EDMONTON — Producers may roll their eyes at the United Nation’s naming 2016 the year of pulses.
But who heard of quinoa before the UN declared 2012 the year of quinoa, wondered Allison Ammeter, chair of Alberta Pulse Growers and Canadian chair of the International Year of Pulse committee.
Quinoa is now the “it” food in baking, side dishes and salads, and Ammeter hopes the designation will give pulses the same international recognition as quinoa.
Ammeter hopes that a year of celebration, media attention, consumer awareness and marketing will result in people knowing that pulses are the edible seeds of peas, beans and lentils without a lengthy explanation.
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“I am amazed at the number of consumers who don’t know what pulses are,” she said during the Mission Impulseible student food competition, which is designed to raise awareness of pulses among students.
Canada is the largest pulse exporter in the world, shipping the crop to 150 countries.
“For Canada, this is a big deal. This has generated a lot of excitement in the pulse industry,” said Ammeter, a farmer from Sylvan Lake, Alta.
Year of the Pulse organizers will release a pulse logo this spring that she hopes will become as familiar to consumers as the blue cow on dairy products.
“This brand is a big deal, a really big deal,” she said.
Organizers will promote messages around pulses’ health benefits, role in food security and place in helping create sustainable farming practices.
The pulse industry will work with the Canadian International Grains Institute and POS Bio-Sciences to offer training courses for customers on the best use of Canadian pulses. It will also work with food processing and manufacturing companies on how pulses can be incorporated into food products. Organizers are also talking with food networks and shows about featuring pulses during the year long celebration.
mary.macarthur@producer.com
