Thank you.
I echo Roger's thanks. We appreciate being part of this.
We understand that one of the priorities of the food policy is to help Canadians make healthier food choices and to deliver food that is as safe as possible. Under this framework, we think that building and nurturing public trust is of paramount importance.
If you don't know, our industry, the egg industry, has grown by close to 30% in the last decade. That very much is a direct response to consumers seeking to eat better. The good news about the nutritional benefits of eggs is becoming better understood, and we're seeing tremendous growth in our industry. Also, as Roger referenced, in terms of producing eggs, one of our priorities is not just producing more and producing higher quality, but producing food sustainably. We think that's of critical importance.
As the government looks to revise important policies and resources that help Canadians make decisions on the food they offer their families, what's really important—Mr. Carey said it and Roger said it—is that we need evidence-based research and we need evidence-based decision-making. Incomplete or inaccurate information is going to lead to confusion for consumers and unintended consequences for the agriculture sector.
Our members and colleagues have expressed a great deal of concern over the highly anticipated food guide, which we expect to be released in early 2018. It's our belief that a focus on protein sources that are nutrient rich is more important than emphasizing plant-based protein sources alone. In fact, it's been well proven that the bioavailability of protein from animal sources is superior to that of plant-based sources. Our point here is about not favouring one or the other. It's about balance and evidence-based research.
It's also important that the guide encourage food items that offer a broad nutritional package rather than limiting foods containing specific nutrients such as saturated fat. Further to this, encouraging Canadians to eat according to overall healthy eating patterns is a more efficient way to meet requirements for important nutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin B12. It is our hope that the new food guide and the broader food policy for Canada include these considerations and are supported by objective science.
Finally, we know that farmers are significant contributors to the economy and are major employers in rural regions. It is these rural communities that are the heart of a strong national food strategy. We believe that our growing global population needs more food such as eggs—affordable, rich in protein, nutritious, and healthy—so we act to help make sure more people can benefit from our work. Our farmers donate more than three million eggs every year to community food banks and also support breakfast clubs in schools.
We also look to share our knowledge internationally through the International Egg Foundation. The foundation's flagship project, led by our farmers, has built an egg farm in Swaziland, Africa, and we supply over 4,000 eggs each and every day to orphans in that country. That's just one example of how our farmers are committed to giving back and to helping more people benefit from the high-quality protein found in eggs.
In conclusion, Canadian egg farmers are well positioned to help shape a strong and vibrant food policy for Canada. We look forward to working with you to build a strategy that not only works for our fellow Canadians, but strengthens Canada's position as a global leader in food production.
Thank you.