Canadian producers have a beef with A&W

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Canada's second-largest hamburger chain announced in September that it will only serve beef raised without the use of hormones or steroids, whether or not that beef comes from Canada. This is angering some Canadian producers, who feel they are being unfairly edged out.

In a Reuters report, Susan Senecal, A&W's chief marketing officer, claims the company is only responding to customer demand. "What we've observed from our customers is there is a lot more interest in the food they're eating, where it comes from – things like no hormones, no steroids are very, very important to our customers, remarkably so."

A&W's Better Beef website highlights three producers who don't use steroids or hormones.  One is from Vegreville, Alta., but the other two are from Montana and Australia.

In an email to the The Western Producer, Senecal attempted to reassure producers that "we purchase as much beef as possible from Canadian farmers, but there simply isn't enough available to satisfy our requirements for beef raised without added hormones or steroids."

Meanwhile, Canadian producers are digging in their heels. The Winnipeg Free Press quotes the Alberta Beef Producers as saying: "We are disappointed these companies are effectively turning their backs on over 68,000 Canadian cattle producers and more than two billion pounds of safe, nutritious, high-quality Canadian beef that is produced annually from cattle raised using highly ethical and sustainable methods." BF