BC Meats Industry Newsletter
The BC Association of Abattoirs has been working hard to increase demand and access to BC meats to grow a sustainable industry, and these efforts are paying off. Here's the latest news!
Introducing BC's Best Raw Pet Food

Loud Bark or Drum Roll please!
Beginning with full meals for man's best friend, the first commercial run of BC's Best Raw Pet Food product lines has just arrived after more than a year of hard work and collaboration by our committed team. On March 19th BC's Best Raw Pet Food for dogs will be launched province wide at all Choices Markets, In the Raw in North Vancouver, True Blue Pet Supplies in Campbell River and at The Smorgasbord Deli in Kamloops. "Our pet food launch is a natural extension of our association's objective to increase access to and markets for local meats," comments Gillian Watt, Executive Director. "BC's Best will be owned and operated by the association as well as by its member investors."
The goal for BC's Best is to provide nourishing whole foods for pets using the diversity of foods that grow in BC throughout the year and meats that are raised from local animals. The full meals for dogs contain grass fed lamb from the Thompson Okanagan, processed by Rainer Custom Cutting and Kam Lake View Meats; chicken and duck from Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry; and grass fed beef from Rodear Meats. With recipes developed by holistically-focused veterinarian Jacinta D'Andrea and the expertise of processor Top Hand Supplies of Cranbrook, BC's Best Raw Pet Food supports a truly local and healthy, sustainable food system.
The next step is to develop easy-to-follow recipes for the community line of BC's Best, which will enable local abattoirs and producers around the province to manufacture these pure meat pet food products and sell them at their gates. Once the dog food product lines are complete, BC's Best will be 'purr'fecting its cat food line.

If your dogs would like to sample
BC's Best Raw Pet Food, you can
purchase it by the case by contacting
our sales rep Elysha Aspeslet at
778.257.7050 or visit our website to
make an order and pay on line. 
Visit our consumer website too!

Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the BC Ministry of Agriculture through the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program under Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The program is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC.
Central Marketplace: Coming Soon!

BCBeefNet is expanding to meet the increasing appetite of local Asian restaurants and markets, specialty burger bistros, secondary processors and pet food manufacturers for succulent home grown 100% BC Beef.

With Central Marketplace, chefs, grocers and butchers using BC BeefNet can receive credit for portions of the carcass they may not have use for, so these cuts can be collected in our virtual marketplace and purchased in bulk by other specialty markets. Our Central Marketplace features the lesser used parts of the animal that are not commonly dished up by the average Western chef, but are sought after as staples in Asian cuisine and are also desired by the food processing and manufacturing sectors. Sellers are automatically credited for returned cuts, which are deducted from the overall carcass cost at Check Out. Buyers can shop the Central Marketplace inventory to purchase specialty cuts like cubed beef, stir fry, trim and offal then arrange for delivery online at competitive prices. Plus, customers can choose all of these selections from either grass fed or grain fed 100% BC Beef. It's easy, efficient and entirely delicious!

For more information visit our website!
To sign up for BC BeefNet  Contact Us! 

Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the BC Ministry of Agriculture through the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program under Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The program is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC.
Premium BC Lamb
Welcome to our new partners! Thanks to the eager collaboration of the BC Sheep Federation and funding from the Sheep Industry Development Fund, we now have a 'brand' new Premium BC Lamb brand. Based on the success of our 100% BC Beef program, to 'brand'ish this label lamb producers must be licensed, a guarantee that lamb products featuring this label are born, raised, finished and processed within BC. Premium BC Lamb also ensures carcasses meet the top quality requirements of the BC Meats Quality Information System. Retailers and chefs featuring Premium BC Lamb simply need to agree to the Licensing Agreement.To become licensed, producers need to become members of the BC Association of Abattoirs.
BC Meats Quality Information System
The BC Meats Quality Information System (BCMQIS) provides traceability and quality assurance for our beef, bison and lamb producers. Recently, Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territory initiative, provided funding for an additional four abattoirs to join the program and reap its benefits. Funding for the Traceability Speakers Series, through this same initiative, has made it possible for Trainer/Auditor Owen Marshall and Program Manager Nancy Marshall to travel around the province to promote the program to industry and train abattoirs on how to use it.
Here's how it works:
The BCMQIS database lets producers record production data which they can track along with corresponding RFID tag #s sent to the abattoir. The abattoir scores the carcasses and takes two photos of each one, which the producer can view by RFID tag# in real time once the information has been uploaded. The retail store or chef can then log on to see the grade for their carcass once the abattoir records its destination. A new feature being piloted on beef enables chefs and retailers to download labels, containing the logo and CR code for that carcass, which customers can scan with a smartphone to view the producer profile on our BC Meats website. All this thanks to the wonders of technology!
For more information email Nancy Marshall 
Be Featured to Connect with Consumers

The BC Meats Phone App is connecting consumers directly to stores and restaurants throughout the province that feature BC meats at their meat counter or on their menus. This great tool is available for iPhones, tablets and all Android devices at the Apple and Google stores. Links are also available on the BC Meats website. Don't miss this opportunity to feature your farm, restaurant or store on our BC Meats Phone App. Your subscription includes membership in our association plus a discount on BC BeefNet.

Download it now! And make sure you tell your friends!


For info email Nancy Marshall
Premium Listing: $150
Charcuterie Workshop April 28-30, 2015
Learn and practice techniques with Karsten Schellhas, 4th generation German master butcher & sausage maker, European trained chef and holistic nutritionist. Learn More
About Us
Our local meat producers and craft processors provide healthy, sustainable and safe meats to BC families. The BC Association of Abattoirs is working to raise awareness, educate consumers and inform industry about the benefits of increasing access to and demand for local BC meat products. By supporting us, you're supporting local producers and craft meat processors, as well as local communities, the economy and a sustainable industry.  

Our Programs and Staff
February 2015
Food Safety Focus
Recently, o ur association obtained funding to assist all of BC's provincial plants (members and non-members) to finish developing and implementing plant-specific food safety plans. As you know, these plans are an important requirement of the new BC Meat Inspection Program's regulation to assure our customers that BC meats are safe products that meet the highest standards of food safety for their families. We've successfully completed our pilot project working with 15 plants and are now rolling out the program to all remaining plants in the province with a target completion date of Sept 2015. 
To schedule an appointment for us to work with you on your plant's food safety and sanitation plan, please contact Nova Woodbury at
250.558.6855 or send us an email  
BC's Best What Does a Vet Say About Raw Pet Food
BC's Best: What a Vet Says About Raw Pet Food
Our New Look!
The Province has been supporting the decision to change the brand of Certified BC Beef to 100% BC Beef. Our new look will be launched by the end of March with our new logo, packaging and signage, and we will be working together to promote and advertise this exciting new brand. "100% BC Beef eliminates any possible confusion between other provincial certification programs and more importantly makes a positive statement that our beef comes directly from our local producers to BC families," emphasizes Gillian Watt, Executive Director, BC Association of Abattoirs.
BC Association of Abattoirs AGM
April 30 - May 2, 2015
Courtenay, BC

Promoting BC Meats
at BC Events
Nancy Marshall with Lindy Gilson, BC Breeders & Feeders, at the Islands Agricultural Show in Courtenay.
2014 was a busy year for BC Meats raising awareness with consumers and industry about the benefits of buying BC meats and growing a sustainable industry.

We dished up beef at BBQ on the Bypass in Langley, packed them in on the Island at the Courtenay Flavour Gourmet Picnic and launched our Phone App at EAT! Vancouver. We promoted all our programs at the Fraser Valley Food Show and at Connect in Vancouver and have been invited to speak on a panel discussion at Connect in April 2015! Connections, connections, connections! It's all about making those important connections!   

 
5 Ways You Can Help Us Grow
  1. Encourage BC stores and restaurants you're connected with to become members of our association so they can benefit from a full profile and photo listing on our BC Meats Phone App
  2. Encourage your industry associates - producers, abattoirs, chefs, butchers and grocers - to join our association and build a strong and resilient BC meat industry
  3. Send us your promotional materials and business cards so we can feature you at upcoming events and Trade Shows
  4. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter so we can share posts and promote your social media sites, plus forward our newsletter to your contacts and encourage them to join our mailing list
  5. Contact us with your news and send us photos so we can promote our members through our networks
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