Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers grow safe, healthy and affordable food for families in the province and around the world. There is an abundance of information available to consumers about food production, but when it comes to modern agriculture, it can be difficult for the public to get the full story.
Consumer perceptions have the power to affect Saskatchewan's agriculture industry. They can influence policy makers and retailers, which could lead to undue regulation and limit access to the tools and technologies that farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses rely on. Maintaining and growing the public's trust in modern food production is critical to agriculture's sustained growth.
The Public Trust Strategy
Building public trust in the agriculture sector is a strategic priority for the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2019, the Ministry developed a comprehensive Public Trust Strategy to define the Ministry's role in building trust.
The strategy establishes government's mission as providing leadership and fostering accountability to build public trust in agriculture. The strategy also defines the Ministry's role in each part of the public trust equation through its three strategic pillars:
- Doing the right thing – encourage and support industry to adopt best practices.
- Effective assurance – protect food safety, animal health, and the environment.
- Awareness and engagement – partner to build awareness in modern agriculture. Principles | Transparency, Continuous Improvement, Evidence-Based, Collaboration
The vision of the strategy is a "trusted agri-food sector that is competitive and sustainable." It also establishes outcomes for each of the three pillars. They are ambitious and visionary, but also provide clear focus direction:
- Saskatchewan leads in the adoption of environmental, economic and social best practices.
- A regulatory system that is trusted and verifiable.
- Government and industry prioritize public trust and take action to manage risks.
There are four principles that guide government's approach to implementing the strategy: transparency, continuous improvement, evidence-based and collaboration.
Learn more about the Public Trust Strategy.
Public Trust Survey
Since 2013, the Government of Saskatchewan has participated in an omnibus survey to gain insight into public perceptions of the agriculture and agri-food industry. Read the report to see what we found out.
Public Trust Measurement
Snapshot of nine indicators that we measure to keep track of Saskatchewan's progress in public perception and industry performance
Canadian Centre for Food Integrity
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity helps our food system earn trust by providing research, resources, dialogue and training.