OTTAWA, ON – Canadians from coast to coast have another reason to celebrate their favourite protein. It’s National Chicken Month! It’s the time to cook and eat all sorts of chicken dishes in salute of all the hard-working Canadian farm families that raise the chicken we love.
“At this time of the year, we love to honour the great chicken that we have been providing to Canadians for decades,” said Benoît Fontaine, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada. “Canadians love chicken, and continue to demonstrate their interest in food, how it’s being grown or raised, and that what they’re serving to their family and friends is of the highest quality.”
Finding great chicken is easier then ever with the Raised by a Canadian Farmer logo. See this logo where you buy your chicken and have confidence in where your food is coming from, and how it’s raised.
This year, the challenge is extended to all Canadians, be it at home with your families or chefs in their commercial kitchens to show off the diversity and versatility of chicken by cooking chicken as a dish reminiscent of their own cultural background, talk about who they are, where they’re from, how their chicken dish holds a special place in their heart, and how chicken is an important part of their cultural heritage.
Chicken Farmers of Canada is also partnering with the Canadian Culinary Federation to highlight how great Canadian chicken is and inviting chefs from all across the country to take “The Chicken Challenge”!
Look for updates and events throughout the month on our social media channels @chickendotca on Instagram, @Canadianchicken on Facebook and follow these hashtags #chickendotca #chickenchallenge #nationalchickenmonth.
Background:
The Raised by a Canadian Farmer brand is synonymous with origin and quality and with it, farmers take pride in their role in one of Canada’s success stories.
- Canada’s chicken sector sustains 101,900 jobs, contributes $8 billion to Canada’s GDP, pays $1.9 billion in taxes, and purchases 3 million tons of feed, making it a stabilizing force in rural Canada, where farmers – reinvest with confidence in their businesses and communities.
- On-farm, farmers adhere to a strict mandatory Raised by a Canadian Farmer On-Farm Food Safety Program, a national standard that has received federal, provincial and territorial government recognition and full recognition by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
- Farmers also adhere to a strict, mandatory and auditable Raised by a Canadian Farmer Animal Care Program to ensure high animal care standards are being upheld on Canadian chicken farms across Canada. It is also third-party audited by NSF International, an internationally recognized, third-party certification body, accredited by the American National Standards Institute, to ISO 17065.
Farmers are also committed to sustainability through innovation, by preserving the health of the land, providing value to Canada’s economy, and making affordable food for Canadians. At this time, the Canadian chicken sector has a lower carbon footprint than that of other livestock in North America and has lowered that carbon footprint by almost 40% in the last 40 years. Water consumption has been reduced by 45% in the same timeframe and 62% of the sector’s total energy use comes from renewable sources.
Farmers are consumers, too. They take great pride in being able to bring Canada’s number one protein to tables from coast to coast, including our own. It makes sense to celebrate National Chicken Month, so we can show the world that we are committed to doing everything we can to maintain our hard-earned trust.
