Another restraurant snubs local beef over marketing claims

The president of a Vancouver-based casual dining chain apologized to Canadian beef producers Wednesday over his company’s April announcement that it would begin serving 100-percent Certified Humane beef — a move that meant that it would source from the United States, not Canada.  Canadian suppliers would not be able to keep up with Earls Kitchen + Bar’s demand for Certified Humane, antibiotic-, steroid-free beef, the company reasoned.  Almost immediately, the announcement was met with intense criticism from both consumers and beef producers, especially in Alberta — the heart of the nation’s beef industry. Within a week of the announcement this spring, the company announced  that it would be bringing back Alberta beef to its restaurants (59 of which are located in Canada), and that it would work with local farms “to build a supply of Alberta beef that meets their criteria.”