Celebrating local food in Alberta

Alberta Local Food Week and Open Farm Days give consumers a chance to meet the local farmers and entrepreneurs who work to put nutritious food on our plates. It’s a great opportunity to show support for all things grown, made and harvested in Alberta and it represents a great partnership between government, industry, Travel Alberta and the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies.

Alberta Local Food Week wraps up with the popular Open Farm Days, which offers Albertans opportunities to visit local farms to get a better understanding of where their food comes from and sample the diversity and abundance of food produced in Alberta.

Earlier this summer, I introduced a new Made in Alberta, by Albertans label to celebrate our local food sector and help consumers identify Alberta local foods. We are engaging with local food producers and processors over the summer to talk about the proposed Made in Alberta, by Albertans label and other issues that are important to stakeholders. This includes collecting input on ways to further reduce barriers and cut red tape for local food producers and processors.

There are many ways to support Alberta local food, such as visiting local producers, growers, distillers and brewers, shopping the local food section in your grocery store, eating at a restaurant that serves local food or visiting your community farmers market.

Thank you to all the Open Farm Days host farms who open their gates to their neighbours. I encourage Albertans to get out and learn more about agriculture in our province and visit an Open Farm Days event this weekend.