From farmer to you, "Happy Food Day!"

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) encourages Canadians to eat and cook Canadian tomorrow in celebration of Food Day, supporting farmers and food producers across the country.

"Canadians can take pride in having some of the safest and highest quality food in the world. Let's celebrate and enjoy the hard work of our farm families," said CFA President Ron Bonnett.

This movement began in 2003 as the "The World's Longest Barbeque" and is debuting this year as a joint effort by farmers, food producers and restaurants to promote Canada's rich culinary heritage and bountiful harvests. About 300 restaurants nation-wide will be serving 100% Canadian menus and contests, like the Egg Farmers of Canada 'Best Brunch in Canada Award', are meant to ignite creativity with Canadian ingredients and recipes.

"Food Day is a great opportunity for Canadians to stop and think about food - something so essential and central to our lives - and consider what goes into bringing it to your plate. Farmers take a great deal of pride in their livelihoods and what they produce. It would be a great encouragement to see Canadians choosing more of their products, more often. Not only is this the freshest option, but also the safest. Canada enjoys exemplary food safety and quality," commented Bonnett.

The CFA would like to see a stronger farmer-consumer partnership in making Canadian products the first choice in markets, at home and abroad.

Many of these concepts are encapsulated in the CFA-led and industry wide National Food Strategy. To learn more, visit www.cfa-fca.ca or www.nationalfoodstrategy.ca .    

For a list of participating restaurants, recipes and more information about Food Day Canada 2011, go to www.fooddaycanada.ca

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