May 14, 2012
A new PBS television series is enhancing awareness of Alberta’s and Canada’s food industry by highlighting specific provincial specialties.

“Off the Beaten Palate” started as a journey through New Brunswick, as television personality Michael-Anne Rowe set out to experience where food comes from while visiting her birth province. The success of that episode brought more opportunities for Alberta and Ontario to participate in this foodie’s journey. During September 2012, Rowe and her crew toured Alberta ranches, restaurants and landmarks. More>>

May 6, 2013
On Friday, April 26^th, Brad Fournier, ALMA’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, joined representatives from Alberta’s agriculture, engineering and manufacturing industries for a meeting with the Honourable Edward Fast to discuss the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiations between Canada and the European Union (EU).  CETA is Canada’s largest bilateral trade agreement since the signing of NAFTA and with close to 500 million people living in the EU, it presents a significant opportunity for increased trade of meat and livestock products from Alberta.  Therefore, ALMA looks forward to the successful negotiation of CETA in the near future. 

Photo from left: Brad Fournier, ALMA; Darcy Fitzgerald, Alberta Pork; Ken Pilip, Consulting Engineers of Alberta; John Tucker, Nelson Environmental Remediation; Honourable Edward Fast, Minister of International Trade; Ward Toma, Alberta Canola Producers Commission; Rich Smith, Alberta Beef Producers; Warren Sheydwasser, LogiCan Technologies Inc.

May 3, 2013
Ted Bilyea has recently authored an article published in Choices Magazine entitled, “A Canadian Perspective on Emerging Issues of NAFTA and Competitive Liberalization in the Global Meat Trade.”  Follow the link to read about the history of Canadian beef and pork market access, as well as the current and future challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

April 30, 2013
We would like to express our appreciation to the Beef Food Summit participants for their time and constructive contribution to the Summit dialogues. Together we grappled with what was needed to leverage our competitive advantages, what it would take to be more profitable and competitive, how to respond to the needs of our customers and consumers, and how we could work more collectively on issues and opportunities.
 

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Follow these links to the Summit II Straw Man Framework and Poll Results

April 23, 2013
Today, dogs and cats are much more than just the family pet; they are an extension of the family unit. With our increased attention to animal welfare and care, pets have become our companions whose health and happiness we value. With grants from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), several Alberta pet food processors are catering to our pet companions by providing pet foods that incorporate natural, organic and eco-friendly ingredients. More>>

April 17, 2013
Marinating meat in brine is a proven way to enhance the cuts with unique flavours and added moisture. Unfortunately, though, the injection aspect of the marinating process can be a potential source of contamination if the solutions are not optimized for food safety. Many processors have developed proprietary brine mixtures that include microbe-suppressing extracts like green tea in addition to commercially-approved antimicrobials, but there is no public source of information on the best combinations. With funding from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), Dr. Lynn McMullen of the University of Alberta led a research project to evaluate different combinations and provide data that all processors can access. This research was part of a collaborative research program with Dr. Frances Nattress at AAFC, Lacombe and Dr. Zeb Pietrasik at the Food Processing Development Centre, Leduc.  More>>

April 15, 2013
ALMA's new, three‐year business plan builds on the industry’s reputation for producing high quality products and is focused on positioning the industry to take advantage of these opportunities. ALMA has put in place a plan to help industry reach their objectives, but it will depend on all industry players – producers, processors, and retailers – to embrace ALMA’s role as a catalyst to realize their ambitious goals. View the 2013-16 Business Plan>>

April 12, 2013
With consumers from local and international markets increasingly demanding hormone- and antibiotic-free meat products, Dr. Douglas Inglis, a researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in partnership with the Universities of Alberta (Dr. Richard Uwiera, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science) and Calgary (Dr. John Kastelic, Department of Production Animal Health), and the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), is researching ways to limit the use of antibiotics in Alberta herds. More>>

April 9, 2013

Beef Summit II provides momentum for transformation
By Sheri Monk

It felt more like the birth of a movement than just another beef meeting when champions of the cattle industry gathered for the second Beef Summit in Calgary on March 27.

“After today, this thing either goes away, or goes forward,” said Dave Andrews, one of three men who volunteered their time to build the draft or ‘straw man’ beef industry strategy and guide the dialogue throughout the day. 

But what is this “thing” that Andrews speaks about? It’s almost easier to say what it isn’t than what it is. It’s not an association. It’s not an organization. It’s not a business enterprise or a government initiative. It’s just a bunch of people in the beef business from all sectors sitting down at the same table to try and hammer out a new philosophy for the Canadian cattle business – a more sustainable and profitable strategy for everyone.  More>>

April 3, 2013
When the Hoekstra and Dykman families pooled their capital and experience in the meat and livestock industry, their new butcher shop all but named itself. Family Meats Ltd. has served Central Alberta for only a few short years, but the business is already showing strong growth.

In 2011, Family Meats moved into an 8,500 square foot processing plant, which led to a new company focus on expanding their product lines to match their increasing capacity. In partnership with the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Family Meats aims to launch 11 new value-added items using locally sourced meats. More>>