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• Farmers’ Markets – There are more than 100 Alberta approved farmers’ markets and close to
3,000 vendors across the province. The Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development website,
www.sunnygirl.ca, lists all the approved farmers’ markets in Alberta. Many of the markets listed
have provided their websites where often the vendors are noted separately. The Alberta
Farmers’ Market Association website, http://www.albertamarkets.com/, does have a vendor tab
which lists vendor members by product category.
• Alberta Slow Food Chapters – Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization that links the
pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment.
http://www.slowfoodedmonton.ca/
http://slowfoodcalgary.ca/directory/
• Growing Food Security in Alberta (GFSA) – This group works to ensure secure access to
adequate amounts of safe, nutritious, culturally appropriate food for everyone. http://www.
foodsecurityalberta.ca/
Locally sourced food can cost more in both the price per item and the time required to source it.
For example, in 2010 Chef Chris Murphy estimated 60 to 65 man-hours were spent sourcing the
ingredients for a five-course local meal for 40 people, and four additional days were spent actually
preparing the meal. Plan and budget your time and dollars accordingly. Volunteers find this work
interesting and energizing as they learn about their neighbourhoods and build negotiation skills.
Give yourself lots of lead-time. When you think ahead, fruits and vegetables can be preserved or
processed at the peak of the season to be served at a later date. To save money, use well prepared
less expensive cuts of meat rather than premium ones. As you build your menu, think of options
that require less preparation time such as roasted versus mashed potatoes. There can be a role for
a person, called a “forager” (see www.wisconsinlocalfood.com – Party Planner’s Guide for a full
description), on your event planning team.
Some reasons it may take longer to source local:
• the farmers’ market is usually open only one or two days a week
• the person who tends the crops or herd often does the marketing and deliveries
• farms and processors may require the food be picked up directly from their farm
• quantities required for your event might be much larger than the producer is used to delivering
at any one time
Another aspect of local sourcing is ensuring the food is safe. The following is a list of minimum
requirements to look for when purchasing ingredients:
• Meat must be slaughtered and processed in an approved facility. All meat sold in Alberta must
be inspected. Uninspected meat cuts from an approved facility will have the word(s)
“uninspected” or “uninspected not for sale” stamped on the wrapping and cannot be used as an
ingredient at a public event.
• Milk must be pasteurized. It is unlawful to sell or give away unpasteurized milk. Unpasteurized
milk can also not be used as an ingredient except in certain types of cheese.
• Cheese does not have to be pasteurized as long as it has been manufactured in compliance with
the
Food and Drugs Act
.
• Fish processors must comply with the Food Regulation. They must obtain and display a food
permit.