Plant-based “meat” is gaining a new level of mainstream presence, as McDonald’s is planning to debut a vegan burger in Europe next week. The McVegan will be added to the menu in Sweden and Finland on December 28th, after testing in a limited number of Finnish restaurants this fall. Produced by Anamma, a subsidiary of… Read more »
Category: Food
Strong grocer margins in a price deflationary year
One of the five publications market analyst and consultant Kevin Grier Market offers is an in-depth look at the Canadian grocery trade. “StatsCan publishes financial data every quarter,” explains Grier in the following interview, “and I get them to peel away the food retail data…and once again the gross retail margins are looking very good… Read more »
Eating out and La Nina to raise Canadian food spending in 2018
The average Canadian family of four will spend $348 more on food in 2018, according to an annual food price report released on Wednesday. Published by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, the 8th edition of “Canada’s Food Price Report” forecasts higher restaurant spending and La Nina will drive food costs higher next year,… Read more »
Dealing with the global milk protein glut
In the dairy food value chain processors play an integral role in product development. Dairy product development puts dairy components in protein bars, protein powder, ice cream, yogurt and baby formula. to name just a few. At Farm Journal’s MILK Business Conference, attendees heard from Micheal Dykes, President and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association…. Read more »
Saputo buys largest U.S. goat cheese manufacturer
Montreal-based dairy company Saputo has announced another international acquisition — the largest goat cheese manufacturer in the U.S. Saputo says it has entered an agreement to acquire Betin, Inc., which operates mainly under the Montchevre brand, and employs 319 people at its manufacturing facility in Belmont, Wisconsin. Montchevre generated C$150 million in revenues in the… Read more »
Competition Bureau investigating price-fixing in the bread aisle
Some of Canada’s largest grocery suppliers and retailers are involved in an investigation by the Competition Bureau over concerns about price-fixing in the bread aisle. The Competition Bureau has received search warrants from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice based on evidence that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that certain individuals and companies have… Read more »
Gay Lea Foods heads further west with acquisition of Alberta Cheese
Ontario-based Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited announced it’s agreement to acquire the shares of Alberta Cheese Company Ltd. this week, effective October 13, 2017. Alberta Cheese was founded in 1976 by Frank Talarico, and remained in the family name for fourty years. “Today’s announcement represents an exciting next chapter for Alberta Cheese, as my family’s… Read more »
Tackling the consumer-centric food system
The global statistics around malnutrition are shocking. According to the World Health Organization, in 2014 more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight or obese, while 463 million were underweight. And, roughly 45 percent of deaths among children under five years of age are linked to undernutrition. Changing those numbers is something Regina Moench-Pfanner is beyond passionate… Read more »
Canada’s national food strategy ‘long overdue’
In May 2017, the Government of Canada launched consultations towards the creation of a new food policy, something it says is “a way to address issues related to the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food.” It’s also something the Conference Board of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), and others have been recommending… Read more »
Making more meat with less — ABIC ’17 preview
We might be hearing more about plant-based protein and meatless burgers in headlines, but when we look around the world, demand for animal-based protein — meat — is still climbing. In this podcast we connect with Carlos Saviani, the vice president of food sustainability with the World Wildlife Fund. You might say he brings a… Read more »
Rising cost of food still a top concern for Canadians
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity published its 2017 public trust survey results on Tuesday, coinciding with the second annual Public Trust Summit taking place in Calgary. The research finds the top concerns for Canadians revolve, primarily, around the affordability of food. The work was built on the foundation of previous studies of consumer attitudes…. Read more »
Efforts intensify in Ontario to regulate organic products
Recent efforts to address consumer questions and confusion over certified organic food production have taken a step forward in Ontario. On Wednesday, MPPs Peter Tabuns and Sylvia Jones announced a co-sponsored private member’s bill for organic products regulation in Ontario. “This bill will provide further transparency and help ensure that the growing organic industry continues… Read more »
The case for human intervention in nature
Over the past couple of decades, those who make a profit off of the environment — farmers, ranchers, miners, and loggers — have seen a fair amount of negative publicity. As people involved in some of these industries, we know the negativity isn’t always accurate, and Bruce Vincent with Environomics Incorporated more than agrees. “The… Read more »
Food Evolution movie now available on your screen
Opportunities to watch Food Evolution, the new documentary focusing on scientists’ views of GMOs, have been few and far between. But that all changes today with the release of the film on iTunes and Amazon. RealAgriculture attended a premiere of the film in Guelph, Ont., in June, but since that time the film has struggled… Read more »
A new approach: Turning to consumers for production advice
No one has to tell University of Guelph agricultural economics master’s student Travis Jansen that farmers like him are well-advised to listen to consumers. But he’s doing more than just listening to them – he’s set to learn from them, too. Jansen, who comes from a family hog farm near Seaforth, knows successful farmers have… Read more »