2006-07-13
Author: 800 CHAB News
Industry officials and participants hope flax growers will give exgra atention to some of the product as the 2006 harvest approaches.

Some flax will go for food, they say; treat it that way through the whole harvest and storage process.  There's a premium to be earned for food-grade flax, just as there is for malting barley, milling oats or milling wheat.

"The healthy image of flax and new flax product development has resulted in increased exports for flax as food," says Barry Hall, President of the Flax Council of Canada.

Bakery products, nutraceuticals and health foods are becoming high-end major markets.  
Consumers are ready to pay ap remium to get the product.  But earning top price takes work and planning.

Food grade flax has to be clean.  It has to look good.  It has to smell good.  And, it has to be on the shelf, ready to buy, when the consumer comes back in a week or a month to buy it again.

Flax growers can find potential buyers of food-grade flax as well as guidelines for food-grade quality at www.flaxcouncil.ca and click on Suppliers.