New Online BC Beef Network Helps BC Chefs Buy Local

VANCOUVER – An easy to use online ordering tool, serving the growing demand for local meat, has been developed by the BC Association of Abattoirs.  BC Beef Network is a website that connects BC chefs directly with local producers and processors of Certified BC Beef. It will be officially launched at the BC Association of Chefs' mini food show on April 15, 2014 from 6:00-8:30pm at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre, located at 4331 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC.

Chefs are already excited about www.bcbeefnet.ca , which allows them to easily feature local beef on their menus. BCBeefNet lets chefs browse producer profiles which tell the story of how their beef was raised—whether it grazed in the rich Comox Valley or in the foothills of the Cariboo Mountains.

When chefs use BCBeefNet, they know they'll be serving Certified BC Beef which is 100% born, raised and processed in BC. And they can promote the quality of the meat to customers who are increasingly demanding to know where their food comes from and how it was raised.

Much of the beef being sold in today's supermarkets is being passed off as BC beef even though it has been sent to Alberta to be finished and processed. That negatively impacts local industry, communities and the economy. By buying from BC's top producers and craft abattoirs, chefs are serving a high quality, safe local product, and are supporting sustainable agriculture and the local BC economy.

Three executive chefs helped pilot BCBeefNet: Chris Hammer, Royal Colwood Golf Course; Mike Swann, The Plaza Hotel; and Brian Fetterly, Best Western Vernon Lodge.

BC Beef Network was developed with funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the BC Ministry of Agriculture through the Canada-BC Ranching Task Force Funding Initiative. The initiative is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC.

Source: BC Association of Abattoirs