Calgary Co-op’s Only Alberta Beef product offering takes its beef “up to the next level with black Angus beef”
Calgary Co-op stores are enhancing its Only Alberta Beef product line by launching Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) certification on its latest product offering.
The new Only Alberta Black Angus Beef brand will be certified as a CRSB Mass Balance product meaning at least 30 percent of the products sold under that label will be sourced from designated operations using sustainable practices.
Shawn Jacks, operations director for Calgary Co-op’s fresh departments, said the new product offering builds on the store’s commitment to sourcing Alberta beef products, as well as promoting sustainability in their production.
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Jacks said the move to expand its Only Alberta Beef line after nearly four years comes in response to the grocery sector offering more variety in products.
“We wanted to bring it up to the next level adding in black Angus beef,” he said. “Black angus is really recognized through the consumer. They believe, and it is true, it’s a better product.”
The other trend Calgary Co-op’s move recognizes is the desire for consumers to know the product they’re buying is produced sustainably.
“More and more people are aware of the sustainability of everything. We’re talking about ESG (environmental, social and governance), everybody is talking about ESG and how can we as a company, as well as the producers, really look at sustainability as a driving force,” he said. “Consumers are looking for more of that as well as producers and us as companies are getting into more sustainable products and services.”
That demand for locally produced and sustainably raised beef products is something Jacks said believes will help drive the CRSB Mass Balance certification program.
Regarding the Only Alberta Beef product line as a whole, Jacks said it’s a part of the store’s ethos and continues to be a good seller at its 26 stores in Calgary and surrounding area.
Calgary Co-op currently offers its Only Alberta Beef product line in conjunction with Alberta’s JBS processing facility in Brooks.
