BIRMINGHAM — The Alabama Grocers Association, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and the Alabama Food Manufacturers and Producers Association will hold a press conference for the Buy Alabama’s Best campaign on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 10:00 am. The press conference will be held at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, located at 1600 7th Ave. South, Birmingham, Alabama in the hospital lobby.

The Buy Alabama’s Best campaign will run throughout the month of September and is designed to inform and educate consumers on what products are made, produced, manufactured and/or headquartered in the state of Alabama. During these tough economic times it is important to support our local economy. Alabama food product sales have a $2 billion impact in Alabama’s economy, tax base and along with the grocery and food service industries, employ one out of every four Alabamians. A portion of the sale of participating Alabama products during the month of September will go to Children’s Hospital of Alabama to help find a cure for childhood cancer. To date, our efforts have raised over $170,000.

Retailers all over the state will be supporting this campaign in their stores with Alabama product displays, ads, signage, special promotions and will sell Children’s Hospital icons to support our fight to find a cure for pediatric cancer. When consumers shop in their local grocery store, they need to look for the Buy Alabama’s Best logo under products to ensure they are buying the best products made right here in Alabama.

The Children’s Hospital of Alabama is the 10th busiest pediatric medical center in the United States. The UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Children’s is the single largest provider of specialized pediatric services for all forms of cancer, leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, hemophilia and other bleeding disorders and sickle cell diseases. It is also home to the Lowder Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program, the only pediatric bone marrow transplant program in the state. Ninety-five percent of the children in Alabama diagnosed with childhood cancer and other blood disorders are treated by the UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit www.chsys.org.

For a complete list of Buy Alabama Best participating companies, visit www.buyalabamasbest.com.

For further information contact Ellie Taylor at 205.823.8544 or info@buyalabamasbest.com.

With football in the air, how about this spread for a tailgate party?

For starters, some Mamie’s Cheese Wafers, Golden Flake chips with Barber’s dip, and pigs in a blanket from Sister Schubert.

Then move along to pimento cheese or chicken salad from Mrs. Stratton, right beside some Zeigler deli meats and Wickles Pickles, all ready for sandwich-making on Big Sky Bread.

A pot of red beans and rice would be nice — the beans and rice from China Doll and the sausage from Monroe or Conecuh.

Or there’s the barbecue option — Dreamland, Bob Sykes or maybe George’s Old Time version.

Add a side of Carola’s potato salad or cabbage with John’s Famous Slaw Dressing.

For dessert, a pecan pie made with Alaga syrup and topped with Mayfield ice cream. Or even just a handful of Bud’s Best Cookies.

And to wash it all down, some Milo’s tea.

Starting Wednesday, the party’s even easy to shop for. In grocery stores across Alabama, those products and more will be marked as Alabama’s Best.

“It is amazing how many people do not know what products are produced in Alabama,” said Gerald Baggett, vice president of sales for China Doll, a long-time Mobile company now based in Saraland.

The Alabama Grocers Association, the state Department of Agriculture and Industries and the Alabama Food Manufacturers and Producers Association have for several years joined to promote Alabama’s food industry.

Throughout September, the Buy Alabama’s Best message will be displayed on store shelves, with special signage, even during product demonstrations like the one scheduled Sept. 27 at Bruno’s on South University Boulevard in Mobile.

Ellie Taylor, president of the Grocers Association, cited state data showing that Alabama food product sales have a $2 billion impact statewide, and along with jobs in the grocery and food service industries, account for one in four jobs.

“Buy Alabama’s Best is designed to inform consumers about products made, produced, manufactured, or headquartered in Alabama,” she said. Buying them “pays taxes, supports your neighbor and helps Alabama’s economy.”

Some sales during the September campaign also support the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, which Baggett said is a favorite charity of the trade groups.

Baggett said the Buy Alabama’s Best program has introduced him to a few state companies he didn’t know about. More important, he said, is that the program often makes introductions between Alabama producers and grocers — from smaller family companies like Greers to giants such as Publix or Walmart.

Member companies pay about $600 annually to participate, Baggett said. He estimated that about half of the state’s eligible companies are now involved in the program, and more are added each month.

“It’s been very successful,” he said of the program. “Everyone has been well pleased with the reception by the consumer.”

(Readers may write K.A. Turner at the Press-Register, P.O. Box 2488, Mobile AL 36652-2488 or call her at 251-219-5644.)

• Alabama-Fall Pumpkin Roll Recipe
• Alaga Baked Beans Recipe
• Turkey Tailgating Chili Recipe

Surrounded by Alabama food products like Milo’s Tea, John’s Slaw salad dressing, Zeigler Bacon and Gail’s Southern Style Biscuits, the governor said signs would be posted in some 1,100 grocery stores across the state promoting home-grown products.

“If there’s one thing we should be proud of it’s the food that we produce and food that we grow,” Riley said.

He announced the promotion at the Alaga Syrup Co. plant in Montgomery. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in January.

“We all grew up with many of these brands in our mother’s kitchens. We should educate our children and grandchildren that these brands are a part of our Alabama heritage,” Riley said.

He said first lady Patsy Riley often uses Alabama brands when she cooks.

The director of the Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel, Lee Sentell, said the program is part of this year’s tourism theme, “Year of Alabama Food,” which promoted restaurants across the state with the brochure “100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die.”

“This is a different segment. This brings the year of Alabama food into the home kitchen where you can learn what specific brands are created in Alabama,” Sentell said.

Buy Alabama’s Best on NBC WSFA 12 News

Video: Alabama Live! – Buy Alabama’s Best Festive 4th of July Feast
Published: July 4th, 2009

Buy Alabama’s Best on NBC 13 News

Video: Andrea Lindenberg’s Fact Finder Report – Alabama’s homegrown businesses keep jobs in the state of Alabama
Published: April 16, 2009

Andrea Lindenberg’s Fact Finder report about how Alabama’s homegrown businesses are uniting to keep jobs in the state, pump money back into the local economy, and donate to a local children’s charity.

• Read the Article

Andrea Lindenberg, Reporting
Lynne Jones, Producer
Jamey Bryan, Photographer/Editor

The choices you make at the grocery store could make a huge difference to Alabama’s economy. More than 100 food brands on store shelves are manufactured and distributed in the state. Alabama’s agriculture and food service industry employs more than 150,000 people in and has a 2-million dollar impact on the state.

Products like Golden Flake, Milo’s, Sister Schubert’s, Barber’s. Moore’s, Wickles Pickles… buying products like thse helps protect jobs in Alabama, which is key to the state’s economy. Johnny Collins, Sales Manager with Barber’s Dairy said we should pay attention to what has happened in other states, “I think you can look at Detroit Michigan right now and get an idea when folks start buying products.”

Collins is also president of a program called “Buy Alabama’s Best”, a campaign started about five years ago to promote food products manufactured and distributed in Alabama. He said, “Actually, it’s kind of funny, it started with the department of tourism. They were trying to promote Alabama restaurants and getting folks to travel and stop and eat in Alabama.”

Barber’s is one of the largest manufacturers in the group, and is doing well in spite of the recession because milk is a staple item. Although Collins says some customers may be buying a half gallon instead of a gallon these days.

Almost 40 companies are members of “Buy Alabama’s Best” with items promoted as home made. Some of the companies are competitors, like Barber’s Dairy in Homewood and Dairy Fresh in South Alabama. But all of them are united in making sure people know what’s coming from Alabama and how important is is for people to buy those products to protect local jobs.

Big Sky Bread Company sells to all the supermarkets in Alabama and throughout the southeast. Fifteen years ago, Jeff Pierce opened the company. It is a member of the “Buy Alabama’s Best” campaign. The company’s name reflects the state of Montana, or big sky country, where Pierce gets his grains. The final products, however, are created in Alabama. He said, “I think a lot of people don’t realize all the products made here, so it’s exciting to see a program like this, to see shelftags in the store and people, a lot of times, sit back and say, wow, this is made here, and want to support it.“

There’s another reason to buy Alabama-made products, like Bama jelly. Part of the money you spend on these products goes to help children with cancer. All of the companies in Alabama’s Best agreed to give part of the proceeds to pediatric cancer research. It started with a little girl named Janie Ellen Sims. She was diagnose with cancer when she was four years old. She passed away just before her sixth birthday. Her father, Dan Sims, created the Janie Sims Children’s Foundation in her honor. It raises money which stays in Alabama for pediatric cancer research at Children’s Hospital. The companies making up Alabama’s Best have donated more than $120,000 to the foundation. Dan Sims said, “It’s an easy and painless way to do all of those things helping kids with cancer, helping the Alabama economy and helping yourself because you are getting a great product.”

Johnny Collins agrees. “You are supporting plants, a lot of jobs, supporting delivery people supporting people living right here in Alabama, living in Alabama. Your neighbors, people you played ball with. Those are the people you are supporting.“

The list of “Alabama’s Best” products continues to grow as the group continues to recruit more Alabama companies to join. Keep an eye out for the “Buy Alabama’s Best“ logo on store shelves the next time you are shopping.

Take a look at the list of “Buy Alabama’s Best” products The Alabama Grocers Association’s website has ways for you to save money at the grocery store

Janie Sims Children’s Foundation receives part of the proceeds for every “Buy Alabama’s Best” product you purchase at the store.

A portion of the sales during the “Month of Alabama Food” go to the Janie Sims Foundation for Curing Childhood Cancer. The Alabama Food Manufacturers and Producers Association to date has contributed over $60,000 to this wonderful organization.

The Janie Sims Foundation helps raise money for families of children being treated for cancer as well as money for research at the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, AL. All funds raised for the Janie Sims Foundation stays right here in Alabama to help Alabama’s most precious resource, its children!

http://www.curingchildhoodcancer.org

As Commissioner of Agriculture, it is my pleasure to proudly support the efforts of the Alabama Manufacturers and Producers Association, in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries and the Alabama Grocers Association, in their “Buy Alabama’s Best” 2008 kickoff. On a daily basis at the Department of Agriculture & Industries, we strive to inform all Alabamians of the quality foods which are made right here in our home state. The food that Alabama manufacturers provide to our consumers is some of the safest food in the world, along with the best tasting. The “Buy Alabama’s Best” campaign is successful, largely due to the fact that teamwork and the love of all that is Alabama is its main concern. It is a joy to work with the good people who are the owners and producers of food companies in our state, as well as those individuals who own and run the retail stores across Alabama who carry Alabama products.

I agree with the Alabama Manufacturers and Producers Association that it is important to buy foods produced locally, because Alabama food product sales have over a $2 billion impact on our state’s economy. Also, Alabama Food Manufacturers, Grocers and Food Service entities, including restaurants, employ approximately 250,000 people. So as we buy from our local producers, we are fueling the profits right back into our state’s economy. Not only do Alabama food manufacturers sell products in Alabama and employ Alabamians, but they also purchase vast amounts of raw farm products to make their goods, paper and boxes to package their goods and large amounts of raw materials from other Alabama industries, all benefitting the Alabama farmer.

On top of supporting so many Alabama entities, the “Buy Alabama’s Best” campaign also benefits our state’s most precious commodity, our children. I am proud to be a part of the effort to raise money for the Janie Sims “Curing Childhood Cancer” Foundation.

So, again, as Commissioner of Agr iculture, I want to thank all of those individuals who help make this a success including the manufacturers themselves, the grocers, and especially the Alabama consumer who makes an effort to buy their food from local manufacturers.

Thank you.

Ron Sparks
Commissioner