Chatham-Kent groups debate who will foot the costs of new local food branding project

Friday, April 11, 2014

by MATT MCINTOSH

Chatham-Kent farmers can now attach a Grown in Chatham-Kent logo to their products, but the groups responsible for starting the branding project still have not determined whether the bill for making up the labels will fall to producers or the municipality.

Set against a green corn leaf, the Grown in Chatham-Kent logo was created by the municipality’s agricultural development committee, public health unit, economic development office and food policy council. The logo will be attached to food products grown within Chatham-Kent. The brand as a whole, says Lyndsay Davidson, a registered dietitian with the health unit, was originally created to help foster local food awareness in the region while developing the Chatham-Kent name in both local and non-local markets.

So far, the municipality has freely provided logos for the new brand in the form of stickers to seven different local businesses, but Jamie McGrail, vice-chair of the Chatham-Kent agricultural development committee, says producers might end up having to pay for the labels themselves. She also says that there is no set cost for labeling.

“A logo for the side of a transport truck will be a lot more than a sticker for an apple, so we left things open,” explains McGrail. “We are discussing who will pay for [the labels].”

McGrail says Ann Gilbert, a Chatham-Kent municipal councilor, expressed concerns over funding during a meeting earlier this week, and suggested the municipality might have to provide the label to producers in order for it to catch on.

Mike Buis, owner of Buis Beef, one of the seven companies who received the Grown in Chatham-Kent logos, says cost would not necessarily be a problem.

“Even if we didn’t get a nickel of funding we would still add a local logo to our label,” he says. “We’re proud to be selling things that were raised here. It’s just a nice thing to have.”

Davidson says there are two different labels being used. The first is marked simply “Grown in Chatham-Kent,” and is meant for products being sold locally. The second, she says, includes “Ontario, Canada” in the label, which is designed to draw the attention of people from other parts of the country and other parts of the world.

“More people are interested in looking up where their food comes from and the Chatham-Kent brand gives them an opportunity to find out about our specific area,” says Davidson.

Davidson says the logo project is still in the first of three stages, and is focusing on gaining support from producers and processors. Along with Buis Beef, the other six businesses already receiving the new logos are: Parks Blueberries, Buis Beef, Early Acres Winery, Sunshine Asparagus, The Pickle Station, Nature’s Finest Produce, and Mambo Greenhouses.

Both Davidson and McGrail say they hope to increase the number of businesses involved as the project moves forward.

The subsequent stages will involve getting restaurants and grocery stores to stock the products of farms participating in the branding program on their shelves, as well as convincing manufacturers to use the local products.  

McGrail says the four organizations have not yet developed any specific, concrete strategies for the second and third stages, and that the Chatham-Kent brand will not conflict with the provincial brand, Foodland Ontario. BF