Questions answered | Project places beef educators face to face with customers
The next time a British Columbia shopper puzzles over the best steak to barbecue, chances are an expert will be close at hand to provide advice and recipes.
The three-year project, which was launched late last year by the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, Canada Safeway and Overwaitea, puts beef educators into grocery stores to give customers a hand with their purchases.
Kirsten Hollstedt of the BCCA said the choices can be overwhelming for consumers who are increasingly removed from the farm and no longer have access to in-store butchers. The BCCA is sponsoring the program as a way to make customer service a greater priority.
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“It is a way to help the customer to navigate through the meat case.”
Besides cooking tips, consumers are asking about animal welfare, general ranching practices and the use of antibiotics and growth hormones.
Overwaitea has been a major beef partner since 2003, when BSE closed borders to trade and the chain could no longer import Certified Angus Beef from the United States.
The company approached the BCCA to find ways to move more local beef.
The result was the creation of the Western Family beef brand, which was all sourced from Alberta and B.C., said Steve Van Der Leest of the chain, which includes Price Smart Foods, Coopers Foods, Overwaitea, Urban Fare and Save on Foods.
The company operates only in B.C. and Alberta. No American or Australian product is substituted.
Most of the beef is processed in a central plant where all cuts are packaged and priced for delivery to stores.
The company also launched a campaign featuring ranching families on posters, held rancher days in its stores and brought in beef educators to work with customers.
“We showed our customers there are real people behind the beef,” Van Der Leest said.
This year, the company is looking for new families for a new series of posters and commercials.
