Some shoppers in Kamloops and the Okanagan are researching and sourcing Canadian products in the wake of U.S. president Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow is a perfect time to focus on local food systems, and I think people want to know what\u2019s going on, what\u2019s available and why companies choose to do what they do,\u201d Okanagan Grown Produce general manager Lilian Posch told iNFOnews.ca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her Vernon-based company has been marketing locally grown field crops, fruit, greenhouse and storage crops for more than 80 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Posch said food systems have many layers and not only has there been a shift in food distribution over the years, there has been a shift in consumer expectations that is contributing to the reliance on products from other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her company currently supports seven commercial-sized growers in the Okanagan and one in Kamloops that supply the distribution centres for major grocery chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe used to have a direct-to-store program running where our company contacted local stores and filled and packed orders to be out on store shelves the following morning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow local produce goes on trucks, down the highway to distribution centres in the Lower Mainland. It sits in a warehouse and then is loaded on trucks and distributed to stores from there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
READ MORE:<\/strong> How Trump tariff threat and foreign buyers ban impacts Okanagan real estate market<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n One commercial grower Posch\u2019s company supports is Dhaliwal Green Acres Veg Farm located in Heffley Creek just north of Kamloops. It’s the largest onion grower in the province and also grows tonnes of potatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe onion growers have truckloads of products that drive past the stores going down to Surrey into a warehouse and distributed instead of staying in the community. We see the same thing in Vernon, Penticton and Osoyoos,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Posch said when prices go up at grocery stores, the growers are not getting that money, the stores are and they\u2019re the ones setting the prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe store is buying products from the U.S. because they\u2019re cheaper,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of these big corporate grocery stores don\u2019t care, it\u2019s profit over people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the hardest products to source locally in Kamloops and the Okanagan in the winter months is perishable produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis generation has come to the point where they have to have everything all of the time, we don\u2019t need everything all of the time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have blackberries out of season because we\u2019re trading with another country, because a few people asked for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Kamloops school district boss accused of bullying, creating toxic work environment<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t necessarily buy them because they\u2019re too expensive or the flavour isn\u2019t what they\u2019re used to so the grocery store throws them away or it goes to a soup kitchen. The store marks something else up to make up lost profit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said consumers can think about what seasonal produce is growing in fields at different times of the year when they\u2019re shopping. There are seasonal products like tomatoes and peppers, and storable products like potatoes, carrots, onions and beets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s impossible for local farmers to grow lettuce at this time of year unless it\u2019s in a greenhouse,\u201d she said. \u201cStorable items are put into computerized, temperature-controlled facilities and kept in the dark with air circulation so those hold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of the province\u2019s produce is grown by commercial greenhouse operations in the Lower Mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are now vertical greenhouse operations popping up, a big one in Naramata is growing lettuce and doing a beautiful job. Hopefully that industry will grow,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cField crops are starting in greenhouses down on the coast now so we should get long English cucumbers, some peppers and tomatoes in soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Posch said consumers can help keep products local by confronting grocery outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf consumers want local produce in grocery stores, they can talk to the produce department store or manager and ask questions,\u201d she said. \u201cAs the consumer, you\u2019re empowered to demand local or question why the store is buying from the States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Meat aisle sticker shock? Buying local beef in Kamloops, Okanagan an affordable option<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week, iNFOnews.ca told you about Fred Nelson<\/a> of Vernon who started a Facebook group called Buy Canadian First.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The group has more than 9,000 members who share tips on where to source Canadian and B.C. made products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked where his members are finding locally grown produce in the Okanagan, Nelson named a few outlets including Swan Lake Fruit Stand and Butcher Boys in Vernon, and Askews in Armstrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople are finding locally grown produce in smaller, more independent-type grocery stores,\u201d Nelson previously told iNFOnews.ca. \u201cThey\u2019re carrying more B.C. goods rather than larger chains that are buying warehouse quantities from U.S. growers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Posch agreed and suggested consumers support smaller produce stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNuLeaf in Kamloops is an amazing little store, they\u2019re doing a great job but have challenges as well,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have product coming in from the U.S. and California.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n READ MORE:<\/strong> GOT MILK?: This Kamloops farm doesn’t just milk cows, it’s a self-sufficient processor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nelson said a shift is happening with consumers not only looking at labels on products, but identifying and buying from Canadian-owned retailers like Save-On-Foods and Superstore as much as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re supporting Canadian owned companies, it\u2019s shifting where our money goes,\u201d he said. \u201cSome have to shop at Walmart, it\u2019s understandable, but they\u2019re doing their best by putting two or three more Canadian goods in their carts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGenerally retailers are still not marketing clearly where the goods are coming from, especially produce. When we see the label BC Greenhouse on tomatoes for example, they\u2019re not necessarily grown in B.C. BC Hothouse has a tremendous number of greenhouses in California.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n