Do you like to support Vancouver Island farmers and producers? How do you recognize all the locally made food in your grocery store?
On March 21, 2018, after three years of careful planning, the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance launched Island Good, an initiative to highlight food that was being produced and manufactured on Vancouver Island.
The goal of the campaign is to help increase the strength of the local food economy in various grocery stores around the island. Island Good’s retail partners, Country Grocer, 49th Parallel Grocery, Quality Foods, and Thrifty Foods, have been actively promoting the campaign over the past four months through specifically designed in-store signage to alert shoppers of products produced and made on Vancouver Island. Their efforts have yielded positive consumer response, showing that increased visibility at the point of sale is crucial and that residents of Vancouver Island want to purchase locally sourced products.
Joining Island Good to assist with funding the project are Vancouver Island pro-active food producers and distributors such as the BC Salmon Farmers Association, B&C Foods, Hertel Meats, Paradise Island Foods, Portofino European Bakery, Dairyland, and Vancouver Island Farm Products, along with core funding from the Island Coastal Economic Trust and VIEA.
The campaign is set to run until mid-September 2018, with the results from the six-month pilot project to be shared at the State of the Island Economic Summit in Nanaimo this October.
Heading into its 12th year, the State of the Island Economic Summit is an annual gathering of business, community, and government leaders sharing ideas, networking, and exploring opportunities. The event is based around the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance core principles of collaboration to add vitality to Vancouver Island’s economy. This year, in support of the Island Good campaign, all food and meals provided at the event will be Island Good.
The Summit will be taking place Oct. 24 and 25 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Registration for the event is now open and tickets are available at www.viea.ca.