"Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development has approved a grant for up to $1.5 million for the 30,000 square-foot expansion, which will provide a huge boost for the value-added sector of Alberta's beef industry," said Doug Horner, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development. The expanded facility, set to be in full production in October 2007, will supply high-quality, safe, traceable meat to the Canadian food service industry. The decision by Sun Valley to expand beef product production in a high capacity plant in Alberta demonstrates how national food service businesses can be successfully supplied from Alberta, added Horner.

The expansion will nearly double the facility's production and create new jobs for people in Spruce Grove and surrounding area. It will also provide expanded marketing opportunities for the many local Alberta suppliers.

"This significant expansion is a huge vote of confidence for the safety and quality of Alberta's beef supply," said Horner. "Our Beef Product and Market Development Program has been successful in producing new uses and markets for our beef and increasing local value-added processing in Alberta."

"The availability of this program, as well as the close proximity of our major suppliers to the facility, played a large part in our decision to invest in Alberta," said Jamie Dolynchuk, Managing Director for Sun Valley Foods.

The Beef Product and Market Development Program has helped stimulate an annual processing increase of 94,000 cattle, 11,000 bison, and 3,000 elk in Alberta since its inception in 2003. It was also successful in the development of many new products, including new meat snacks, beef jerky, ground meat patties and specialty pet food. The program approved grants totaling $4.3 million to more than 40 companies resulting in more than $21 million in industry investment.

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