I remember reading an interesting quote that, paraphrased, said society was losing touch with where food came from and that the increase in urbanization was a death knell for rural life. The quote was from the 1920s. Shocking? A little, but it’s also an excellent bit of perspective for where we sit now, nearly 100… Read More
Category: Local Food
A media training exercise I do with some of my colleagues is to get farmers to pitch us agriculture stories, and we respond like journalists would. It’s a bit exaggerated — the farmers don’t have much time to think about their stories, and we kick back when the pitch is made, to ensure they’ve covered… Read More
Ontario has announced up to $2 million in funding to support marketing efforts to encourage more consumers to eat and purchase Ontario pork. The province will provide Ontario Pork with up to $2 million for support of marketing and promotional activities encouraging more people to choose local Ontario pork wherever they eat or shop. The… Read More
I was glad to see stories surface this week from scientists at the University of Guelph and elsewhere warning consumers to beware of restaurant food deep fried in oil. They carried out a study showing oil with too many miles on it in the deep fryer gives off some nasty compounds, even if the food… Read More
With so much change and uncertainty surrounding us, the saying (curse?) “may you live in interesting times” is certainly appropriate this year among farmers. I’m hoping farmers are front and centre in everyone’s thoughts as Thanksgiving approaches and their efforts to feed us are remembered, particularly in a year in which they’ve had more than… Read More
In the last two days, both Subway Canada and Tim Hortons restaurants have announced they will source 100% Canadian beef. For Subway restaurants, this will mean featuring the new Prime Rib Melt and for Tim Hortons, the beef will be back in the steak & cheese panini (with a brand-new Chipotle-flavoured option) and, for a… Read More
Originally announced last fall as part of the Local Food Act, Ontario’s agriculture minister Jeff Leal was on location today to formally roll out a tax credit for farmers who donate food to food banks. The “Food Donation Tax Credit for Farmers” gives farmers a tax credit valued at 25% of the fair market value… Read More
For Mary Carver, a professional home economist, it is hard to imagine — a 20 year old that doesn’t know how to crack an egg; a shopper wondering why he couldn’t find bananas local to Ottawa; a senior no longer eating eggs because her doctor had told her to stop eating dairy products. The stories… Read More
If you leave Dyce, Scotland in a northeasterly direction, you’ll no doubt end up along the North Sea’s coastline. You’ll pass Donald Trump’s controversial golf course along the A90, infamously known by environmentalists, many of whom opposed its start up and watched closely as Trump took his opposition to an experimental offshore wind farm to… Read More
Thousands of Winnipeggers and non-farming Manitobans will leave their homes intent on seeing and smelling where their food comes from this weekend. For the last five years, the Manitoba government has organized and promoted an annual “Open Farm Day,” which will be held on Sunday (a similar event will also be held this weekend in Nova… Read More