OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 02/13/13 -- Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board members were in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from February 6 to 7 to meet with registered retailers and suppliers to discuss their views on the Nutrition North Canada (NNC) program.

"The partnerships with retailers and suppliers are a very important part of NNC as their feedback enables us to deliver the program more effectively," said the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. "The Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board continues to play a key role in communicating the views of Northerners and other stakeholders to the Government of Canada."

The Advisory Board met with retailers and suppliers to hear their views on how the NNC program is operating and on what could be done to ensure that the communities they serve continue to benefit fully from the NNC subsidies and the greater supply chain flexibility that it supports.

"Board members heard first-hand from retailers, suppliers and community stakeholders about the positive impact NNC is having on communities," said Wilfred Wilcox, Chair of the Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board. "We continue to learn from individuals who are pivotal to the operation of the Nutrition North Canada program and this helps us to better fulfill our role of providing advice to guide the management and activities of the program."

The Advisory Board first met with retailers and suppliers in February 2012. Retailers and suppliers provided early insights on how the program was operating and also offered suggestions for the future operation of the program. As part of the NNC program, accountability measures for retailers and suppliers are in place to ensure that the NNC subsidy is being passed on to consumers.

Members of the NNC Advisory Board represent a wide range of northern perspectives and interests. They meet several times a year in person and by teleconference and have held public meetings in Iqaluit, Nunavut; Kuujjuaq, Quebec; Norman Wells, Northwest Territories and most recently, Nain, Labrador.

To contact the Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board: nncadvisoryboard@aandc.gc.ca

This release is also available on the Internet at www.aandc.gc.ca.

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