Canada has to up its game to become a world leader in food safety and sustainability.   Ottawa—A lot remains to be done to give the Canada Brand the global cachet needed to make Canadian food exports international best sellers, a series of cross-country workshops has concluded. Organized by Canada 2020, the workshops will conclude in November with a session here that is intended to pull together the ideas that emerged during the workshops into an action plan to present to the government this fall's, says organizer David McInnes. “We want to hit the ground running after the election to elevate our economic agenda with the government.” A central theme that has emerged in the workshops is the need to make sustainability a key component of farming and food processing across the country, he said. “We're competing in a new world order and we have to protect our reputation. We're in a more demanding marketplace and we need to be able to prove our food safety and sustainability claims. Consumer trust, animal care and sustainability are all linked to the Canada Brand.” The Canadian Roundtable for Beef Sustainability has developed a globally-recognized brand that is an excellent example of what the entire agrifood sector has to adopt, he said. “The demand for sustainable products is a global trend. It's key to differentiating our products from other countries.” The common themes that have emerged during the Canada 2020 workshops are also prominent in the recent Senate agriculture committee report on the value-added sector, an upcoming release by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and the election strategies developed by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance. Then there is the 2018 report from the agrifood strategy table and before it the 2016 Barton report. In other words, the time has come to walk the talk. McInnes said that will require establishing credible metrics that prove to international customers that Canadian food production is sustainable. Making the Canada Brand credible around the world will be a catalyst for profitability in the entire food system and that means the agrifood industry has to take the lead in developing it. “Every player in the food system has a role to play while governments should remain a critical player by supporting innovation and having an internationally-respected regulatory system.” Making the Canada Brand a world leader will be a complex task because the Canadian food sector is so diverse, he said. “It's more than just promotion and marketing. It's about how we validate our claims and how we manage our sustainability. “That comes through paying attention to measuring what matters. There already is a world of metrics and benchmarks. We have to remember that folks get very emotional about where their food comes from. We need to become more strategic to meet international standards. The domestic and global supply chains will expect more.” The workshops made it clear that Canada has to be very clear in its aim to a be world leader in sustainability, he said. Not only does that entail having a good environment for growing food but also being “a great place to invest and a great place to be a future food producer. Canada needs to be a place that will sustainably produce more food – not less – while retaining consumer trust and confidence in the markets we serve. Canada needs to own this outcome – the basis to differentiate and succeed in the unfolding global food system.” Currently Canada's average corporate sustainability score ranks a C minus, says CDP, a global index that measures environmental performance of more than 7,000 companies and several hundred states, regions and cities. “If Canada wants to nurture a brand around sustainability, it needs to grapple with how it is being assessed,” McInnes said. “Canada has generally good soil quality practices but quality results are mixed and, while Canada's water-use is excellent, only 1 per cent of crops are irrigated, the country faces some regional water quality challenges. Canada needs better data to assess overall eco-system health.” Canada has a positive story on grain sustainability but “would benefit if information was more accessible to consumers,” he said. “The fact that individual farm certifications are not yet a requirement, except for limited markets and crops, makes it harder to affirm action and build trust. Communicating sustainability in stores and on product labels is not easy.” Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.