The advent of a global pandemic certainly added volume to the narrative that local equals resilient when it comes to economies, especially food-related economic systems. But Jayson Lusk, food and agricultural economist at Purdue University, says that evidence suggests otherwise, and that a vibrant trade economy actually adds resiliency to local economies. To demonstrate his point,… Read More
Poorer than average potato yields in Western Canada as well as in Idaho and the Columbia Basin in the U.S has created contracting headaches and supply issues for the processing sector. The tight supplies are having big impacts on the retail channel, as well. Potato production isn’t like any other commodity, where the processor can… Read More
Maple Leaf Foods says it has completed a $182 million expansion at its prepared meats plant in Winnipeg, Man., creating a “Bacon Centre of Excellence.” The 73,000 square-foot addition to the facility on Lagimodiere Boulevard will significantly increase the company’s capacity for making pre-cooked, microwaveable bacon. “We are very excited to see this project come… Read More
Editor’s note: According to a representative of JBS USA, the fire was limited to the rendering facility and processing is set to begin again this week at the site, pending an assessment of the site. There were no injuries reported. A fire at the Grand Island, Nebraska, JBS beef slaughter and processing facility has closed… Read More
The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) has announced Dr. Phyllis Shand as the 2021 AMSA Industry & Organizational Leadership Award recipient. Shand is a professor of meat and food science in the department of food and bioproduct sciences at the University of Saskatchewan whose research program focuses on physicochemical, biochemical, and functional aspects of muscle… Read More
The Simpson Centre at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy recently commissioned a series of papers on the future of agriculture in Alberta. The objective of the publication is to analyze the traditional agriculture industries in Alberta, but one paper in the series caught the publishers off guard. “Many people like to think… Read More
The federal government has re-opened applications for the Local Food Infrastructure Fund. Beginning Monday July 12, an additional $10 million in funding will be handed out in grants of between $15,000 and $100,000. Each project must be designed to “help prevent hunger through investments in infrastructure needs.” Project impacts must be targeted, immediate, and directly… Read More
A Richardson International Limited subsidiary, Richardson Oilseed (U.S.) Holdings Limited, has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire Italgrani USA Inc., the single largest durum miller in North America. Richardson says this purchase moves it towards its vision to diversify processing operations. As part of the deal, Richardson will acquire a milling facility in St…. Read More
The days of oats being relegated to the cereal and baking aisle at your local supermarket are coming to an end. Thanks to the efforts of food innovators like Francis and Erik Lo, oats can now be found in the dairy section, including in products like Yoats, Canada’s first oat-based yogurt alternative, which the brothers launched… Read More
Seven in 10 Canadians have never visited an operational commercial farm, but those who have had the opportunity form positive perceptions of modern agriculture. That’s one of the findings emerging from the third annual agriculture and food public opinion poll from Grassroots Public Affairs. At first glance, the 70 per cent result may seem surprising,… Read More
Dairy processor Agropur Cooperative says it will be closing its fluid milk plant at Winnipeg, Man., later this year, consolidating production at other Agropur facilities in Western Canada. “Unfortunately, the level of investment required to maintain the plant’s competitiveness in the coming years was becoming too high. We are making this strategic decision to optimize… Read More
Meat & Poultry Ontario is looking for a few more livestock producers in the southwest region of the province to participate in a pilot project. The organization has been working diligently on assessing and evaluating livestock processing capacity, stumbling blocks, and opportunities from both the producer and processor perspective. As part of the study, the… Read More
By Meagan Murdoch In early February, Calgary-based cookbook author Julie Van Rosendaal asked on social media whether anyone else had noticed that butter is no longer soft at room temperature. Her question helped spark a national and international conversation about Canadian butter. To some it probably seemed like a light-hearted conundrum against the backdrop of… Read More
COVID-19 has impacted each and every economic sector, and the protein processing industry is no exception. From plant shut downs, to slow downs, to outbreaks amid plant staff, and even deaths from the virus, the meat processing value chain has been hard hit by this pandemic. With vaccines now a reality, meat packers through the… Read More
Protein Industries Canada (PIC) has announced a partnership that will develop and commercialize non-GM soybean protein ingredients. Canada Protein Ingredients Ltd (CPI), DJ Hendrick International, Agrocorp Processing, Semences Prograin, and Synthesis Network have partnered to produce high-quality soybean protein ingredients. The $27.3 million project will result in an innovative proprietary process to produce soybean ingredients… Read More