BC Co-operative Association
Co-ops have been vital to Canada’s food sector for at least a hundred years. One of six autonomous regions affiliated wtih the Canadian Co-operative Association, the BCCA focuses on the promotion of co-operative enterprise and the provision of support services to members and the broader co-op sector in BC.

BC Food Protection Association
BCFPA was created in 1999 as a nonprofit association to promote food safety and to encourage the exchange of information in British Columbia. They received their charter at the 86th Annual Meeting in Dearborn, Michigan in the same year that International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians (IAMFES) voted to change their name to the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). The BCFPA is the only food safety association in BC that represents the entire food industry.

BC Food Processing Association
The BCFPA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to representing all segments of the food, beverage and nutraceutical processing industry in British Columbia, and to coordinating common industry activities and resources under one umbrella. The Association represents micro, small, medium, and large processing companies and is a source of up-to-date information on the food processing industry in British Columbia.

Branding Canada
The Canada Brand strategy to raise the international profile of Canadian food and agriculture products is being implemented by the federal and provincial governments, in cooperation with the food and agriculture sector. The Canada Brand is designed to foster increased demand by nurturing and capitalizing on the positive perceptions of Canada held by buyers and consumers in key markets.

Canadian Cooperative Association
The Canadian Co-operative Association is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than nine million co-operative and credit union members from over 2,000 organizations. Individual co-op members are represented by CCA either directly through their co-operative, through their provincial co-op associations or credit union central, or through sectoral organizations.

Canadian Biotechnology Action Network
To promote food sovereignty and democratic decision-making on science and technology issues in order to protect the integrity of the environment, health, food, and the livelihoods of people in Canada and around the world by facilitating, informing and organizing civil society action, researching, and providing information to government for policy development.

Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre is the UK’s leading provider of environmental, sustainability and alternative technology and lifestyle publications. You can learn about ecological sewage treatment, building, architecture, alternative energy, organic gardening, composting, biofuels, green education, sustainable careers and energy conservation.

Certified Organic Associations of BC
The COABC is the only government-approved body responsible for overseeing the BC Certified Organic Program and is designated to implement the program under the Food Choice and Quality Act. Its website is the “go to” place for everything organic.

Farm Folk/City Folk
FarmFolk/CityFolk is a non-profit society, based in British Columbia, that wants one simple thing: for people to eat local, fresh, seasonal foods, grown using farming practices that contribute to the health of the planet

FIOSA MIOSA
The Safety Council provides health and safety resources for manufacturers in the food and beverage industry. The Safety Council is also the Certifying Partner for the Certificate of Recognition program for the food and beverage industry in the province of British Columbia.

Food Secure Canada
This is a pan-Canadian alliance of organizations and individuals working together to advance food security and food sovereignty through three inter-locking goals: zero hunger, healthy and safe food, and sustainable food systems.

Food Tech Canada
The collective members who are FOODTECH Canada offer you a single door to the ultimate resource for food innovation and commercialization. FOODTECH combines expertise from twelve leading food & bio-product technology centres, linking state-of-the-art equipment and the most comprehensive facilities in all of Canada.

Good Food Sales
This site offers information for food processors on a myriad of topics. Tim Forrest has also provided a document outlining the suppliers of the EDI – Electronic Data Interchange companies. What is EDI? Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) allows retailers and customers to transmit orders to one central location. It also provides speed for the customer and gives the sales office a record of the order and the ability to track deliveries for the warehouses. This method of tracking allows sales monitoring by account and by territory against budgets and marketing plans. Wholesale and retail pricing can be monitored and reports can be provided on unit movement. Click here for EDI information.

International Association for Food Protection
Founded in 1911, this is a non-profit association of food safety professionals. Comprised of a diverse membership of over 3,000 Members from 50 nations, the IAFP is dedicated to the education and service of its members as well as industry personnel.

Investment Agriculture Foundation
This foundation manages and distributes federal and provincial funds in support of innovative projects to benefit the agri-food industry in British Columbia. Funding is available to help the industry seize new opportunities and deal with emerging issues. [Also see the Guide to “Reformulate to Reduce or Eliminate Trans Fat” below.]

Island Farmers Alliance
For farmers: Building a stronger, sustainable agricultural sector on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. For consumers: Superior, tasty, high-quality locally produced food.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Enterprise Budgets
Here you can find information on production costs and returns for 26 common vegetable and livestock enterprises in southwest British Columbia. ISFS’s enterprise budgets are specific for small-scale farm operation whose products are sold mainly through direct marketing channels, such as farmers’ markets and CSA box program.

Organic Consumers Association
Look for articles on genetically modified food and fair trade issues along with general information about organic food production. If you’d like regular updates from OCA through its “Biodemocracy News,” contact biodemocracy@lists.organicconsumers.org.

Services for Agri-Processors Listings
This webpage (Government of Alberta) is an excellent resource for food processors. The directory provides Alberta’s agricultural processors with a comprehensive database of food distribution channels and other service providers. Each listing provides detailed contact information and available services.

Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association
For the over 20 years Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association has been serving its members and their industry – providing networking, education and marketing opportunities while making sure their voices have been heard. SHSA has opened its doors to the country and world… supporting the industry as a whole. SHSA began with a spice grower/broker, a wildcrafter and a culinary herb grower/processor. It evolved from a focus on purely production to encompassing the whole value chain including research and development. SHSA now supports not only those crops and products they started with but many of the new crops overall, products and processes as they evolve. It is now an integrated industry association with many partners across the world and throughout the value chain. SHSA is known for its ability to “play with others” and to partner successfully for the benefit of all. A prime example of this is SHSA’s role as the secretariat for the Canadian Herb, Spice and Natural Health Product Coalition.

Small Farm Canada
The editors of this magazine point out that “More than 1/2 of Canada’s 246,000 agricultural operations are small farms. Yet you wouldn’t know it by reading the mainstream farm press. All they talk about are tariffs, subsidies and the latest performance statistics of big tractors.” Explore Canada’s “other farms” in this new national publication.

Spilling the Beans
This newsletter focuses on genetically engineered foods. An in-depth look at possible health risks can be found in the November 2007 issue. These are taken from Jeffrey Smith’s book, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods.

Women’s Enterprise Centre
The Centre helps women decide if business ownership is the right choice. It provides resources, tools, events, and training courses along with an “empowerment lending” program.