Michael McCain, president and CEO of Maple\u00a0Leaf Foods, kicked off the 2016 Banff Pork\u00a0Seminar with a strong message for the industry.\u00a0\u201cI am very confident about our future as a\u00a0sustainable, profitable industry, but this will\u00a0require embracing the social and environmental\u00a0factors I am discussing here today.\u201d\u00a0Those three areas of focus and opportunity\u00a0going forward are health and nutrition, animal\u00a0welfare and environmental sustainability.<\/p>\n
McCain notes that the industry must work hard on\u00a0getting balanced information to the public to insure that consumers are receiving accurate information and to prevent red meat being vilified as gluten has been in the last few years. Transparency of management practices and continued reduction of antibiotic use are key players in improving public opinion.<\/p>\n
Most retail and food service organizations identify animal\u00a0welfare as their number one concern in meeting societal\u00a0expectations and within this, conversion from gestation\u00a0crates to loose housing is their top priority – one in which\u00a0McCain feels Canadian producers are lagging behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlaming activists or reverting to a defensive posture will\u00a0not solve this challenge. This is not a fleeting issue and\u00a0defending the status quo is not a viable option,\u201d says McCain.\u00a0\u201cAs an industry we need to rally together to advance higher\u00a0standards and higher expectations of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the environmental standpoint Maple Leaf has committed as a company to reduce their environmental footprint by 50 per cent by 2025 \u2013 and McCain noted that many of the efficiencies they are making have also had a positive impact on the bottom line of the organization.<\/p>\n
Looking forward McCain sees both challenges and opportunities ahead for the Canadian pork industry.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n