Ottawa, Ontario, May 18, 2012 - As part of the Harper Government's effort to strengthen the economy, a new initiative launched today will help consumers more easily identify and buy Canadian food products at their local grocery stores. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today a new initiative that will promote Canadian food products to consumers in 65 stores across Canada, while this morning two Members of Parliament kicked off the national promotion at participating grocery stores in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and Langley, British Columbia.

"Our farmers are the best food producers in the world, reflecting Canada's dedication to excellence and our commitment to quality, safety, and innovation," said Minister Ritz. "Our Government knows that the best way to keep our economy strong is to make sure our farmers can earn their living from the marketplace. We're helping them do that by making sure that Canadians can easily spot Canadian food when they shop for themselves and their families."

The announcement comes after a successful 2011 pilot project conducted in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and British Columbia that clearly identified Canadian products in a select group of stores. Sales of the featured Canadian food products went up significantly, showing that consumers prefer to buy Canadian products if they can easily identify them. With the use of shelf displays, brochures and other printed products, the pilot increased consumer awareness of the excellence of food products from Canadian producers and processors.

Building on the success of the pilot projects, the in-store promotion is being extended in stages across the country to a total of 65 stores before Canada Day.

To find out more about the Canada Brand domestic strategy and to find out what membership and participation can mean for retailers, please visit www.marquecanadabrand.agr.gc.ca.

Backgrounder

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, together with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, established the following list of stores across Canada to participate in the domestic Canada Brand in-store promotion.

For more information, media may contact:

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972

Meagan Murdoch
Director of Communications
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059

Chilliwack, British Columbia, May 16, 2012 – Canada’s Economic Action Plan is helping a British Columbia fish and animal feed manufacturer hire more workers and buy more agricultural produce to grow its business. Member of Parliament Mark Strahl (Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced the investment of $175,000 to Taplow Ventures Ltd. toward the purchase and installation of a new dryer at its processing facility.

"The Harper Government’s top priority is keeping our economy strong, and farmers and producers are a big part of our economic success," said MP Strahl. "This investment will help Taplow Ventures greatly increase its production capacity, creating jobs for the people of British Columbia, boosting the local economy and the bottom line of our farmers."

Taplow Ventures Ltd. specializes in selling fish and pet foods. The investment helped the company purchase a new and more efficient dryer, enabling the manufacturing facility to increase its processing capacity, improve its products, and become more competitive. These improvements will also enable Taplow Ventures to buy more agricultural inputs such as potatoes, wheat, and fish meal to produce its feed. This project is expected to result in the creation of 15 jobs by 2014, in addition to helping maintain 33 full-time positions.

"We are pleased to have received this loan from the Government of Canada," says Michael Florian, President of Taplow Ventures Ltd. (also known as FirstMate Pet Foods). "It has given us the ability to upgrade and modernize our pet food and fish feed processing plant. We have been operating with the new dryer for a number of months now, and we have experienced efficiency and quality improvements from the onset. The resulting additional capacity has allowed us to increase exports and provide better products into existing markets."

This repayable contribution is being delivered by the Agricultural Flexibility Fund through the AgriProcessing Initiative, a five-year, up to $50-million initiative designed to enhance the competitiveness of the agri-processing sector in Canada. It provides support to existing companies for projects that involve the adoption of innovative and new-to-company manufacturing technologies and processes that are essential to sustaining and improving the sector’s position in today’s global marketplace. For more information on this program, visit www.agr.gc.ca/api.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Harper Government is helping farmers find new markets, adapt to current economic challenges, and make their businesses more efficient and environmentally sustainable. The Government will remain focused on strengthening the economy while working toward returning to balanced budgets and securing Canada’s economic future. For more information on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

For more information, media may contact:

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972

Meagan Murdoch
Director of Communications
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059