E-Delivery

Armstrong said of encouraging Alberta pulse producers to follow global sustainability standards. "It will eventually morph into a requirement over the years." Armstrong said that the most important components of the sustainability requirements for pulse producers to follow in order to alleviate food safety concerns are pest and pes cide management, and basic food safety such as no glass or metal in shipments. The 25,000 tonnes of peas, len ls and chickpeas expected to be needed this year for New Leaf to produce pet food ingredients for pet food manufacturers will consist of splits, and hail damaged or bleached product from W.A. Grain elevators, as well as peas from farmers who have contracts with W.A. Grain & Pulse Solu ons to supply New Leaf Essen als. Armstrong expects New Leaf will need 50,000 tonnes of pulses in its second year to supply pet food companies in Canada and the U.S. "The demand is growing and we're going to be moving a lot of product in the pulse industry," Armstrong said. "We need to have it in a marketable state, like that it is fit to meet these new standards. We're going to be going direct to manufacturer so it's going to change the industry a li le bit in that producers have to be more conscious of these requirements. The big farmers are already doing this because they're trying to get top dollar for their product." He noted that the potato industry is quite advanced in terms of par cipa ng in sustainability cer fica on because food manufacturers won't buy potatoes that don't meet this criteria. "That will help us market direct to manufacturer instead of going through brokers and such," Armstrong said. "It gets us closer to the end customer. End customers want that because they want the traceability to know that WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE SOURCING? Sustainable sourcing means buying goods from suppliers who adhere to a code of prac ce that reduces the social, economic, and environmental impacts of food produc on, processing, and distribu on. Environmental criteria include soil stewardship, nutrient management, agrochemical use, biodiversity enhancement and protec on, and water. Social criteria are composed of human rights, worker condi ons, social protec on, employment rela ons, human development and social dialogue. Management criteria include economic viability, sustainable management, and supply chain responsibili es. Ethics criteria include no forced or child labour, preven on of corrup on and compliance with legisla on. In recent years, major corpora ons have commi ed to increasing the propor on of sustainably-sourced agricultural products. The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan details sustainable sourcing programs on its website at h p://www.albertaefp.com/ sustainable-sourcing. Farmer XYZ grew my product, and I can go talk to Farmer XYZ and see all the good stuff he's got going on his farm. That's a big thing for the manufacturers to know that they're as close to the source as possible." The New Leaf Essentials plant at Innisfail opened in August. Armstrong also manages the original pulse cleaning facility. Starting in 2018, New Leaf will start to fractionate peas to supply protein and starch for food and beverage companies in response to increased demand for plant-based protein. New Leaf Essentials owns and operates facili es that clean, sort, mill and blend pulses providing ingredient solu ons for the human edible and pet food industries. For more informa on about New Leaf Essen als, visit www.newleafessen als.ca. P U L S E C R O P N E W S W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 | 1 9

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