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and fibre in their diet, understand that food can affect condi ons such as diabetes and heart disease. They are also talking about environmental sustainability in foods. Addi onally, they are concerned about gene cally modified ingredients (which pulses are not). In fact, the Chinese government put health at the centre of the country's en re policy-making machinery, including ini a ves such as "Healthy China (HC 2030) blueprint", and "Na onal Nutri on Plan (2017-2030)". As a result, they are now consuming more pulses in tradi onal ways, such as bean pastes, congee, and sprouts, and in non- tradi onal ways, such as by adding pea flour to steam buns and biscuits, using pea starch in vermicelli noodles, ea ng pulse snacks such as baked chickpeas, and drinking pea milk with their lunches. Huge modern food processing facili es are working in tandem with academic researchers and government officials to develop products that respond to this consumer demand, both at home and in their foreign markets. In an effort to encourage and enable these trends, Pulse Canada has been working in tandem with the Chinese Cereals and Oilseeds Associa on to research and implement new ways to put pulses in the Chinese diet. And where do these pulses come from? O en Canada – the Chinese highly value Canadian agricultural prac ces and view our produce as being top in consistency, safety, and quality. What does this mean to us as Alberta farmers? Peas were first exported from Canada to China in 1994, increasing steadily over the years. By 2016, China had imported one million tonnes from Canada, which means China now imports more peas from Canada than India does. This gives us more export diversity in a world where markets can be unpredictable (as India has recently proven). Note that China is interested only in raw product, as they recognize the value of keeping the value added processing in their own country. They sort the incoming peas; send the biggest to the snack food market, the mediums to the frac onators, and the smalls/splits to the feed market (racing pigeons and hogs primarily). From the frac onators, the starch goes into the huge vermicelli factories, the fibre goes to major pet food/li er processors, and the protein is sent back to North America to be used in our own food manufacturing. One of our lessons from China should be that we need to con nue developing our own value added market, keeping more of the jobs, intellectual property, and added dollars in our own country! What else did we learn? If we partner with the Chinese researchers, manufacturers, and processors, we can keep our finger on the PULSE (literally) of their needs, wants, and requests. Collabora on is in our best interests, and as Alberta farmers, we are very well represented by Alberta Pulse and Pulse Canada in China! Hebei Jinshahe Flour Co. Warehouse. From le to right: Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Board Member Gerrid Gust, SPG Execu ve Director Carl Po s, Pulse Canada Chair Lee Moats, and APG Past Chair Allison Ammeter. Hebei Jinshahe Flour Co. mill control room. P U L S E C R O P N E W S S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 | 3 5

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