Minister Joins the Eat Atlantic Challenge

Agriculture Minister John MacDonell invites Nova Scotians to join him in his pledge to eat only Atlantic produced food on Friday, Sept. 4.

Mr. MacDonell has joined Atlantic ministers Ronald Ouellette of New Brunswick, George Webster of Prince Edward Island, and Kathy Dunderdale of Newfoundland and Labrador, who have also made the pledge to eat only Atlantic produced food on that day.

"The main goal of the challenge is to promote the benefits of eating food that is produced here in Atlantic Canada," said Mr. MacDonell. "Local food is good for our health, communities and the environment, and supports our economy."

Consumers are becoming more interested in where their food comes from. The challenge aims to increase awareness of the wide range of food available from the region.

Mr. MacDonell added that the province with the most pledges will be, declared the challenge winner, complete with bragging rights, which adds a healthy dose of competition among his Atlantic colleagues.

Mr. MacDonell invites Nova Scotians to visit eatatlantic.ca to make the pledge. The website features a provincial leaderboard which keeps a running tally of pledges, broken down by province. People who take part in the challenge will qualify to win a prize, and children can also have a chance to win a bicycle.

"We are excited to be working with the four provinces to raise awareness about the importance of choosing Atlantic first when you shop," said John Harvie, CEO of Co-op Atlantic, which is owned by the more than 100 Co-op stores in the region. "The challenge is for one day, but it's surprisingly easy to enjoy an Atlantic diet all through the year. We grow some of the best food in the world here in Atlantic Canada."

Prizes are donated by the region's Co-op food stores, who launched the first Eat Atlantic Challenge in 2008.