Canada's Food Supply Chain Should Be An Essential Service

Mar 27, 2020

Alberta's Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen is putting in an official request to Ottawa to have the entire food supply chain considered an essential service.

He says while Alberta’s supply chain is responding well he wants to ensure our food supply systems are maintained.

“An essential service, ultimately, just goes to show the importance of that industry. So that if they were to be shut down that would have broader economic effects that would ripple through society. So that's obviously food, being so essential that we all need to eat.”

He notes hoarding puts additional pressures on our food system, including food banks which have seen a substantial rise in requests for support.

Dreeshen says our food supply will remain safe, secure and accessible.

“We are working with Alberta's farmers, ranchers, and farm groups to ensure there are no additional barriers to primary production throughout this pandemic. Retail demand for food is high however all four components of our food supply chain are fully functioning, including producers, processors, food retailers and distributors. And again, I would like to reiterate to Albertan’s that you do not need to stockpile food and supplies.”

He says the Province’s food production and distribution systems are diverse and stable.

“We are focused on maintaining a strong and open trade relationship between Canada and the US for the movement of essential goods across our border. We are working to maintain functional rail service and commercial trucks and systems within Canada and North America, to enable the movement of essential goods.”

The Provincial Operations Centre is communicating daily with the entire food supply chain to ensure their getting what they need to keep products moving and on the shelf.

Overall, Dreeshen says Alberta’s food supply is well established and it will maintain.

Click here to see more...

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.