110
3
The brand is being supported by a strong trad-
itional and digital marketing strategy as well, which
will see three major waves of TV and Magazine
advertising including consumer contest prizing
commencing in the late spring (in time for BBQ
season), early fall (Back to School) and early winter
(Festive) periods. That is the first three weeks of June,
September and December. CFC is also working with
retailers and primary processors to update their
labels in preparation for the launch.
The three time periods have been selected to
correspond with grocery retailers’ major consumer
merchandising periods.
°
For BBQ season June/July you may have seen
the launch of the brand within the Rogers Media
integrated marketing platform, with print adver-
tising in English and French issues of Chatelaine
magazine , promotion on CityLine Television with
weekly audience gift giveaways and other promo-
tional initiatives within the CityLine program.
A thirty-second co-branded TV advertise-
ment will air daily across CityLine programming
for the first three weeks of June. Francophones
will enjoy the print launch in Chatelaine, as well
as on specific Quebecor/TVA media, such as
Signé M Magazine. We are running a national
consumer contest featuring a “$5,000 Backyard
Makeover” across our Rogers’ advertising media as
well as leveraging our digital marketing programs to
get the message our and encourage participation.
°
The September (or Back to School) launch will
be featured in all the above properties, as well as
in Moi&Cie magazine, and on the Signé M web
and television networks (TVA). We are featuring a
national contest themed with Back to School with
“Win One of Two Lunch for a Year Packages” from
Chicken Farmers of Canada.
°
The December (or Festive) campaign will feature all
the Rogers’ advertising, as well as the Salut Bonjour
programming, both online and on television (TVA). The
national consumer contest will feature “Win one
of Two Personal Chef Experiences” to entertain
family and friends from Chicken Farmers of Canada.
°
With each campaign, total prizing is valued at
$5,000, a value which will surely attract attention
from consumers during these seasonal periods.
The digital soft launch of the brand began in May on
the chicken.ca social networks – with a long-term,
large-scale online and social media blitz with messa-
ging and promotion of the new logo and brand.
In addition, several other initiatives are being
developed on a partner-by-partner basis, based on
the marketing strategies and targets of each partici-
pant in the program.
Other processors and retailers are coming aboard
this national initiative – we are looking forward to
growing our brand together.
New Mobile App
The development of a customer mobile phone app
will also be launched in the coming weeks. Stay
tuned to chicken.ca for the big launch of our brand
new mobile grocery shopping app!
Since now more than half of our web traffic is
mobile, we saw a golden opportunity to retain users
and integrate our new brand messaging into their
everyday lives by giving them an easy, free way to
create and share shopping lists. Now, customers can
research, share and add ingredients to their shop-
ping list on the go, syncing their favourite recipes
back to their chicken.ca account. Expect to see the
iPhone version in the next couple of weeks, followed
by the Android version shortly after!
Features of the app include:
°
Sharing of lists with real-time syncing
°
Over 600 chicken.ca recipes, including nutritional
information, tips, tricks and more
°
Ability to add ingredients from chicken.ca recipes
to your lists
°
Database of over 350 common grocery items
°
Ability to categorize items not included in the
database
What can I do?
°
Ask for the new brand “Raised by a Canadian
Farmer” at your local retailer.
°
Look for our ads and other promotional information
°
Tell friends, family and others in your community
about the new brand.
°
Encourage everyone to enter our contests and
participate in our initiatives by visiting chicken.ca
°
Log onto our Facebook page
(facebook.com/chickenfarmers)
°
Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/chickenfarmers)
°
Stay tuned for more updates!
88
4
Animal Welfare
Important to
Poultry Industry
VIV Europe 2014 visitors hear
of how poultry industry is
actively working to improve
animal welfare and public
perceptions.
A conference on animal welfare,
conducted by WATT Global
Media at VIV Europe 2014 on
May 21, drew a diverse crowd and
numerous questions from the
audience. It included a report on
how a group in Germany is raising
consumer awareness of the
poultry industry’s commitment
to animal welfare.
Aline Veauthier, from the Science
and Information Centre for
Sustainable Poultry Production,
Vechta University, Germany,
described the organization’s
program that opens poultry
growing houses to the public in
northern Germany.
She explained that animal welfare
groups and the media were
presenting a negative view of
the poultry industry in Germany.
To combat that, the group
developed this program to give
full transparency to the public.
“We want the public informed on
modern systems of meat produc-
tion,” she said.
Still in its beginning stages,
the program has hosted more
than 4,000 visitors on 24 farms,
with more than 80 farmers
participating.
She explained how the program
works. “In general, farm openings
take place one Sunday per month,
April to October.” She explained
they are careful to choose farms
that are adequate distances apart
to keep people from visiting
multiple farms in one day, and
they choose farms with animals
of proper age. “Last weekend,
we had 300 visitors on two new
farms. We feel the project is an
overwhelming success.”
When arriving at the farm, visitors
enter a tent erected next to a
facility. They get general infor-
mation on poultry farms and are
surveyed on their expectations
and attitudes prior to the tour.
Visitors wear protective clothing
and footwear, and biosecurity
measures are followed.
After the tour, the visitors take a
second survey and the changes
of their attitude are tracked. She
presented results taken from
3,000 visitors on 15 farms.
Over 40 percent of people taking
survey had no previous know-
ledge of the industry, and 74
percent had not seen a poultry
house before. The survey showed
their impressions of the industry
had improved, especially on air
quality and dust in the facilities.
She said 81 percent report posi-
tive impressions, and 77 percent
now disagree with the non-
governmental organization (NGO)
and media representations of the
industry.
Reprinted with permission by the
author from WATTAgNet. The
whole article by Bruce Plantz from
May 21, 2014 is at: (www.wattagnet.
com/168345.html)
58
5
U.S. Fowl Meat Verification Program
If you have been keeping up with your chicken news in the past year, it is almost certain that
you have heard something about the spent fowl issue that is currently facing our industry.
Industry sources have claimed that chicken from the United States has found its way onto
the Canadian market under the label of spent fowl; therefore circumventing Canadian
import controls.
The use of spent fowl, a by-product of the egg-laying
industry, was originally limited to canned soups and
some further processed products. New technology
in food processing has enabled processors to make
spent fowl meat look and taste very similar to broiler
meat. The ability to substitute broiler meat and fowl
meat has caused many headaches for Canadian Border
Services Agency (CBSA) agents who lack the ability to
differentiate the two types of meats at the border.
The real issue is that American mature chicken
meat can enter Canada free from tariffs, while
broiler imports are subject to the tariff rate quota
(TRQ); therefore creating an incentive for dishonest
importers to sneak chicken in under the label of
spent fowl. This method to circumvent duties is
illegal, but evidence suggests that this is in fact being
used here in Canada.
In this particular situation, legitimate operators
in the spent fowl industry have decided to come
together on both sides of the border to put a stop to
these illegal activities. The United Stated Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Fowl Meat Verification (FMV)
Program was released on February 16, 2014 by the
USDA to provide importers with third-party veri-
fication that fowl meat has been produced and/or
processed from fowl and properly labeled.
This voluntary program has already been adopted
by one of the major spent fowl producer south of
the border and word is out that other major U.S.
producers are currently undertaking the necessary
auditing to certify their facilities.
All requirements of the USDA-FMV Program are
generic and are intended to be applicable to
all clients, regardless of type, size, and product
provided. These requirements apply to the auditing
and approval of production facilities, slaughter and/
or processing facilities and any other entities in the
process requesting that fowl meat be verified as
fowl. More specifically, it is to verify that the fowl
being produced and processed is in fact fowl meat
and does not contain any broiler meat. Despite being
voluntary, the program will create more transpar-
ency from the major players in the industry, making
it harder for dishonest importers to move illegal
product into Canada.
CFC welcomes this initiative and has been actively
urging the Canadian government to follow-up on
the American initiative with a compatible mandatory
program, here in Canada.
The real issue is that American mature chicken
meat can enter Canada free from tariffs.
40
6
New Study Unmasks the Latest
Superfood – Canadian Chicken
(Part II)
For years, Canadians have trusted chicken as the staple of
their kitchens for its versatility, nutrition, and of course, its
amazing taste.
The idea that chicken was some kind of amazing superfood never
occurred to the millions of home chefs, moms and dads, first-time cooks
and nutritionists across the country because they didn’t need to be
convinced that it was the best protein for a healthy and delicious meal.
Well things have changed…
Something that had been so obvious for years, so apparent that it
was left to frying pans, ovens and barbecues to do the talking, has
been confirmed in a new scientific study from the Chicken Farmers of
Canada – chicken is the new superfood.
The study, the first of its kind in 20 years, provides an updated look at
how chicken has changed nutritionally given the advancements in how
the birds are bred, raised, fed and processed. Today’s chicken is funda-
mentally safer, healthier and more convenient than ever before.
The study confirmed that chicken is just as awesome and nutritious as
we’ve always known — and then some! It’s a veritable superfood by the
number of nutrients and healthy properties it possesses.
Let’s start with protein. Protein is one of the most important macro-
nutrients healthy humans need in their daily diet. Protein is an
important building block for great things like muscle, hair, skin and
a lot of other important organs (they’re all important really). With all
that in mind, did you know that a 100 g serving of chicken breast has a
whopping 32 g of protein! That kind of protein power puts most steak
to shame. Chicken has more protein per gram than most cuts of beef
and has much less fat.
So what other superpowers does chicken have? How about being low in
fat (with skin removed), an excellent source of niacin, which helps regu-
late cholesterol, and high in magnesium – an important mineral involved
in metabolic reactions that many of us are not getting enough of.
This cooking technique has been used for decades to cook some of
the most flavourful meals you remember as a kid. The downside of a
skin-on cut of chicken has always been a higher fat and calorie count
due to the exact same process that traps the juicy fat and oils inside the
bird. It’s an unfortunate paradox – juicy chicken or low fat, choose one.
45
7
But there is hope.
As part of a recent nutrition study undertaken by Chicken Farmers of
Canada, full details to be released later this month, a remarkable break-
through was discovered. While a skinless cut of chicken does contain
less fat and calories, a skin-on cut can attain similar nutritional value
if the skin is removed prior to consumption. This means that you can
cook your chicken with the skin on, retaining all the moisture and
flavour you love, and then remove it prior to serving to achieve essen-
tially the same health benefit as a skinless cut.
For example, skinless chicken breasts have 146 calories and 1.73 g of fat
compared to chicken breasts cooked with skin and skin removed with
134 calories and 1.37 g of fat per 100 g. As well, skinless chicken breasts
have less moisture compared to chicken cooked with skin and skin
removed; 64.96 g vs. 67.47 g respectively.
That’s right, a breast of chicken cooked with skin-on and then removed
actually has less fat and calories than a skinless breast. How is this
possible? When the chicken is cooking, the fat in the breast flows out
of the meat and becomes trapped in the skin. The skin of the chicken
becomes saturated with fat and retains it once it is removed.
Dark Meat
If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you can go over to the dark (meat)
side where even more great health benefits await. In addition to all of
the great benefits of white meat, dark meat contains more zinc (great
for regulating immune function) and vitamin B12 than white meat.
It’s All Good
All cuts of chicken are also carbohydrate free, trans fat-free and sugar-
free, naturally low in sodium, and contain B6, riboflavin, thiamin and
phosphorus. That’s a mouthful.
The nutritional benefits of chicken vary by cut and by the pres-
ence of skin — and they are numerous — and you can learn more
about how each cut stacks up in the “Nutrient Analysis Report” at
chicken.ca/health. The report also contains a great breakdown of the
nutritional benefits of organic chicken vs. non-organic and the results
may surprise you.
This up-close examination of today’s chicken has us more convinced
than ever that chicken is the new superfood!
... a breast of
chicken cooked
with skin-on and
then removed
actually has less
fat and calories
than a skinless
breast.
119
8
Electronic Record Keeping:
2014 Edition of Safe, Safer, Safest
A revised edition of the on-farm food safety assurance program (OFFSAP) producer manual,
the 2014 Edition of Safe, Safer, Safest has been approved by CFC Directors, and began imple-
mentation on May 15,
2014.
A CD has been provided with
the OFFSAP binder to provide
electronic access to the entire
program.
Each farmer has the option of
using the paper-based records
from the manual, or they can
fill out the information on their
computer, print a copy, and manu-
ally sign the forms or complete
and digitally sign the forms.
These forms have been
developed using Adobe
Acrobat; the Reader
version of Adobe Acrobat
which has all the func-
tionality required to
complete the forms can
be downloaded for free
from the internet.
The CD in the 2014
manual includes the
following files:
°
Flock Specific Record
Form, Version 5.0 in
fillable PDF format
°
Standard Operating Procedures,
Version 5.0
in fillable PDF format
°
Animal Care Density Calculator,
Version 1.1 in Excel
At the farm, farmers can
complete the Standard Operating
Procedures and save the docu-
ment electronically and/or print
a copy for employees as needed.
Any additions or reviews of the
Standard Operating Procedures
need to be saved as a different
version number, so that the
auditor can view the revisions that
have been made. The Standard
Operating Procedures also have a
built-in calculation to help deter-
mine stocking density and the
number of chicks that can be
placed to achieve a specific density
based on your barn parameters.
For the Flock Specific Record
Forms, only one copy needs to be
saved/printed for each flock.
Using these electronic forms will
simplify the records assessment
audit, whereby the electronic forms
can be emailed to the provincial
board or auditor when needed. The
additional documents of feed tags
and the water analysis report would
either need to be provided in their
original paper versions, or they
could be scanned and emailed along
with the electronic record forms.
The 2014 OFFSAP CD also
includes the Animal Care Density
Calculator Excel spreadsheet. This
spreadsheet has been designed to
help farmers calculate the number
of birds that can be placed in
their barn, as well as to deter-
mine the final density for each
flock shipped. The model requires
information on barn size, feeder
and water recommendations,
intended density level and
expected mortality in order
to calculate the maximum
number of birds that can
be placed.
The Excel model has
been developed to
automatically convert
between kg/m
2
, lb/ft
2
and kg/ft
2
. Once
shipped, farmers can
input the actual weight of
the birds and the number
of birds shipped to quickly
calculate the actual density at
shipment.
With the revised OFFSAP manual,
the Flock Information Reporting
Form has also been revised and
will soon be made available to
farmers. With this new flock
sheet, CFC will be developing a
PDF-fillable electronic form that
will be able to be sent directly to
the processing plant. CFC is in the
process of receiving approval for
this form from the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency and will make
the forms available for farmers as
soon as possible.
OFFSAP Manual
65
9
Requirements – Reminders
To help locate the new infor-
mation in the body of the new
edition of the manual, all modi-
fications to requirements have
been marked with a star. Please
take the time to read over the
list of amendments and to
understand how these amend-
ments affect how the program
will be implemented.
All the new requirements of
this edition took effect on May
15
th
, and are expected to be fully
implemented and will be evalu-
ated during your next audit.
Continued certification will be
dependent on the implementa-
tion of the requirements in this
new edition.
One such requirement is the
need to take the water sample
from inside the barn at the
nipples/outlet pipe. Please
see the article in this edition
of the Chicken Farmer that
provides guidance on this new
requirement.
A brochure on the Principles of
Responsible Antimicrobial Use
has also been included with
the OFFSAP manual. This is an
important document which
combines the program require-
ments for antimicrobial use,
as well as re-enforcing the
industry policy to eliminate the
preventive use of Category I
antimicrobials. Farmers should
review this information with all
personnel involved in providing
care to chicken flocks.
Timely Euthanasia
of Compromised Chicks
Farmers will be receiving a poster about the “Timely
Euthanasia of Compromised Chicks”* with this issue of the
Chicken Farmer.
The purpose of this poster is to serve as a teaching tool to identify and
remove compromised chicks in the first 10 days of life. This poster is a
reminder that culling is an essential tool; an effective culling program
can improve animal welfare, food safety and minimize or replace the
need for antibiotic therapy.
In some cases, antibiotic treatment can keep chicks alive but fail
to resolve the original infection. As a result, losses will occur when
the treatment is withdrawn. Instead, an effective culling program
will reduce suffering and limit the amount of bacteria shed into the
environment.
This poster was developed with a number of industry stakeholders for
use by the industry and has been printed on synthetic paper that will
withstand cleaning when hung inside the barn.
*( Please note that farmers in Ontario will receive this poster directly from Chicken
Farmers of Ontario)
70
Editor: Marty Brett - mbrett@chicken.ca
Graphic Designer: Stephanie St.Pierre - sstpierre@chicken.ca
facebook.com/chickenfarmers
twitter.com/chickenfarmers
Performing Water
Analysis Inside the Barn
The 2014 version of CFC’s Safe, Safer, Safest On-Farm Food
Safety Assurance Program requires that water samples for
the annual water testing be taken from inside the grow-out
area at the nipples/outlet pipe.
The specific change in this version
of the manual is that the samples
need to be taken from the nipples
or outlet pipe. The intent of this
requirement is to evaluate the
water quality that is specifically
being consumed by the birds. The
only true way to do this is to take
a sample of the water that the
birds are actually drinking.
Sampling the water at this loca-
tion is important because there
are possibilities for contamina-
tion once water enters the barns,
which can contribute to bacterial
growth. In addition, biofilm
that build up on the inside of
water lines provides an excellent
environment for pathogens, which
can lead to health problems.
While sampling water from inside
the barn can be a little trickier due
to the possibility of environmental
contamination, it is definitely
possible to do! It is recommended
that the water sample be taken in
between flocks after the barn has
been cleaned and disinfected.
The following guidelines will help
to avoid environmental contam-
ination and to take a proper water
sample from inside the barn from
the nipples or from the outlet pipe.
(1) Wear disposable gloves.
(2) Label the plastic vessel and do
not remove the lid.
(3) Clean the nipple/pipe/outlet
with an alcohol wipe.
(4) Remove the nipple/outlet and
let the water run into a bucket
for 1-2 minutes. This will
remove any stagnant water
and debris that might contam-
inate the sample.
(5) Wearing the disposable gloves,
remove the lid of the vessel
and let the stream of water
run inside the sample and
completely fill it.
Caution: Do not touch the
inside of the lid, the opening of
the vessel or put the lid down.
If you do so, discard and take
another sample.
(6) Seal the vessel and send to the
laboratory as soon as possible.
The most accurate results are
obtained within 6 hours of
sampling. Refrigerate over-
night if necessary.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
