To make nutritious, perishable food more affordable in isolated communities, the federal government established the Northern Air Stage Program. The program, also known as the Food Mail Program, is administered by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). INAC provides funding to Canada Post for transporting nutritious, perishable foods to isolated communities by air. This funding helps keep the cost of food down.

In February 2000, a meeting was held with Labrador retailers who had expressed concerns about the quality of food being delivered to their communities. Food handling by wholesalers, transport companies and retailers was identified as being the main problem. Following that meeting, a pilot project was devised and implemented for all communities served out of Happy Valley-Goose Bay - the entry point for foods shipped under the Food Mail Program in Labrador.

A report was prepared by the Air Cargo Transportation Research Group of Laval University entitled Quality of perishable products (fruits and vegetables) during distribution in Labrador. The report identified the environmental conditions responsible for the lower quality of fresh perishable foods shipped to Labrador communities from their departure in Montréal through to their final destination. The goal was to improve these conditions to ultimately improve the quality and freshness of the products.

The above findings were then used to train all involved in the proper handling of perishable foods during warehousing and transportation. Wholesalers, trucking and airline cargo staff and retailers were all provided extensive training on the best conditions for storing and transporting perishable products including proper packaging, temperature requirements, handling and separating products to prolong the shelf life of foods shipped under this program.

In the meantime, a survey was circulated to all residents and retailers in six Labrador communities in March 2001 to gather baseline information on the satisfaction levels of both customers and retailers about the quality and variety of perishable foods shipped to their communities. These communities included Black Tickle, Hopedale, Makkovik, Nain, Postville and Rigolet. Davis Inlet was also included in the retailer survey.

This report summarizes the survey’s key findings and will be used to assess the impact of the guidelines developed for packaging, storage facilities, handling and sanitation and the training provided to all the above-mentioned stakeholders to improve the quality of perishable foods. INAC will conduct a second survey in March of 2002 to see if food quality has improved since the first survey. This information will then be used for the benefit of other Northern communities, because improvements will be implemented elsewhere if they are shown to have been successful in Labrador.

Another dimension was added to the survey relating to the variety of foods offered to Northerners. Although not directly tied to the primary objective of the pilot project, it is believed that the overarching goal of improving Northerners’ health can only be achieved if they can buy a variety of high-quality perishable foods.

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