prunings
he Biln family’s Snowcrest Foods of Abbotsford is one of two recipients of the latest round of grants from the provincial Buy Local Program, sharing $83,400 in funding with another Abbotsford agrifood company, Taves Family Farm Applebarn. Snowcrest’s latest product is a new Smoothie Fast Pack, which helps save time when making smoothies. The Tropical Green Power Smoothie, which adds to the current Fruit and Veggie option, is full of berries. Both are a mix of frozen fruit and vegetables, loaded with protein, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. The Buy Local funding will enable them to expand and reach larger audiences and increase sales, through marketing and advertising campaigns. The Applebarn grows apples and produces cold-pressed and pasteurized cider and other specialty products. The Buy Local program has received $8 million in funding from the provincial government since 2012 to help increase sales of locally-grown and processed agrifood and seafood products in B.C. The Agrifood and Seafood Strategic Growth Plan helps build domestic markets and maintain a secure food supply. It is a component of the B.C. Jobs Plan...
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Not only is Snowcrest’s Ray Biln vice- chair of the B.C. Blueberry Council, he was recently named exporter member of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. His alternate is another B.C. council member, Parm S. Bains. A couple of well-known Washington State growers were also appointed to the highbush organization — Rob Dhaliwal of Lynden and Bryan Sakuma of Bow...
The federal government has made a
$1.1 million investment in Delta’s Mazza Innovation to expand its plant extract production facility. The money will enable Mazza to install innovative drying technology and expand its laboratory, helping the company meet growing global demand for
phytonutrients, which give plants their vibrant colours and are used as an ingredient for functional foods, dietary supplements and beauty products. The repayable funding is being provided under the Growing Forward 2 AgriInnovation Program, a five- year, $698-million initiative. The amount builds on a previous $300,000 federal investment the company
22 British Columbia Berry Grower • Spring 2017
received in 2013 under the research and development stream of the same program, to develop a new method of extracting phytonutrients from plants using the most natural solvent possible — water...
Our nation’s capital has embarked on an interesting project to give consumers better food choices. Corner stores can be a great place to make a pit stop and grab some snacks, but most food found there wouldn't be considered healthy. So Ottawa Public Health is looking to change this by adding some healthier options to corner-markets. The pilot project aims to get more fresh produce, low-fat dairy products and meat alternatives onto the shelves of corner stores, especially in
Ray Biln Parm Bains
neighbourhoods that lack a full-scale grocery store, Participating stores have agreed to carry at least three different fresh vegetables, three different fresh fruits, whole-grain products, and other healthier alternatives. OPH helps with marketing and promotion, product displays and, behind the scenes, links stores with wholesalers and the group-
buying power of Just Food to purchase stock, said Krystal Taylor, the public health dietitian driving the initiative. It has been launched in three stores and,
according to Taylor, OPH is hoping a major convenience store chain will soon sell fresh fruit and veggies at two or three of its Ottawa locations. Similar projects have been launched in Montreal and Toronto...
The deadline for an exemption to the application fee for existing non- domestic groundwater users has been extended from Feb. 28 to Dec. 31, 2017, giving those users 10 months longer in which to complete their application for a licence. Groundwater licencing in B.C. was introduced as part of the new Water Sustainability Act, which replaced the old Water Act, which did not regulate groundwater. It came into effect a year ago. In order to comply with the new law, all groundwater users must apply for a licence before March 1, 2019. Rental fees, however, will apply from the date the regulation came into effect, (Feb. 28, 2016) for existing users, and from the date of construction for new users. Domestic groundwater use is exempt from licensing and fees. That includes a domestic well and water used for household purposes such as drinking, washing, watering a garden or providing water for domestic animals and poultry. However, domestic well users are encouraged to register their wells so their water use is known and it can be protected for the user. Submit a well registration form to:
groundwater@gov.bc.ca
Details about the new act can be found at:
gov.bc.ca/water
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