sound bits

Internet Newsletter
Small Scale Food Processor Association (SSFPA)
1-866-54-SSFPA or 1-866-547-7372
info@ssfpa.net
October 2005

Read More Bits
of the SSFPA sound bits Newsletter
October 2005

Coming Events

2005 Concept to Commerce Workshop series is sponsored by BC Food Processors Association and the BC Functional Food & Nutraceutical Network. This year, the events will be held in the following dates and places:

• Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - Abbotsford, BC (agenda available)
• Thursday, October 20, 2005 - Kamloops, BC (agenda available)
• Tuesday, November 15 - Prince George, BC (agenda available soon)

BC Food Processors Association's List of Events also includes its Value Chain Forum (October 27). BCFPA also notes the World Wide Food Expo in Chicago (October 26-29) and the Outgoing Market Development Mission in Shanghai, China (November 13-18).

First Annual BC Organic Harvest Awards will take place at the Coast Plaza Hotel in Vancouver on Saturday, November 5, 2005. Tickets are $75. Please call (250) 260-4429 to order tickets.

SSFPA's Recipe for Success seminars will be held in November. Call 1-866-547-7372 or e-mail us for more details. Locations and dates are:

• Kamloops, November 14, 2005: Partner is First Nations Agricultural Lending Association
• Salmon Arm, November 15, 2005: Partner is Community Futures Development Corporation of the Shuswap
• Summerland, November 16, 2005: Partner is Summerland Economic Development
• Creston, November 18, 2005: Creston Valley Sustainable Agricultural Committee
• Chilliwack, November 21, 2005: Partner TBA
• Mission/Abbotsford, November 22, 2005: Partner is South Fraser Valley Community Futures
• Courtenay, November 23, 2005: Partner is Community Futures Strathcona

Back to sound bits Main Page .......

Does your product line require you to be up-to-date on a wide range of adverse reactions? If so, you will probably be interested in the Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter published by Health Canada.

Health Canada's "warnings and advisories" are available on a variety of items, not only food or nutritional products.

The Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) issues a bulletin with information, regulations, and guidelines. Among other items, it is now accepting submissions for products that contain vitamin K as a medicinal ingredient (with some qualifiers) and the applications for products containing this ingredient will now be processed.

• An It's Your Health article has information on nutritional labelling and the new regulations affecting this;
• Accompanying Information for Nutritional Labelling, part of the Canadian Food Information Agency (CFIA) web site. CFIA is now responsible for answering questions about the new regulations;
• 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising - Chapter 1 provides a list of CFIA offices which provide Food Labelling Information Services;
• Information Letter on Carbohydrate Claims on Foods Sold in Canada was recently posted on the CFIA web site.

Back to sound bits Main Page ....

Member Bio - Kika Joy

My journey into small-scale food production comes within the designation "RHN" (Registered Holistic Nutritionist) and is tied to memories of my wonderful ethnic upbringing. Imperative to good digest, fermented foods have served to replenish the healthy gut microbes in cultural apothecaries for thousands of years. In my own "culture," fermented cabbage is my connection.

Not a grower myself, I work strictly with BC certified organic farmers to supply my seasonal needs and believe the quality assurance of using certified organic, BC-grown food fits the integrity of my product and permacultural ideals.

Initially I sold my products at local farmers' markets. However, I quickly acquired "sole proprietor product insurance" and was fortunate and lucky enough to have my product accepted at several retail stores. This was preceded by focusing on: labels that promoted "shelf presence;" industry regulations; and appropriate jar sizes. Funding my growing food business from my "day job," over the past three years I've worked steadily to create a lasting venue of interest and innovation for myself and for all those that enjoy my product.

In my opinion, as the world experiences a reduced reliance on fossil fuels, the immense importance of small-scale food processors and producers will only increase. Making value-added food available in your community and beyond is recognized and supported by Agriculture Canada as a steadily growing, viable economic sector. As an SSFPA member, I'm confident that my support for fellow small processors will strengthen local food safety and security and increase society's consciousness of these issues.

Thanks for reading my Bio and letter. I look forward to receiving any comments and stories.

Kika Joy, RHN
Owner, Organized Organics
Purveyor of Weight Stone Brand Sauerkraut and Natural Fermented Foods
Member and Director, Small Scale Food Processor Association
Manager/Senior Administrator/Owner of Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Vancouver, BC

.Back to sound bits Main Page ....

Agri-Food Trade Service (ATS) web site is Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's electronic service providing international trade and market information for Canadian agri-food exporters. Check it out for market information, export news and analysis, and much more. Latest ATS headlines are available, as well as a newsmagazine in both PDF and HTML formats. This summer, ATS focuses on Mexico's expanding import sector and Canada's fast-changing meat sector.

au courant, the newsletter of the Food and Consumer Product Manufacturers of Canada, provides information of interest to those who produce and package consumer goods - including food - in Canada.

BC Food Protection Association's web site is worth a visit. The BCFPA's most recent newsletter, The Grapevine, is also available.

Beyond Factory Farming Project. Read this thought-provoking article on Bill C-27. Some prominent scientists claim the bill will result in Canada losing its ability to adopt the independent testing and the inspection capacity it needs to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

British Columbia Institute of Technology offers many courses of interest to small scale food processors.

Canadian Farm Manager (an initiative of Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs) offers an excellent bi-monthly newsmagazine. The July-August issue features "Turning Consumers On To The Pleasures of Local Food, " while the April-May issue focused on agritourism.

CEDTAP (Community Economic Development Technical Assistance Program). These are the great people who helped SSFPA get started and are still investing in our cause. Windmills on the Toronto waterfront, fish processing in Saskatchewan, immigrant women sewing conference bags in Edmonton - learn more about the innovative projects CEDTAP supports all across Canada.

Canadian Organic Growers, Inc. COG is Canada's national membership-based education and networking organization representing farmers, gardeners and consumers in all provinces. It features a lending library, quarterly magazine, and monthly internet newsletter.

Eat Wild. A clearing house for information on pasture-based farming, this sites provides up-to-date, information about the benefits of choosing meat and and dairy products from pastured animals.

Engage is an internet publication put out by Tamarack, an organization which focuses on Comprehensive Community Initiatives (CCI's). CSI's are efforts by citizens to take on the most complex problems facing their communities and the lives of their fellow residents, issues like community safety, homelessness, and poverty.

Farm Folk/City Folk is a non-profit society that wants one simple thing: for people to eat local, fresh, seasonal foods, grown using farming practices that contribute to the health of the planet. The organization provides an e-mail bulletin, packed with information. You can subscribe at the lower left corner of the main page. Also check out Farm Folk/City Folk's "Information Pantry" at the same site. On Page 1 of sound bits, we also feature the group's innovative "100 Mile

New Mexico State University College of Agriculture puts out a newsletter that is also worth a read.

Organic Consumers Association (see its "sneak attack" warning on sound bits' main page this month) also has an interesting newsletter. Organic Bytes includes consistently well-organized information and clearly defined responses to the challenges affecting organic food production.

Selling to the BC Government. Governments are also serious consumers. Learn what you need to know about selling your goods or services to the province of BC, including Frequently Asked Questions, a guide on responding to a provincial Request for Proposal, and a list of public sector buyers.

Seeds of Diversity Canada is a national charitable organization dedicated to the conservation, documentation and use of the broad gene pool of horticultural plants. It notes that "most of the rare varieties in Canadian seed catalogues are sold by small, single-proprietor companies. They are the companies that you find at Seedy Saturdays across Canada every winter. We all need to support these small niche vendors, since they are propagating and distributing over 80% of our horticultural biodiversity!"

Smart Growth BC launches the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) Watch Listserve. Agriculture and food processing support the livelihood of over 200,000 British Columbians and contribute over $2.2 billion to the economy. All this occurs with less than 5% of the province's land base. Smart Growth BC has established an ALR Watch listserve to inform people who are passionate about its protection. To join, send a blank e-mail to:
alrwatch-subscribe@smartgrowth.bc.ca

* For even more information on the ever-expanding world of small-scale food production and processing, visit our Links page.

.Back to sound bits Main Page ....

.