Canadian food distributor aims to support B.C. specialty producers amid pandemic

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Your trip to the grocery store may be focused on buying essentials at the moment, but what if there was a way to support B.C. specialty food producers without having to leave home?

That’s the goal of the Emergency Pantry Food Box.

“What we’re seeing is that the pandemic is really disrupting the food system — I think everyone can really feel that,” Philippe Taillefer, owner of Canadian Artisan Foods, which sells the boxes, said. “And, as a result, you’d think that food is such a priority right now for everyone that the entire food sector would be doing well. But, unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

The boxes, which are sold at wholesale prices, are filled with things like meal solutions, grains, sauces, snacks, and more, all of which are produced in B.C. They can be ordered online and delivered to your door — so you don’t have to venture out to get your hands on these products.

“So what we decided to do, because we work with over 100 local brands as their distributor, is to launch a product, or service,” Taillefer said of the Emergency Pantry Food Boxes. “Basically, families supporting families is what we’re trying to do.”

Launched earlier this month, the boxes sold out on the first day, Taillefer said.

“Canadians, on the whole, and B.C. residents in particular, really love local, and they want to support local,” he said. “At this time of crisis, I think people understand that having a strong, sustainable, food ecosystem is very important, but I don’t think a lot of people realize that they’re really under a lot of pressure right now.”

Due to the pandemic, many of the places smaller businesses would normally market themselves or their products are now shut down. Taillefer said with more people practising physical distancing, smaller producers are taking a hit.

“There’s been a lot of social distancing measures and others that really impacted the traditional avenues for people to buy specialty food products that are made in B.C., such as farmers’ markets are closed, food events — which are huge for promotion and sale of local foods — have been suspended. Consumers are being told to shop online and making fewer trips to grocery stores, and that means visits to small independent grocery stores are dropping.”

When people do go to the store, they’re mostly stocking up on essential items, like toiletries and bulk foods that keep for longer.

He said the pandemic is now putting hundreds of small B.C. food producers, which employ thousands of workers, at risk.

“So anything we can do to support local food producers right now is really good,” Taillefer added.

The Emergency Pantry Food Box is just one of the many ways you can help support local.