October 19, 2016
Fredericton – Lois Corbett, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, issued the following statement in response to the announcement of New Brunswick’s Local Food and Beverage Strategy by Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet on Oct. 19.
We agree with Minister Doucet when he says the action plan will benefit people by making the connection between buying local and helping grow New Brunswick’s food and beverages industry– an industry that currently provides 13,000 full-time jobs.
When we increase demand for homegrown food and beverages, we create jobs and boost the farm sector’s contributions to our economy. It’s an important step forward and the Minister and his team are to be congratulated.
The policy has other benefits. Promoting local food, from turnips to tomatoes, from fiddleheads to apple jelly, we grow healthier communities, we reduce pollution and we cut back on waste — all good things when you are thinking about how to build a sustainable New Brunswick.
The government action plan includes:
1. Work to increase healthy, local food in school cafeterias by at least 30% and determine how much funding will be required to support healthy and local food fundraising in schools
2. Create a promotion strategy for tourists to New Brunswick, including culinary tourism events
3. Help the Conservation Council of NB and the National Farmers Union of NB update their list of local products and develop a farmers’ market map of NB
4. Support the Agricultural Alliance of NB to facilitate farm visits for the public and to employ an education coordinator to develop age-appropriate information about agriculture.
5. Create a brand image to make local food and beverages more easily recognizable in establishments across the province
6. Release a beginner’s reference guide for farming in New Brunswick to assist those who are interested in a career in farming to access services and information.
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick along with the National Farmers Union in New Brunswick and the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick collaborated with government departments in the development of the local food and beverage strategy.
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For more information about the benefits of local food, visit the Conservation Council’s Buy Local site.
Check out the Conservation Council’s BuyLocalNB directory here for food and beverage vendors in your community.