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

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

Food prices in Canada are forecast to rise between 3 and 5 percent in 2017 — larger than last year’s price increase and higher than what is considered as “acceptable” food inflation, according to the 7th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report. Led by Sylvain Charlebois, food distribution and policy professor at Dalhousie University, the study offers several… Read More