au courant
A regular update on issues, events and activities.
Volume 11, No. 9, 2007
- FCPC to conduct major competitiveness study
- Less paper, better data and code dating protocols top Industry Affairs priorities
- Adjusting prices isn't quite as easy for every sector, said Nancy Croitoru
- FCPC congratulates members who are among Canada's Top 100 employers
- FCPC offers HR Share Groups
FCPC to conduct major competitiveness study
FCPC is conducting a major research project aimed at quantifying the opportunity costs which stand to negatively affect food and consumer goods manufacturers associated with the current regulatory environment. The study, made in part possible through funding from the Agricultural Adaptation Council, will look the current product approval and registration systems with the intent to highlight both regulatory and procedural opportunities. For more information and/or to indicate your interest in participating, please contact Gemma Zecchini, Senior Vice-President, Public Policy at 416-510-8024 ext. 2281 or gemmaz@fcpc.ca.
Less paper, better data and code dating protocols top Industry Affairs priorities
On behalf of our members, FCPC has been working with our trading partners on a number of initiatives to help enhance best practices across the supply chain and improve data accuracy. We have been working on:
- data accuracy scorecards for FCPC members with CCGD and GS1
- a plan to "turn off the paper" for Foodservice ECCnet transactions by December 31, 2007
- developing code dating protocols which will be approved by the Commerce Council by mid-December 2007
- collaborating with I-Trade, CCGD and Sysco on a data synchronization solution
These initiatives will work to provide a more efficient and standardized flow of communication between manufacturers, distributors and retailers, enabling more accurate and cost effective supply chain relationships. For more information on any of these initiatives, please contact Lesley McKeever, Sr. V.P. Industry Affairs & Membership at 416- 510-8024 ext. 2231 or lesleym@fcpc.ca.
Adjusting prices isn't quite as easy for every sector, said Nancy Croitoru
In light of the heightened media attention around the rising Canadian dollar and the cost of goods in Canada, FCPC has been actively speaking to government officials and the media about dollar parity and its impact on food, beverage and consumer packaged goods manufacturers. FCPC provided comment to media outlets including Canadian Press (view story), the Globe and Mail, AM 900 CHML in Hamilton and CBC syndicate radio stations across the country. FCPC has also communicated with all MPs about this issue in order to provide more information about our sector. To learn more about this issue, please view the FCPC website or contact Lesley McKeever, Sr. V.P. Industry Affairs & Membership at 416-510-8024 ext. 2231 or lesleym@fcpc.ca.
FCPC congratulates members who are among Canada's Top 100 employers
FCPC is pleased to congratulate our members who were voted as part of Maclean's magazine's Top 100 Employers in Canada: Bayer Inc, Deloitte & Touche LLP, KPMG LLP, Mars Canada Inc, Monsanto Canada Inc., PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Procter & Gamble Inc. Now entering its 8th edition, Canada's Top 100 Employers is a best-selling guide to the companies and organizations that lead their industries in attracting and retaining employees. For more information on this special issue visit http://www.canadastop100.com/
FCPC offers HR Share Groups
FCPC provides our members the ability to network through two channels– one virtual and one in person. However, we have found over time that the HR issues our member companies face can vary depending on the size of the company. In response to this, we will be creating two "in-person" share groups for our HR community to network based on company size. Share Groups provide members the ability to connect with industry peers to discuss issues and solutions to common, non-competitive challenges. If you are interested in participating in either the virtual networking or an "in-person" Share Group concept, please send an email to Kathleen Kennedy at kathleenk@fcpc.ca.
Upcoming Events
Former FCPC Executive, Elaine Smith, to receive Golden Pencil Award (Nov 19)
Elaine Smith, who recently retired from FCPC as Senior Vice President, Industry Affairs, has been selected to receive the Golden Pencil Award. Join FCPC to support Elaine at this prestigious event on November 19, 2007 from 5:00pm to 7:30pm, in the Concert Hall of the Royal York Hotel. Established in 1957, the award is one of the industry's highest honours, and as a recipient, Elaine joins a distinguished list of leaders in Canada's manufacturing and retail industry. Elaine is also only the sixth person from an association or trade magazine within the industry to receive the award. Tickets are on sale now and can be ordered by clicking here.
MaRS Landing hosts first Marketing Health Functionality Seminar (Dec 10)
On December 10, 2007 at the MaRS Centre in Toronto, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in partnership with MaRS Landing will host the first Marketing Health Functionality Seminar, an elite gathering of product developers, academics and executives involved in functional health ingredients. The program will include: plenary sessions and panels with key, guest speakers and thought-provoking panel discussions focusing on functional food programs, from the discovery side to launching into the marketplace. This event will provide a great opportunity to network and interact with these key leaders and to discover how to capture opportunities from the growing functional health food and ingredients market in the United States. For registration and more information, please visit www.marslanding.ca/events.
Industry Stories
Results of Skilled Labour Shortage Survey for Greater Vancouver Area Available
FCPC was recently made aware of a survey of organizations located in the Greater Vancouver area to find out how the skilled labour shortage is directly impacting them. A copy of the report can be found here. Members interested in learning more about the study are asked to contact Sandra Reder, Managing Partner at Vertical Bridge Consulting via email at sreder@verticalbridge.ca or at 604-682-2262.
Harness the power of your message with on-air access to your consumers
One of the most effective marketing influences for a company is the benefit of positive coverage during a radio broadcast, especially when linked to their products and services. For this reason, it is important that your message be developed into a credible, timely and engaging radio news segment. In just seven days, News Canada can professionally produce your audio news release and distribute it nationally to over 600 radio stations across the country. To view the stations that are using News Canada radio segments click here. For a demonstration on ways in which radio is one of the most efficient and effective ways to get your marketing message out to the public, contact Charlene Nadalin at 1-888-855-NEWS (6397), ext. 203 or cnadalin@newscanada.com.
FCPC Submissions
FCPC submitted a letter to the British Columbia Ministry of Environment in regards to the province's intention to add new product categories to the Recycling Regulation. To review the letter, please click here.
Welcome to FCPC
FCPC is pleased to recognize Deloitte & Touche LLP has upgraded their membership from Affiliate to Partner. Deloitte is Canada's leading professional services firm, providing audit, tax, financial advisory and consulting services through more than 6,800 people in 51 locations across the country.
Member News
The J. M. Smucker Company Acquires Carnation® Milk Brand in Canada
Smucker Foods of Canada Co., has acquired the Canadian Carnation brand canned milk products business from Nestle Canada, including the rights to use the Carnation brand for these products in Canada. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The current line of Carnation branded milk products marketed in Canada that were acquired includes evaporated milk, thick cream, and skim milk powder with annual net sales of approximately $50 million. For more information.
Pinty's Delicious Foods working with Silliker, Inc.
Pinty's Delicious Foods, a leading Canadian manufacturer of premium poultry products, has entered into an agreement with Silliker, Inc. to train its workforce with Alchemy Systems' interactive, group-based training platform, SISTEM™. SISTEM™ has established itself as a best practice in the industry for verifying and validating critical-skills training to in-plant personnel. The product is highly interactive and allows companies to deliver competency-based, streamlined, and consistent training via the Internet or company intranet. Currently, SISTEM™ is used to train nearly 85,000 food processing and food service workers in the U.S. Pinty's will be the first major Canadian food company to implement SISTEM™.