| | Ken Gossen
“Alberta’s food processing sector is amongst the largest manufacturing sectors in the province, rivalling the manufacturing of petroleum products and chemical manufacturing. It is also a very large employer for the province, and the value of [food and beverage] shipments is over $9 billion annually,” says Ken Gossen, Director of the Food Processing Development Division at Alberta Agriculture and Food
The Division is a catalyst for the continued growth of this vital sector. “Our role is to provide scientific and technical assistance to the food processing industry in Alberta related to developing new products and processes,” Gossen explains.
Along with the Food Processing Development Centre at Leduc, the Division’s facilities include the Sensory Evaluation Centres in Edmonton and Leduc, the Food Science and Technology Centre at Brooks, and the new Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator at Leduc.
“The food industry is a very capital-intensive business because of the regulatory environment that it has to operate in. We’re providing technical assistance to the processing industry to overcome some of the hurdles, thereby increasing the potential for successful new product launches and growing this important industry,” says Gossen.
Gossen’s career includes experience in many areas of the agriculture and food industry. He grew up on a dairy farm south of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan he worked in the private sector until joining the Alberta Government in 1994 where he has held various positions mostly related to the food-processing sector. In September 2006, he became Director of the Food Processing Development Division.
As the new chair of the AESA Processing Based Committee, which guides the AESA Processing Based Program, Gossen’s insight and experience will be a definite asset. The AESA Processing Based Program has been assisting agri-food processors to develop and adopt more environmentally friendly processing practices and policies since 1997. Reducing the environmental impact of the agri-food processing industry in the province is the driver of this program.
“I believe it’s very important for processors to consider the environmental impact of their business,” says Gossen. “Many types of food processing activities use a large amount of energy and water. Anything that we can do to reduce the power costs to the plant, reduce wastes and reduce the impact on water, will go a long way to improving the competitiveness of our industry.”Visit www.aesa.ca for more information about the Processing Based Program.
The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company
Increasing awareness and adoption of environmental stewardship practices is at the heart of the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (AEFP) Company. This non-profit company focuses on implementing the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) initiative in Alberta.
Participation in the industry-run, industry-endorsed EFP program is growing every year, as more and more Alberta producers see its value to their own operations. “Environmental Farm Plans are a management tool that farmers use to identify what they are doing well from the point of view of environmental stewardship and to identify opportunities to improve by adopting industry-accepted beneficial management practices,” explains Mike Slomp, the company’s Executive Director.
The EFP process is voluntary, confidential and farmer-friendly. Through a combination of two workshops and a few hours of homework, producers complete a series of checklists to identify their operation’s environmental risks and strengths, and then develop a plan to address any risks. The plan is their own – they determine the priorities and timelines, and they control who sees it.
Partnerships are key to the AEFP Company’s success. For example, the company has 23 member organizations. These agricultural and stewardship agencies give the company its solid grassroots connections. Seven of the AEFP Company’s nine-director board are elected from these partner organizations. The other two directors are representatives of the Government of Canada, providing core funding and technical support for the program, and the Alberta Government, which provides major in-kind technical support.
The company’s representation on agencies like AESA Council also provides another avenue for building strong partnerships to achieve mutual goals. Glenn Logan represents the company on AESA Council.
Another key to the company’s success is its Alberta-wide network of trained facilitators and team leaders. “They bring about local community support and engagement. … There’s this old adage that, whether you’re buying an idea or a box of soap, you buy from people you know, like and trust. The facilitators, team leaders and technical assistants are building trust in the local community, so decision-making at the farm level is comfortable and confident. And that facilitates improvements on the farm, which is what the EFP initiative is all about.”
For more information about the company, visit www.albertaefp.com. |
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