The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be sitting down this week with representatives from the Saskatchewan cattle industry following concern over a recent ad campaign by A&W.

The ad shows fans outside a Roughrider game trying A&W’s Beyond Meat Burgers.

Some producers have been raised concerns over the ad and what they see as another attack on the beef sector.

In a letter to the Saskatchewan Stock Growers, the Roughriders say they met with A&W to raise their concerns over the ad content and were assured the intent of the ad was not to convince people to stop eating beef or switch away from beef.

A&W said its intent was to attract people into the restaurant that never would have considered coming in because they don’t eat beef for personal, dietary or religious reasons.

In a written statement to Golden West,  A&W says it appreciates how important agriculture is to Saskatchewan communities and is reaching out to the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association to address their concerns.

“It is important that they know we are advocates of Saskatchewan beef and our beef burgers firmly remain the most popular choice on our menu in the province. As a Canadian company born in the prairies, we appreciate how important agriculture is to Saskatchewan communities.  Our commercial that celebrated Rider Nation and featured fans enjoying a Beyond Meat Burger runs for a few days more before we switch to a new campaign that features a new menu item for Saskatchewan: a 100% Prairie-Raised Bison burger.   A&W buys millions of pounds of Canadian beef every year and Saskatchewan is one of our largest sources of high-quality Canadian beef,  a supply we constantly look to increase.  We are proud of our ties to the Saskatchewan ranchers and farmers who also supply us with chicken, wheat, mustard, and canola.   We have 46 restaurants in Saskatchewan, with the 47th opening in Saskatoon this year and the 48th to open next year in Regina.  Many of our franchisees grew up on local farms and several are still farmers themselves. Our restaurants are staffed with 1500 great Saskatchewan residents. And we have a long-standing commitment to giving back to Saskatchewan including raising over a million dollars for MS in the province and a $5 million commitment to the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence at the University of Saskatchewan.”