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| Industr y Roundup | Bison Meat Exports Double Over Five Years According to a Statistics Canada, the number of bison on Canadian farms has increased over a third in the last five years, and exports of bison meat have doubled in the same time period. The study, titled “Bison on the comeback trail” and based on Census of Agriculture data, says that nearly 2,000 farms reported they had a total of 195,728 head of bison on their operations on May 16, 2006, an increase of 34.9 per cent since the previous census in 2001. The number of farms raising bison increased more than 6.5 times since 1991. The number of bison continues to increase, responding to the rise of consumer demand both domestically and internationally, the report says. The number of bison slaughtered in federally and provincially inspected establishments in Canada climbed from 11,168 in 2001 to 25,613 in 2006. Exports of bison meat totalled over 2,075,000 kilograms in 2006. Live bison exports also increased, peaking at 13,255 in 2006. The report outlines some of the advantages bison have over other livestock. As an indigenous species, bison are naturally adapted to the climate and able to survive blustery winter storms and sweltering summer heat. It also notes that the number of bison in Canada is on the rise “partly because health-conscious consumers perceive bison as being a more natural food product" and that bison tends to "yield a meat that is low in fat and calories and high in iron.” Canadian bison producers are concentrated in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – areas that are the traditional home for the animal. Meat Cutters Included in Expansion of Temporary Foreign Worker Program Twenty-one new occupations were added to the Expedited Labour Market Opinion pilot project, a temporary program designed to speed up the process for employers in British Columbia and Alberta to hire foreign workers, including industrial meat cutters and food service supervisors. “The 33 occupations now included in this pilot represent 50 per cent of the total volume of labour market opinion applications from employers in B.C. and Alberta,” said Federal Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Monte Solberg. The program will continue to run in B.C. and Alberta until September. It will allow eligible employers needing workers in the 33 specific occupations to receive their Labour Market Opinions much faster than in the past. The pilot project originally covered 12 specific occupations. hrsdc.gc.ca VC999 Packaging Systems Opens New Canada Logistics Centre and Offices VC999 Packaging Systems, a leading international packaging equipment manufacturer, has announced the completion of a new 20,000 square foot logistics centre in St-Germain de Grantham, Que., just outside Montreal, that will house its Canada location. The new building is equipped to handle international customs shipping and inspection. VC999 plans on using the warehouse to handle much of its international shipping. The warehouse was specifically designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria. The company said it chose the finest materials for the project in order to ensure better air quality for the warehouse. The building also meets CT-Pat standards and HACCP rules for warehousing. The centre will formally open on Feb. 22 and will employ 12 people. vc999.com New Western Canadian Value Chain Initiative Agriculture councils across Western Canada have joined forces to form a new initiative designed to encourage the development of inter-provincial value chains. The Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan, the British Columbia Investment Agriculture Foundation, the Alberta Agriculture and Food Council, the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council and the provincial governments of all four western provinces will form the Western Canadian Value Chain Initiative. The organizations recognized a need for a collaborative approach in promoting the value chain model, delivering a consistent series of workshops across Western Canada that will encourage more inter-provincial value chains to develop. The initiative will be based on the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Value Chain Initiative. U.S. Actress Launches Campaign Against Horse Meat in Canada American actress and one-time Playboy model Bo Derek launched a campaign against the slaughter of horses for meat in Canada, saying that Canada needs to modernize and toughen its 115-year old animal cruelty laws. A press release issued by Derek said there is no law specifically protecting wild horses in Canada, though the U.S. has offered legal protection for its wild horses since 1971. The closure of major American slaughter operations in the face of an impending ban has meant an increase of over 40 per cent in the number of horses crossing the border to be slaughtered in Canada. She said the U.S. ban on horse slaughter could result in 100,000 horses being killed here in the next year. “I was surprised to discover that Canada has cruelty laws that were 18 Canadian Meat Business January/February 2008 meatbusiness.ca
| Industr y Roundup | written a century ago, that there is no protection at all here for wild horses and that 300 horses a day could face death in a trade most Canadians would want no part of,” Derek said. Foodservice Suppliers Embrace Canada's Largest-Ever Hospitality Event More than 700 exhibitors are now expected to welcome a record-breaking audience of Canadian chefs, restaurateurs, bar experts and foodservice professionals during the CRFA Show's three-day run, March 2 to 4 at the Direct Energy Centre in downtown Toronto. The original plan for 1,442 exhibit booths at the CRFA Show has been expanded to more than 1,600, thanks largely to the return of many former exhibitors from the HostEx and Food & Beverage shows. To meet strong demand, a limited number of exhibit booths are being made available in the Direct Energy Centre's Heritage Court, adjacent to the main building. crfa.ca Silliker Acquires JR Laboratories Silliker, a world leader in food safety and quality services, has acquired 70 per cent of the Burnaby, B.C.-based food testing and technical consulting company JR Laboratories. Founded in 1988 by Ray Cheung and Jimmy Chang, JR Laboratories serves many of the country's major food, beverage, natural health, and pharmaceutical companies. Under terms of the acquisition, Ray Cheung and Jimmy Chang will assume the roles of division president and division vice president, respectively, in the renamed Silliker JR Laboratories, ULC. The expertise and capabilities of Silliker JR Laboratories and Silliker Markham in Ontario, are complementary, and will ensure full testing services in Canada while also covering the Northwest United States region. silliker.com Maple Leaf Foods Completes Strategic Review of Rendering Operations Maple Leaf Foods Inc. announced it will retain its Rothsay rendering operations. Rothsay recycles inedible animal by-products, generated by Maple Leaf operations or collected from other customers, into valueadded products including animal feed, amino acid supplements, biodiesel and other industrial uses. In October 2006, Maple Leaf announced a change in its strategy to focus on growth in its value added meat, meals and bakery businesses. At that time, management indicated the role of its rendering operations was under review. Management has since concluded that the business is an integral part of managing the disposition of by-products from its remaining primary processing operations. investor.mapleleaf.ca BSE Case Confirmed in Alberta The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a 13-year-old beef cow from Alberta on Dec. 18. The animal's carcass is under CFIA control, and no part of it entered the human food or animal feed systems. The age of the infected animal falls within the age range of previous cases detected in Canada under the national BSE surveillance program. The animal was born before the implementation of Canada's feed ban in 1997. The CFIA stated this case will not affect Canada's status as a controlled risk country for BSE. inspection.gc.ca PM Announces New Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced the Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan, a set of proposed new measures that will legislate tougher federal regulation of food, health, and consumer products. The proposed legislation will transform the government's approach to regulating product safety. New measures will include: • Mandatory product recalls when companies fail to act on legitimate safety concerns • Making importers responsible for the safety of goods they bring into Canada • Increasing maximum fines under the Food and Drug Act from $5,000 up to current international standards • Better safety information for consumers and guidance to industries on building safety throughout their supply chains. meatbusiness.ca January/February 2008 Canadian Meat Business 19
Page 1: January/February 2008 Canadian Food
Page 5 and 6: | Guest Editorial | January/Februar
Page 7 and 8: | Cover Stor y | way into Canadian
Page 10 and 11: AAFC’s Lacombe centre is internat
Page 12 and 13: Canadian Food Industry 2007 Review
Page 14 and 15: | Cross Countr y News | North-Centr
Page 16 and 17: $12 Million Turnaround Government f
Page 20 and 21: Meat-Friendly Weight Loss High prot
Page 22 and 23: Ethanol as Public Policy in Canada
Page 24 and 25: | Assembly Line | Assembly Line is
Page 27 and 28: | Business Spotlight | INTERLEAVING
Page 29 and 30: | Product Showcase | New One Piece

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