Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Margaret Johnson shows off the vehicle that department staff will use to tour and encourage New Brunswickers to take advantage of the abundance of local food and beverages available across the province. (Source: GNB)
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of strengthening New Brunswick’s food system, and now that message is getting a sponsored road trip.
The Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries will be hitting the road this summer to encourage New Brunswickers to buy local when it comes to food and drink.
The tour augments a four-year action plan already seeking to benefit both sectors, while encouraging people to get behind its three core pillars: Grow NB, Buy NB and Feed NB.
In its published four year Local Food and Beverages Strategy, the department states “COVID-19 has shone a light on our food system and its resiliency,” pointing further to results in the growth of new industry partnerships and collaborations, saying the pandemic has placed a spotlight on both access to food and the importance of supporting local producers around the province.
“We are lucky to live in a province where so many fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available at this time of year,” said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Margaret Johnson in a released statement. “By supporting local producers and processers we are assured where our food and beverages are coming from, we are helping our local economy and we are also helping to create more local jobs.”
Department staff will be posting photos and videos capturing local success stories and sharing them on the New Brunswick Food & Beverages Facebook page throughout the provincial tour.
Together, the province’s agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries industries employ more than 17,000 New Brunswickers.
