Raised by a Canadian Farmer Logo – What It Means & Why You Should Look For It
Disclosure: I am participating in the Chicken Farmers of Canada campaign managed by SJ Consulting. I received compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.
I do my groceries every Saturday morning. I get up at the crack of dawn, grab my purse, reusable bags and phone and zip down to the grocery store. Front door parking is great! Plus, the store isn’t busy at all making it easy for me to get into my grocery shopping “zone”. I’m focused on finding everything on my list as quickly as I can. I also read labels – I want to know what is in the food I’m buying. Transparency is key!
The Chicken Farmers of Canada knows that Canadians like labels and knowing where their food is coming from. They conducted a survey and found that 88% of Canadians would likely buy chicken if it had a label showing whether it is was from Canada or imported elsewhere. For me personally, I want Canadian chicken because I know that the chicken has been raised according to high standards and I want to support local Canadian farmers.
You may have already seen the “Raised by a Canadian Farmer” logo on chicken at your local grocery store. Here’s what it looks like below.
It’s easy to spot right? When you see this logo on chicken, you’ll know a few things. It was raised by a Canadian chicken farmer according to a set of strong criteria regarding food safety and animal care standards. But what are these standards? I’ll give you a brief rundown to explain.
OFFSAP (On-Farm Food Safety Assurance Program): This mandatory program emphasizes animal health, cleanliness and safety through each step of the production cycle. Also, strict biosecurity measures that protect animal health and prevent flocks from infections from outside sources must be adhered to. Chicken Farmers of Canada on-farm safety program was the first commodity to receive full recognition for their program from the government of Canada in March 2013. Over 98% of Canadian chicken farmers are certified on the program and are audited annually to ensure compliance.
Animal Care Program: This Canadian Chicken program sets out the regulations and guidelines for the care and handling of the chickens raised on Canadian farms. It’s based on the National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Canadian Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Chickens, Turkeys and Breeders from Hatchery to Processing Plant. This program ensures the birds are raised in the best possible way. It’s recently been integrated with OFFSAP to make it easier for farmers to implement. Farmers are audited annually and over 95% of farmers are certified on this program.
In a nutshell, when you see this logo, remember that it stands for the mandatory farm food safety program and the audited animal care program. Yes, it does mean that the chicken is from Canada, but as you can see there’s much more to it!
This program is FREE for retailers to use with the signing of a licensing agreement. Having the “Raised by a Canadian Farmer” logo means all of what I talked about above regarding the quality standards plus leveraging Canadian Chicken Farmers traditional marketing program, Shopping with Chicken app, digital marketing program and active social media accounts. If you shop at Sobey’s or Federated Co-op, you may have already seen the logo on chicken in the meat department.
Lemon Herb Slow Cooker Chicken
Next time you are out shopping, look for the logo. If you don’t see it, consider asking either in person or via social media for your local store to add it to their chicken products. It’s important to know where your food comes from and is a source you trust!
Connect with Chicken Farmers of Canada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Good to know! I’ll look for it! Thanks!
My sister lives in Windsor and I am definitely sharing this post with her. Thanks so much!
I’ll be looking for this logo, thanks!
firstly, I love the logo, so cute with the red chicken with the Canadian flag. But more importantly, I like that I WILL know where my food came from. I like my food from this country best as I’m then supporting Canadian farmers FIRST. Great post Stacie.
I love buying my chicken at my local farmers market, and boy can you ever taste the difference, farm raised chickens are so good and they are not pumped full of water. I hate buying chicken in the store and you don’t know where it’s from and after it’s cooked there is so much shrinkage!!
I haven’t seen this logo yet in stores, so I will have to pay more attention next time I am shopping.
Raised in Detroit and spending weekends in Windsor, It is hard to think of it as another country.
I find it very reassuring that 98% of Canadians are produced humanely and have this logo stamped on them.. I did not know about this and I marvel at all the things I have learned since I started giveaways.
May want to edit the above post. I know what you mean, but still should edit. LOL
Great info!! Thank you for sharing.
Anything that is locally grown or raised, is absolutely better!
Oh I am so jealous (but I am happy for you and proud of Canada!)
I happen to adore eggs, and while I do go to great lengths to make sure I only buy organic, uncaged, nest eggs that had parents who ran around freely, ate healthy foods, weren’t all shot up with antibiotics (!) and above all, treated humanely!
Aside from a strong belief that all creatures should be treated humanly. I also agree with what my grandmother always said:
“You are what you eat.”
The next time we get up to Canada ~I will definitely make a point to locate and eat these healthy eggs! I wish I could bring some back with me ~ but I’ve got a feeling that custom’s will stop me from doing that!
Thanks for sharing this, I haven’t seen this yet and will be on the look out.
I am so happy to read and learn of the animal care program and to understand how important this Canadian logo is.Thank you for this great review.
i feel better knowing our chickens are raised with strict guidelines. not all countries do this
This is great!! I love chicken, we look for that Red Chicky and now I love the Shopping with Chicken App! Thanks Stacie for the heads up 🙂
We have similar labels in the US, but they are not trustworthy and because there are so many, it is hard to know what exactly they mean. I would prefer not to consume any animal products, but since I do and my family does, the most I wish is that my food is treated humanely during all phases of it’s life.
I will definitely be looking for this logo from now on! I didn’t realize how much it actually meant. Thank you for this post!
hank you for explaining this as I was just wondering about it when I was in the supermarket recently.
I am sharing this with my Canadian friends!
Always great to know where your food comes from!
You’re right, I will always purchase a product (any product) created, made or grown in Canada over any item from elsewhere. And when it comes to my food, I know that a Canadian grown/raised item is safe, no added hormones, chemicals and has met all standards. Thank you for giving me the heads up about the logo/label. I will look for it in stores.
Thank you. I will be looking for this logo from now on.
I always buy my chicken from our farmers markets home grown and so much more tasty , i have see a few of the logos around tho , thanks for sharing 🙂
Great article, we need to wake up and start paying attention to what is happening to the food we eat!
I haven’t seen this logo yet in stores in my area yet but I will keep an eye out for it
I don’t remember having seen the logo before, I’ve probably just not noticed it in my rush to get in and out quickly 🙂 I do like the logo, it says it all and I will be keeping my eyes peeled from now on. It’s good to be able to support any and all Canadian businesses 🙂
I am a big proponent of labeling and also of high standards in food production. I think it’s wonderful that most Canadians are on board with those same ideas.
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