Promoting staple foods

by Allison Finnamore

In the depths of winter, many Canadians turn to the kitchen to seek soothing comforts – piping hot potatoes, fluffy scrambled eggs, wholesome good bread and icy milk – soul food for many across the nation.

Turn on the television or flip through a Canadian magazine and you’re likely to find advertisements for these staple foods. Egg and milk promotion are common, and last fall, potato producer organizations from Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Alberta teamed with McCain Foods Canada to promote potato nutrition in the Potato Facts campaign. At the same time, the Canadian Wheat Board, Canadian Pasta Manufacturers Association and the Baking Association of Canada joined together for a campaign called “Grains,They’re Essential,” promoting the nutrition of Canadian grains.

To some, it may not make sense to promote the basic foods that make up the foundation of so many Canadian diets. Yet, just because the foods are there, doesn’t mean their consumption remains steady. The latest numbers from Statistics Canada indicate that the 2004 per capita consumption of fresh vegetables dropped for the third consecutive year, dipping to its lowest level since 1992. On average, Canadians consumed 74.8 kilograms (that’s 164.8 pounds) of fresh vegetables in 2004 – a decrease from the 75.7 kilograms (or 166.5 pounds) consumed in 2003.

Potatoes, many of them eaten as french fries or chips, account for half of the decline in vegetable consumption, a downward trend over the last three years. Still, other basic vegetables like onions, lettuce and carrots have also experienced declining consumption.

Dr. John Cranfield is associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Business at the University of Guelph. He says advertising campaigns like the ones currently underway in Canada tend to target these kinds of issues and encourage consumers to increase consumption.

“Generic advertising is intended to increase demand for these products, which typically works to increase sales and the price received by producers,” Cranfield says, adding campaigns can top $10 million.

The campaigns tend to work. Most Canadians are familiar with the various fluid milk campaigns from across the country, and are also familiar with the national “Get Cracking” egg slogan. Still, Cranfield stresses that it’s only possible to assess the effectiveness of the campaign after it has ended. “It is very difficult to crystal ball how successful any particular campaign might be.”

Despite foods like grains, potatoes, milk and eggs creating the foundation for many Canadian diets, there’s still room to increase these markets and improve sales. Sometimes, perhaps caught up in the latest diet trend, we may forget that a varied diet of wholesome food grown by Canadian producers may in fact be the true key to overall health.

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