I suspect there will be a lot of angst over the new federal farm review and forecast – even though statistically, it’s a good news story. The report, released last week, showed farmers produced 96.5 million tonnes of grain in 2013. That’s a major leap over the previous year’s relatively dismal 76.7-million tonne crop, which… Read More
When it comes to meat, poultry is continuing to see big demand across the country, largely because of our appetite for chicken. The Canadian Meat Council says that in 2010 the average Canadian ate almost 16 kilograms of poultry compared to 13 kg of beef and 12 kg of pork. Moving forward, poultry demand will… Read More
Think of an event covered by 5,000 journalists from 70 countries. The Winter Olympics? Superbowl XLVIII? A Justin Bieber court appearance? Think again – it’s actually an agriculture and food event, the biggest one in Europe, called Green Week. Now in its 79th year, this edition, staged every January, drew a record 410,000 people (mostly… Read More
The Healthy Grains Institute was launched in November of 2012 as a not-for-profit organization with a goal of guiding Canadians in their pursuit of health and weight management. The Institute works to provide the public with science-based information on the benefits of whole grains and is guided by an independent, multi-disciplinary Scientific Advisory Council made up… Read More
If decision-making isn’t exactly your forte, grocery shopping can be more than a daunting excursion. There are so many gluten-free-lactose-free-free-range-organic-all-natural-sustainable-recycled choices, it’s hard to distinguish real food from really good marketing. Quite typically, stores and restaurants react to confusion with simplicity. Whole Foods, for example, integrated a “Health Starts Here” program into its product-line. Products… Read More
The last Ford I owned outright – and lived to tell the tale — was a 1972 Pinto. To me, at the time, it was a beauty, silver-grey with a thick black stripe along the rocker panels. I thought it was cool, but, in truth, I was an idiot to drive it. I was lucky… Read More
Health Canada announced this week that products containing ground or milled flax may now sport a shiny new health claim on the label — that consuming milled or ground flax has been proven to lower levels of blood cholesterol. Elevated blood cholesterol levels have been identified as a major risk factor for developing heart disease…. Read More
“It’s an atrocity to block the humanitarian gesture of improved nutrition,” says Kevin Folta, scientist and associate professor at the University of Florida, referring to opposition towards Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). We saw incredible public interest in food in 2013, with polarizing discussions often centred around biotechnology. Many, including Folta, argue the current debates are largely… Read More
January 9, 2014 – The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) announced its new target for Canada’s canola industry earlier today, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The CCC aims to increase the demand for canola, create a stable and open trade environment and sustainably and profitably increase production of canola to 26M tonnes by 2025. The CCC’s new targets have… Read More
Consumers want food that’s as cheap as possible. True, they want safe food, too, and all those other features such as wholesome, nutritious and environmentally sound food. But mainly, they want food cheap. The huge increase in grocery items at big box stores and discount outlets bears that out. Exceptions exist, particularly with the growing… Read More
Competition to get you to a grocery store is higher than ever before. With a fierce marketplace and incredibly diverse set of consumer demands, grocers are working hard to get you to their store and make you a loyal customer. Retailers’ most common weapon in the battle for loyalty seems to be providing murky information… Read More
Inspired by the Masters of Beef Advocacy program offered in the United States, Canada’s Beef Advocacy Program will be available to the public in the new year, and will be comprised of two levels. The first level will be for anyone with interest in the beef industry, providing information “right from genetics and breeding all… Read More
By Rob Wallbridge, Songberry Farm, Bristol, QC. The story of how I came to be touring Monsanto starts back in late April and a blog post where I questioned the current tenor of the GMO debate. It caught the attention of Janice Person, a Social Media Director for Monsanto, who commented, “if you ever want… Read More
The ready-to-eat cereal manufacturing plant at London, Ont., is set to close by the end of 2014, according to the Kellogg’s company press room. The plant employs about 500 people. This announcement is the second of its kind for Ontario’s food manufacturing industry, as Heinz announced the closure of its ketchup plant in Leamington last… Read More
The business of food retailing is undergoing significant changes. There is significant consolidation happening, new entrants like Whole Foods, the growth of WalMart and all of this is happening while the consumer market is not growing overall. Just like farming technology is allowing food retailers to lower costs and gain more insight into its operations… Read More