Loblaws supports ongoing innovation in produce

Loblaws Inc., the Canadian retail grocery giant, recently announced its intention to help Canadian farmers produce exotic and traditionally imported fruits and vegetables for its stores.

Intended to total $150 million each year by 2025, Canadian farmers say they are excited the grocery company is showing increasing interest in product from Canadian sources. They also, however, see the investment as an opportunity to highlight long-established innovation trends within Canada’s farm sector. 

“It’s an awesome piece to be making headlines,” says Kevin Howe, a field vegetable and fruit farmer from southwestern Ontario. “It ties well with most farm business plans.”

More access for consumers

On the field crop side, Howe believes changes at the large retail level – as opposed to small enterprises like farmers’ markets and roadside stands – are the only way most people will be able to access more Canadian produce. The Loblaws’ investment, he says, might promote season extension at the farm level to fill customer demands in off-peak times of the growing season.

He adds the conversations generated by the Loblaws’ investment decision could help raise awareness for trade issues like product dumping – where imported products are sold to domestic markets below the cost of production, thus undercutting local growers – and contextualize how prevalent the demand for Canadian-sourced food is among retail customers.

“It’s more of a political issue we face,” Howe says. “The true impact may not be a dramatic increase in farm profitability.”

Valuable commitment

Joe Sbrocchi, general manager for the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers’ Association,  and Linda Delli Santi, executive director of B. C. Greenhouse Growers’ Association, both say the corporate commitment is very valuable, though essentially a continuation of the innovation already expressed by Canadian greenhouse growers.

In the B.C. greenhouse sectors, Santi says growers continue to experiment with exotic crops such as bok choy, Asian eggplant and middle-eastern cucumber varieties. This is in direct response to the diverse markets available and accessible to growers in the region.

“Loblaws is actually very supportive of the greenhouse sector,” Santi says. “Of course, we’re always changing and adapting to consumer demand. It’s our nature to be innovative.”