June 10, 2008 – Charlottetown,
P.E.I. – With the growing interest in local food, the provincial
government has announced a new initiative to support the development,
promotion and marketing of Prince Edward Island products to Islanders
and visitors.
June 10, 2008 – Charlottetown, P.E.I. – With the growing interest in local food, the provincial government has announced a new initiative to support the development, promotion and marketing of Prince Edward Island products to Islanders and visitors.
Under the new Buy P.E.I. initiative, projects will be undertaken to increase public awareness and knowledge of local food products, promote their benefits to producers and the economy, and assist producers and businesses in marketing and promotion. There will also be efforts to increase awareness and use of Island products in schools.
The Buy P.E.I. initiative was announced recently by Agriculture Minister Neil LeClair and Tourism Minister Valerie Docherty. It is part of a $500,000 allocation in the recent provincial budget, and is aimed at linking the Buy P.E.I. initiative with a regional Buy Atlantic strategy.
“The buy local concept represents an important opportunity for domestic market growth of the Prince Edward Island agriculture and food industry,” said LeClair. “This program will support producers and businesses to meet the growing demand for local food products.”
“Our goal is to increase public awareness, support, demand and availability of Prince Edward Island food products for the residents and visitors of Prince Edward Island,” said Docherty. “This program involves a number of government departments and industry groups, and the benefits are expected to be realized in the upcoming season.”
The three components of the Buy P.E.I. initiative are an umbrella promotions and advertising campaign through the local media and special events, a business and market development component for producers, farmers’ markets and commodity groups and an agri-food promotion campaign to be carried out by local groups and institutions. The marketing program is to be established.
As part of the Buy P.E.I. initiative, a ministerial advisory committee has been established to provide advice and recommendations on the marketing goals and strategies. The committee includes representatives from agriculture, tourism, seafood, retail, food service industries, and media and consumer representatives.
To measure the effectiveness of the Buy P.E.I. initiative, a consumer survey will be undertaken prior to and following the campaign.
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