Consumer need for quality shapes Alberta pork

Consumers are demanding assurance that the food they eat is safe and healthy. That’s why Alberta producers are members of the Quality Assurance Program.

Alberta’s pork industry is serious business – here in Canada and outside our own borders.  Per capita consumption of this lean, protein rich meat is on the rise and recent statistics peg Canadian consumption at 29.7 kg per year.

As sustainable industries go, Alberta Pork’s growth lies in two key areas – quality assurance and the development of export markets. It seems the world wants Alberta pork – but packaged with the assurance that it’s safe and of premium quality.

Efforts to “maintain and grow our market share begin and end with a focus on quality food production,” says Kim Lust. A pork producer from Seven Persons, southwest of Medicine Hat, Lust runs a farrow to finish pork business with 125 sows. He’s also a director of Alberta Pork, a producer-based organization that was the pioneer in the development of the industry’s Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA) program.

CQA: protocols the world trusts

Given today’s news headlines, the need for meat quality assurance has never been more important. Global consumers are demanding assurance that the food they eat is safe and healthy.

That’s the driver behind the CQA Program. “Basically, CQA is the on-farm component of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) already in place at plants that export pork,” comments Paul Hodgman, Manager Industry Affairs, Alberta Pork. “It’s the vehicle for producers to drive food safety from the get go.”

HACCP is an internationally recognized, sciencebased system designed to identify and reduce physical, chemical and biological hazards in the food chain.

With established rules and record-keeping requirements for everything from medical treatment to feed mixing and sequencing, CQA helps “producers identify and implement on-farm management practises that raise the bar on food safety and quality,” explains Sarah Turner, CQA program coordinator.

To earn CQA validation, producers must complete an extensive survey, implement specific regulations and agree to a detailed, on-farm audit by one of the industry’s trained validators.

“Although, CQA is not yet compulsary,” says Hodgman, “many plants that we ship our product to are requiring CQA validation.”

With 14% of the national hog population, Alberta makes a key contribution to Canada’s position among the world’s top three exporters. Closer to home, this industry consumes some 1.1 million tonnes of grain – the majority of which is grown right in Alberta, which makes pork a value-added agricultural food product, notes Hodgman.

“The best thing about CQA is that it makes you really stop and think about why you do the things you do,” says Lust. “It’s a constant reminder of the need to do the best job possible.”

And, that’s the commitment consumers want – here in Canada and globally.