Op.
  24. j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes: MJ Patchouli from Regina - you're problem was that you were in Superstore. But their policy is to try to provide the cheapest product to the consumer no matter where it comes from so if they are bringing in peaches from California it's most likely cheaper. Why? I don't know but I'm sure someone can explain it.

    Safeway has become aware of the local product movement and they appear to be getting better but it's so expensive to shop there. We have a lot of local farmer's markets and specialty markets here that make it a point to be as local as possible, just don't shop there for regular household items.
  25. stand up mimi from Canada writes: Glynnmhor of Skywall from Canada writes: "There's no way that an ordinary city yard (much less a mere balcony) can grow enough food in a year to last one person for a year, much less a family."

    I think the point is that if more people had their own vegetable gardens, there would be less demand for imported produce. The subject of food and the environment always becomes an all-or-nothing argument for some people. They can't get local coffee, so local eating is a complete waste of time.

    And Another Opinion - find out how much land is currently being used in Canada for food production, and what percentage of that production goes to Canadian markets. Then tell me again that we don't have enough land to feed everyone in Canada. As for variety, we have plenty of it, at least in southern BC. And in fact, I have heard that when we eat stuff like imported lettuce all winter, we may be missing out on certain nutrients in root vegetables and squash that are particularly good for you in winter (like Vitamin D).
  26. stand up mimi from Canada writes: Another Opinion - you're coming off a bit preachy in your points about preachiness.
  27. Glynnmhor of Skywall from Canada writes: stand up mimi from Canada writes: "...Iif more people had their own vegetable gardens, there would be less demand for imported produce."

    Yeah, but the difference in demand would be trivial. Unless you live in some tropical part of Canada (like the lower mainland BC or the Okanagan) where there is an extended growing season, you can't grow enough.

    And for large scale purposes, the prairies aren't suited to growing vegetables anyway. Weather and other factors mean that grains or cattle for export dominate.

    As to the 'farmer's markets', it's very much 'buyer beware'. The farmers who sell there are not supplying goods that have been thoroughly inspected by agriculture officials; they don't have the constraints imposed upon them that corporate entities do.
  28. j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Another Opinion from Toronto, Canada writes:I often buy produce from local farmers' markets but I don't have the right to be preachy about it... and neither does anyone else until they can produce some facts.

    Fair enough

    BTW: have your Disco scars healed yet. I'm still having nightmares. :)
  29. j adams from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Glynnmhor of Skywall - I understand where you are coming from. I wish I had an acre or two to go nuts, but I still think we can do a little better. Some people choose not to go through the effort but I think they should a least give it a try. No, I'm not preaching!

    As for farmer's markets, definitely buyer beware although you are pretty safe with a basic visual inspection with most raw products. I'd stay away from anything value added or preserves because you just don't know if it was done properly. Some basic food/food safety education would help if you choose to take that route.
  30. stand up mimi from Canada writes: Glynnmhor of Skywall from Canada writes: "And for large scale purposes, the prairies aren't suited to growing vegetables anyway."

    Fair enough. I guess I've been spoiled, having lived in both the Okanagan and on the West Coast. I think the key is to be reasonable. Grow what you can locally (commercially or in your backyard) and don't go too far to get the rest. Who needs apples from South Africa? Apples keep almost all winter, so there's really no good argument for importing them from great distances. And the processed food we import from China - well, that's a whole other issue.
  31. Michael Soft from Windows, Canada writes: Eveybody please eat only your backyard vegetable, home grown chickens and beef. Stay home. Don't go out. That will save you the most fossil fuel!
  32. Dewey Dell Bundren from Rocton, Canada writes: Note that Alberta EXPORTED almost a billion dollars in agricultural products in the first three months of this year, mostly to the states. Note, too, that global warming is a global problem. The effects of Albertan's eating a third of the home-grown cow in the name of environmental responsibility (if there are any effects), are more than offset by shipping the other two thirds over thousands of fuel-consuming miles of road and rail. If government was sincere, believed the electorate did not consist mostly of idiots, and really thought that domestic consumption was a route to environmental preservation, they'd cut exports too. And how likely is that, in Alberta or anywhere else?
  33. M Poland from Calgary, Canada writes: Eat local, buy global.
  34. Mr Fijne from Fight Global Walarmism!, Canada writes: Good idea, then produce Alberta cars, wine, clothes, art, planes, etc... afterall we Canadians are world class and do not need all the stuff from elsewhere! Let's hope others do the same... and soon we'll be told that we do not need to drink wine, get nice clothes, enjoy art from abroad: after all do the poor kids of Sahel have this? of course no, so there it is. Meanwhile we'll fly kids to vist the Museum of Rights in Winnipeg so they can learn that they have none! Global walarmism stupidity!
  35. Dennis sinneD. from Calgary, Canada writes: I didn't know.

    I already ordered the live lobster from for my BBQ this weekend...

    Dang...
  36. Hart Oldenburg from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Do something meaningful, burn the food guide! Veggies year round?
    Unripe, picked a world away, substandard nutrtionally.
    Elevate meat to its traditional prominence. Be well fed on small portions! Prime local food! hartsmartliving.com
  37. James Young from Brantford, Canada writes: How about getting rid of the grass, and grow some of your own food? I do.
    Every lawn a garden.

    http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html

    Durgan.
  38. L M from Canada writes: It's good to promote local food. Besides tasting better and probably being more nutritious by being more ripe when harvested, it gives us some control over the quality of what we eat via local regulations. It is also good business to promote our own products. Bizarre comments indeed trying to equate a bit of common-sense with buying absolutely everything locally.
  39. MJ Patchouli from Regina, Canada writes: I went to the local farmers' market and bought some produce -- and it was more expensive than the grocery store, but I'm willing and able to pay but wonder why -- anyway, I bought LOTS of fresh carrots and beets, and brought them home and sliced them, blanched and froze them -- and they are lovely, little jewels ready for winter.

    I always grow a little patch of lettuce and wonder if it's possible to do that under lights in winter? Anyone know? It's the Italian kind that you cut off and it grows back.
  40. Glynnmhor of Skywall from Canada writes: Dewey Dell Bundren from Rocton, Canada writes:"Note, too, that global warming is a global problem."

    Relax; the globe stopped warming over six years ago. Since March 2001 global average temperatures have been nearly unchanging, after thirty years of increases.

    http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/temperature/

    One can see that slight cooling in the southern hemisphere cancels out slight warming in the northern to result in a flat trend, neither warming nor cooling.
  41. Tim Bee from Canada writes: Why is it different with other products like clothes and shoes? While 100 miles may be impossible, certainly the same continent isn't.
  42. Upper Canadian born and raised in Western Canada from St Albert, Canada writes: Those are very pricy, high end restaurants.

    It's too bad that food doesn't end up in the supermarkets so families with growing children can access the same quality - for I'm not sure young children would be a hit in many of those places.

    It's a very nice effort, but it's 'window dressing' - it's only for the rich and elite.
  43. James P from Canada writes: Sure eat local when you can, but for those that expect us to grow our own food should consider the downside. A large farm can grow food for thousands of people using less energy than thousands of people growing it for themselves. This is even true when it is shipped long distances. I may be wrong but if it worked so well, why did we stop gardening(in masses) over 100 years ago? If you are good at being a doctor, good you heal people, you are good at growing food, good you feed people. I'll do what I do best and buy from you.
  44. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: Meanwhile, a new study indicates that the GHGs associated with livestock production constitute 20% of the world emissions (methane, in particular but also related to how livestock are handled, trucked, etc...). So, it would seem that the recommendation should be eat local just minimize the consumption of Alberta beef.
  45. Rick Clarke from Edmonton, Canada writes: Fire up the Hummer, Martha. We're goin to Safeway!
  46. ashlynn mai from Canada writes: interesting Alberta is asking of us what the left has been asking of us for years.
  47. CPT America from United States writes: So does that mean you are going to quit buying asian cars that were shipped half way across the planet?
  48. FOX News from Springfield, United States writes: More American produce means more jobs.
  49. Randal Oulton from Canada writes: And I trust that Alberta will encourage others abroad not to consume the foreign-grown wheat from Alberta.
  50. Old Folksinger from Canada writes: Another example of the strange curiosity that is Alberta - there is more BS here than there are bulls.

    The local food here - other than canola, wheat, beef, pork and potatoes - is very poor quality.
  51. D Peters from Out West, Canada writes: People are always going to buy based on price unless there is a more compelling reason. Very few will buy locally if they believe the quality is noticeably less. Then again appearance is no true gauge of quality.

    Do you base you purchasing upon local production, "organic-ness", or how much child labour was used? Truth is that we as consumers know diddly/squat about where our food, furniture, and clothing even come from, nor do most of us care. As long as the PRICE IS RIGHT.

    PLease have your pets spade or neutered.
  52. D Peters from Out West, Canada writes: My wife and I both grew up "tending garden" as was the custom of the time, since our parents were one of the first generations in our family that escaped the family farm. But we both had large gardens to tend. On our present patch we have about a 1/2 acre area dedicated to a domestic garden where we can grow what we like. After 4 attempts to make it worthwhile, I seeded it to grass. Aside from a few more weedlike plants such as rhubarb, raspberries, and asparagus, it just isn't worth the time nor effort. I'll hit the garden markets or the local grocery store. Who really needs 200lbs of potatoes at once anyways?

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