B.C. FOOD PRODUCTS MAKE THE BEST MEAL ON EARTH

VICTORIA – As British Columbians begin planning holiday meals, Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell is urging everyone to set their tables with B.C. products.

“Our farming community produces over 225 products, so there is something that will appeal to all tastes,” Bell said. “Whether you have the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings or something more West Coast, like salmon, you know you are eating fresh, healthy local products. I urge every consumer to support our hard-working farming communities by buying B.C. products.”

To showcase the variety of B.C. agriculture and aquaculture products, Bell invited guests to a display of Christmas meal products and seasonal decorations that are 100 per cent British Columbian. From the turkey to the cranberries, from the candles made of beeswax to the tree in the corner, every item came from a B.C. farm.

The diversity of the industry is reflected in the fact B.C. leads the nation in the production of farmed fish, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, sweet cherries and raspberries. It is second in production of floriculture, nursery products, greenhouse tomatoes, sweet peppers and cucumbers, mushrooms, apples, ginseng and shellfish.

“B.C.’s agriculture industry is the most diverse in Canada and its products provide a significant contribution to our personal and economic health,” said Val Roddick, chair of the Agriculture Planning Committee and MLA for Delta South. “The plan the committee is developing will make sure the industry thrives and all British Columbians, both rural and urban, realize the vital role agriculture plays in our everyday lives.”

B.C.’s agriculture and aquaculture sectors generate almost $2.8 billion in direct annual sales – including farm gate sales of almost $397 million – and employ almost 40,000 people. That job total jumps to over 280,000 when the food retail, processing, wholesale and service industries are included.

Communities benefit both economically and socially from agriculture, a recent report by the University of Northern B.C. for the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets shows. According to the report, farmers’ markets contribute $118.5 million annually to the provincial economy. In addition, customers surveyed said they spend about half their time at a farmers’ market simply talking to friends and neighbours.

In asking British Columbians to buy local foods for this Christmas, Bell and Roddick also ask that they remember the less fortunate by donating to their local food bank or charity. The B.C. products on display today are being donated to a Victoria-area food bank.

-30-

A photo of Minister Bell, MLA Val Roddick and B.C. Agriculture Council executive director Steve Thomson showcasing an all-B.C. Christmas meal is available at: www.mediaroom.gov.bc.ca/DisplayEventDetails.aspx?eventId=341

2 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Liz Bicknell Communications Director Ministry of Agriculture and Lands 250 356-2862 250 213-3072 (cell)

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.