Fifty years ago, supply management was formed to “save the family farm” and today, the reason for such a system to exist is becoming less clear to some researchers and analysts. A report was recently released on the future of supply management, titled Supply Management 2.0, A Possible Roadmap for the Canadian Dairy Industry. Dr…. Read More
Originally set to be released in early 2020, but delayed because of the COVID-19 shutdown, a joint report between University of Guelph and Dalhousie University sets a path forward for Canada’s “ailing” dairy sector. Co-authored by Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, Jean-Luc Lemieux, and Simon Somogyi, Arrell Chair in… Read More
A recent survey suggests that Canadians are wasting about five pounds of food per week, an increase of just over half a pound of food per week compared to pre-COVID-19 levels. It’s also estimated that on average, Canadians waste about $1,766 worth of food per year, which adds a $238 per household cost to annual… Read More
Canada’s Food Price Report, currently jointly released by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, will go national in 2021, with members of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) added to the project team. “When we started this project a decade ago, we always wanted to make it fully… Read More
If 2019 was the year of plant-based protein, perhaps 2020 can be the year of celebrating choice. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, with Dalhousie University, recently spoke at the CropSphere conference at Saskatoon, Sask., about food choices, plant-based protein, and consumer trends. Overall, he says, plant protein made a huge splash in 2019 as evidenced by several… Read More
A new study shows the average Canadian family will pay $487 more on food in 2020. Canada’s Food Price Report was released this week by the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute (AFI) in collaboration with Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab. The forecast shows the average Canadian household total grocery bill will rise to $12,667…. Read More
Canadians may not be optimistic about agri-food becoming a primary topic for the upcoming election, but they are thinking about some perhaps surprising agriculture and food-related issues. A survey of 1,524 Canadians, conducted Sept 9 by Angus Reid Global and Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, looked to gauge Canadians’ opinion on where they ranked agriculture… Read More
By Dr. Sylvain Charlebois With the SNC Lavalin debacle and the subsequent resignation of Liberal politicians, here’s the score so far: two cabinet ministers, one MP, two senior bureaucrats, including the Clerk of the Privy Council Office, and it’s probably not over. The SNC Lavalin case refuses to go away and has been garnering global media… Read More
Following the recent release of Canada’s Food Guide, Dalhousie University launched a survey to judge awareness, understanding, and affordability of the new guide. Led by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, senior director at the Dalhousie University Agrifood Analytics Lab, the study suggests that although more than one-quarter of those surveyed say the new Food Guide recommendations are not affordable,… Read More
It’s a busy day on the hill as the Liberal government dropped its fourth budget. There was also quite the stir in Alberta — although most knew it was coming — as Premier Rachel Notley dropped the writ and announced a provincial election slated for April 16. For today’s RealAg Radio show, host Shaun Haney and news… Read More
Every now and then, Canadians will take a stand against the U.S. by choosing Canadian items over American ones at the grocery store. Canadians are generally loyal to Canadian food products, unless they cost more — and most often, they do. In a nutshell, here is what happened following the G7 Summit: Trudeau plays nice… Read More
While consumer opinion is split on the health and safety of food and food ingredients derived from genetic modification (GMOs), the majority of Canadians support labeling foods that contain GMOs, according to a recent survey by Dalhousie University. Researchers at the university, led by Sylvain Charlebois, surveyed 1,046 Canadians in an effort to measure “attitudes… Read More
While it stands to reason that Canadians may have become slightly jaded after a wide-spread price-fixing scandal was revealed late last year, a new study from Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Management confirms it. The report, released today, finds that consumers are less likely to trust national food retailers than they were in November 2017, before… Read More
According to the dictionary, a sin tax is “a tax on items considered undesirable or harmful, such as alcohol or tobacco.” There is mounting pressure from activist groups to add animal proteins to that list of so-called “sinful” items. They argue meat creates added healthcare costs and negative impacts on the environment. It might sound… Read More
When Loblaw Co. and parent company George Weston admitted late Tuesday that it engaged in a bread price-fixing scheme, consumers and experts that follow the industry closely were all blown away. “Shocked and disappointed” is how Dalhousie University’s Sylvain Charlebois describes his reaction to Loblaw’s admission that they have been fixing the price of bread…. Read More