Food and beverage processing is one of the largest employers in our province’s manufacturing sector, with about 28,000 workers and record food manufacturing sales of $15.5 billion last year.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen introduced the new Made in Alberta, by Albertans label at the Millarville Farmers’ Market last weekend and noted it was a work in progress.
Dreeshan also highlighted a Farmers’ Market review and red tape reduction “Operators and farmers’ markets have been asking for a ‘red tape’ reduction so that we could have less government in Farmers’ Markets and something that we’ve done is remove the minimum number of market hours for a farmers market to operate.
The new “Made in Alberta, by Albertans” label that farmers and processors will soon be able to use on their products, will help shoppers quickly identify food made in our province when choosing an item at their local farmers’ market or grocery store.
These days, people want to know where their food comes from, and this will make it a lot easier for them to choose food from Alberta.
Consultations with farmers, processors and consumers will be held this summer to finalize the proposed label and prepare rules for its use on different types of food products.