If the conversation around farming and food is really going to change for the better, we have to get past talking to each other and reach out to our customers. In writing her book, Food Truths From Farm to Table, author Michele Payn specifically chose consumers as her target audience to move beyond "preaching to... Read More
Category: Food
If we can't manage what we can't measure, how do we approach the very real risk of losing public trust in how food gets grown? "Public trust is one of those things where we don't know the full value of it until we've lost it," says Crystal MacKay, president of the Canadian Centre for Food... Read More
The news Coca-Cola and fairlife, LLC, have announced they will introduce fairlife Ultrafiltered Milk to Canada by the end of 2018. The introduction of the higher-protein, lower-sugar, lactose-free dairy beverage will also spur development of a new $85 million production facility at Peterborough, ON. This is the first market introduction outside of the U.S. for... Read More
What started as a fascination with craft distilling and a chance discussion about dumping skim milk has evolved into a tasty new business at Almonte, Ontario. Neal McCarten is director of operations for Dairy Distillery, and it was his family's farm background that led to a discussion with Omid McDonald, founder and CEO, about how... 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
I read a column recently that made my stomach drop, just a little. The article, a sign-off from seasoned journalist Claudia Cattaneo, showcased not just her career spent covering the oil and gas sector, but also highlighted the current lack of in-depth, credible reporting on a controversial industry. As I read the following, I noticed... Read More
Food companies go to great lengths to differentiate and sell their products, using all kinds of marketing claims displayed on food packaging. Peel Back the Label, a campaign funded by U.S. dairy producers, and the well-known comedy outfit Funny Or Die, recently launched a tongue-in-cheek video highlighting the problems with food labeling and what happens... Read More
"What does someone who raises cattle look like?" Adrienne Ivey, a Saskatchewan cattle rancher, stood in front of a TEDx audience in Regina recently and asked this question. Soon after, she openly admitted to some pretty shocking things — like running a corporate farm, using growth implants in cattle, and even using antibiotics. She also... Read More
It's been 30 years since a fledgling organization called the Ontario Farm Animal Council began working to counter the efforts of activists opposed to animal agriculture in Ontario. After three decades, which included a name change and an amalgamation with AgCare, a like-minded farm organization concerned about resources and environmental stewardship, Farm & Food Care... Read More
The issue The United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA) has submitted a petition to the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), asking that labeling rules exclude certain products from being called 'beef' or 'meat'. The group is asking that 'meat' only be used as a descriptor for products derived directly from... Read More