Cigi (more formally the Canadian International Grains Institute) is on the receiving end of a Canadian government commitment to the tune of $6.4 million to establish a Moroccan National Durum Technical Training Centre (DTTC) in Casablanca. According to a Cigi press release, funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) over the… Read More
This blog post is one I was hoping not to have to write. In Canada, there was recently an “investigative report” on the commercial egg industry. It developed after an animal activist group took undercover footage and passed an edited video to a television newsmagazine. The resulting 30 minute show was a black eye to… Read More
The internationally un-known artist, Banksy, has expanded his portfolio with two recent food-related exhibits in New York City. The first takes aim at McDonald’s, with a life-size statue of Ronald McDonald. The exhibit includes a young boy, polishing McDonald’s oversized clown shoes, and will be moved to a new McDonald’s restaurant daily. An audio recording on… Read More
Earlier this month, the Washington State Academy of Science published a white paper on Initiative 522 (I-522), a Washington State initiative aimed to institute mandatory labeling of food containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). On November 5th, the initiative will be taken to the public, and the state will vote on the proposal. The debate continues… Read More
In case you haven’t heard, the 2013 winners of the Hult Prize (a $1M prize to help entrepreneurs start a proposed business) is a group of students from McGill, who have addressed this year’s theme, “The Global Food Crisis,” with, you guessed it, crickets! Aspire Food Group aims to grow, prepare and sell edible insects. Currently, their… Read More
For a province that can seem overrun with highways and hi-tech interests (at least in its most southern regions), it’s significant that its premier, Kathleen Wynne, chose to name herself agriculture and food minister when she took over the reins. She had every other option. You name the portfolio and it could have been hers…. Read More
There are hormones in your food! What’s worse, they are in you! Alarmed yet? You shouldn’t be, and I’ll tell you why, plus why I’m done with marketing gimmicks and done with A&W Canada. Yes, there are hormones in your food, but are they something to fear? A&W certainly thinks so, with a new campaign… Read More
A guest editorial By Cam Dahl, General Manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers. Local. Organic. Hormone free. Gluten free. No pesticides. Nothing artificial. These are the buzzwords in food marketing today. Who can object to all of these wholesome sounding concepts? Food companies are trying to take us back to a time which many consumers… Read More
Now I am not the biggest Ezra Levant fan, nor do I subscribe to Sun TV but I stumbled upon a very interesting segment on Ezra Levant’s program. Levant features an interview that David Suzuki participated in while he was visiting Australia. It is very interesting to hear David Suzuki discuss genetically modified foods… Read More
Hot on the heels of Chipotle’s “Scarecrow” scare tactics, comes the announcement from the fast-food chain A&W that it will now be serving “better beef” in both Canada and the U.S. What is better beef? Beef that was raised without the use of growth promotants, according to the company’s press release. A&W has devoted an… Read More
Yet more evidence is trickling out about consumers’ upbeat perceptions of farmers. And not surprisingly, once again, it’s good. This time the source is food consultant to the Royal Winter Fair, popular dietitian Lois Ferguson of Eating For Ecstasy fame. She’s released results of a survey conducted with more than 1,400 fairgoers last November, which… Read More
Are you up to speed on the Chipotle restaurant controversy? Briefly, Chipotle, a Mexican grill chain, teamed up with Academy Award-winning Moonbot Studios to create a sappy but incredibly popular animated video that takes a mean-spirited and unprovoked shot at commercial-scale agriculture. It’s become an internet phenomenon, drawing six million viewers over the past couple… Read More
We have run many different stories and interviews talking about the need to be an agricultural advocate in the past. I hear from many readers that they feel being a advocate for agriculture is a complete waste of time and not a practical role for a farmer. Just watch the below video being promoted by… Read More
I’ve been thinking a lot about consumer awareness and needs, as the movement to “tell your [ag] story” continues to grow. I have concerns with some of the messages I’ve seen, and some I once felt compelled to give. I’ve heard again and again that consumers must be aware of where their food comes from…. Read More
It’s officially back to the grind for the RealAg team, which means Shaun Haney and Lyndsey Smith sat down for another edition of the Most Serious 10 to 15 Minutes in Ag News — Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down. In this episode, Shaun and Lyndsey discuss how junk food is still junk food, even if it’s… Read More