In a story that only seems to get more contentious and downright odd the longer it goes on, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is now asking dairy farmers to consider eliminating the use of palm oil by-product supplements in dairy rations, until new research is completed. Earlier this month, RealAgriculture explored reports by some Canadians… Read More
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has officially announced the membership of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council. The council is a central component of the Food Policy for Canada program, that was announced in 2019. The announcement, which was part of the virtual Food Systems Summit Dialogue, convened by the Arrell Food Institute… Read More
A surprising thing happened during the COVID-19 lockdown: grocery stores in Canada didn’t jack prices in comparison to their American counterparts. What’s more, the sales of certain items, such as beef, held very strong — much stronger than many anticipated. That demand helped offset the loss of sit-down dining demand. But as Kevin Grier of Kevin… Read More
Meat and Poultry Ontario (MPO) is launching a project to identify opportunities to increase meat processing capacity in Ontario. The $127,000 project, funded through the federal/provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership, is aimed at addressing a growing demand for abattoir services across the province, including the north. MPO has begun researching a strategy that pairs skills development with… Read More
While there are people on social media trying to cast a shadow on the quality and safety of Canadian butter due to a perceived change in its melting point, industry experts say butter consistency, cheese texture, and the composition of milk change every year — and throughout the year — based on ration changes of the… Read More
The theories range from “evil” American milk making its way into Canada, to mistreatment of cows or mysterious supplements fed to cows, to enzyme activity; but any sort of factual explanation for why some Canadians are saying butter has either changed consistency at room temperature or changed in flavour since August 2020 remains a mystery…. Read More
Merit Functional Foods has started commissioning its $150 million pea and canola protein facility at Winnipeg, Man. Construction on the 94-thousand square foot plant on the west side of the city started in the fall of 2019. “This is a momentous step for us,” says Merit’s co-CEO Ryan Bracken, highlighting the completion of construction in… Read More
Since 2019, the United Nations General Assembly (UN) decided to dedicate a day to celebrate all things pulses: World Pulses Day! The goal of the day — which falls annually on February 10 — is to increase awareness of the global food and its role in sustainable food production. The theme for World Pulses Day… Read More
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has determined that today — February 9, 2021 — is the day a Canadian household of average income will have earned enough to pay their entire year’s grocery bill. The annual event is known as “Food Freedom Day.” Each year, CFA examines the proportion of income that Canadians spend… Read More
Protein Industries Canada (PIC) has announced a co-investment into the development of a plant-based protein blend designed to meet the protein needs of hospitalized and outpatient individuals, as well as highly active athletic consumers. The $2.2. million co-investment will be led by Enhanced Medical Nutrition (EMN) and Infinit Nutrition Canada (INC). The partners are focusing… Read More
Italian pasta giant Barilla says it has closed its acquisition of Ebro Foods’ Catelli dry pasta business in Canada as of January 29. The deal, which values the Catelli business at C$165 million, includes the Catelli, Lancia, and Splendor brands, and a pasta plant in Montreal, Que. “In Barilla, we’re leading the charge in transforming… Read More
The federal government has announced $162.6 million in additional funding for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) over the next five years, and $40 million per year in added funding for the agency on an ongoing basis after that. The funding boost, announced by Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Health Minister Patty Hajdu on Friday, follows… Read More
Frontline essential workers, including those in the food processing sector, will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in the next round of immunizations, says Ontario’s premier Doug Ford. In late December, Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) and the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association along with the Canadian Meat Council, Meat and Poultry Ontario, Food and Beverage Ontario, Ontario… Read More
What is an authentic conversation, and why is it important we focus on having them with consumers at this point in time? Crystal Mackay of Loft32 says that an authentic conversation is focused around the point that we are all real people — no matter our position, job title, or industry. Even more importantly, it’s… Read More
EMERGE Commerce Ltd. has closed a $16.8 million acquisition of all the issued and outstanding shares of truLOCAL Inc., a direct-to-consumer, locally sourced meat subscription service in Canada. The company was recently ranked as Canada’s 14th fastest growing company for 2017-2019 by the Globe and Mail, and is expanding into the U.S Ghassan Halazon, EMERGE founder and… Read More