Is the beef local? P.E.I. cattle producers stand by Burger Love

The Prince Edward Island Cattle Producers Association is confident that all of the restaurants participating in Burger Love are building their creations with 100 per cent Island beef.

The organization conducted an audit of the promotion last year after concerns were raised among consumers about whether restaurants were adhering to the guidelines of the event.

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"Our responsibility is to look after the suppliers of the beef," says Rinnie Bradley, executive director of the P.E.I. Cattle Producers Association.

She said the organization's duty is to "ensure every restaurant is using a local supplier who has been accredited."

Audit Process

The Cattle Producers Association has every supplier that sells hamburger to restaurants for Burger Love sign an affidavit to make sure they are selling Island beef.

Fresh Media, the company that developed the idea for the burger promotion, has each establishment provide the name of their suppliers.

The cattle producers then cross-check the list of suppliers from Fresh Media with the list of accredited producers to ensure there is a match. 

Once the promotion is over, the association compares the numbers of hamburgers sold in the month with the amount of beef a restaurant has purchased. 

'Very confident'

Three or four restaurants are randomly selected and their invoices are reviewed.

"We ensured that they had purchased enough hamburger to meet or exceed the number of hamburgers that were sold during the month of April," said Bradley.

She said another audit will be conducted this year. 

"We'll look at the numbers and see if there's any we're concerned about."

"We're very confident," she said.

'Shines a light'

Bradley said that although the number of burgers sold each year may seem big, the volume of animals needed "is not a huge amount."

She says the cattle producers support the event for reasons beyond the increased sales of Island beef.

"It shines a light on the industry and our producers do a very good job."

"They're very proud of it, proud of being a part of it."

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