So, we finally went from a slew of alerts on romaine lettuce to a series of clearcut recalls affecting various produce items, including romaine lettuce and cauliflower. This is the worst time of year for Canadians as our economy is more vulnerable to outbreaks in imported produce. Chances are cauliflower will be very expensive and
Comment: Romaine calm
An industry-led food safety program appears to have got complacent and self-congratulatory
Comment: Flexitarianism on the menu
A large and growing group of Canadians are becoming ‘part-time vegetarians’
Restaurants are struggling to get a good handle on how consumers are rapidly shifting away from animal protein. According to a recent study by Dalhousie University, nearly one in five Canadians have decided to either reduce the amount of meat they consume or have outright eliminated it from their diets. Add the fact that 63
Comment: A painful experience
Why self-checkouts at the grocery store never seem to work properly
Some Canadians detest going to the grocery store. It’s repetitive, tiring, and quite unpleasant at times, especially when the store is busy. Picking up groceries and lugging them back home is work, something most would rather avoid. On the other hand, many of us do enjoy visiting food stores and discovering new products or new
Comment: The cost of convenience
Consumers are spending more of their income on outside food purchases which shrinks the farmer’s share of the pie
More Canadians are eating out. In fact, according to some surveys, about 35 per cent of the average Canadian’s food budget is spent on food consumed outside the home. This would include restaurants, grab-and-go’s, and other portable food offerings. This is nowhere near what Americans spend on out-of-household food consumption, which is now estimated at
Comment: Now comes the tricky part
Cannabis edibles are a looming regulatory headache
Legalizing cannabis recently was the easy part. Just wait until Canada gives its thumbs-up on edibles. For months now, the focus has been on the smokable version of the drug, some oils and gels, and that’s all. As the cannabis-friendly market matures in Canada, we still have no idea how edibles will be marketed, when
Comment: The protein wars are here
The consumer’s view of meat is changing and producers need to be aware of that
Apparently, Canada is going meatless, unless you are a white older male, that is. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, as many Canadians still need a regular meat fix. In fact, many see meat consumption as one of the pleasures in life, as well as a necessary part of a balanced diet. Some even
Comment: All you can eat, including the packaging?
A strong case for taste and food safety will have to be made before consumers will be willing to eat their garbage
Within a year, single-use plastics and excess packaging have become public enemy No. 1. Everyone is talking about how our lives are overrun by too much plastic. A recent Greenpeace-led audit looked at waterways waste and companies involved. Much of the plastic trash cleaned up from Canadian shorelines this fall was traceable to five companies:
Opinion: How the USMCA democratized supply management
We’re 20 years behind the rest of the world’s industrialized countries and need to have a national conversation
Nobody should be surprised. Concessions on dairy access during the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiations were foreseeable. Americans went from wanting to “tweak” the deal last year to getting significant concessions from Canada. It is a deal we needed of course, but one must wonder how our supply management system will fare moving forward. And specifically, how our
Comment: The blockchain party
Grocers are finally climbing aboard the blockchain initiative and consumers should rejoice
Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, recently notified its leafy green suppliers that they will need to use blockchain by the end of next year. Walmart is banking on its relationship with IBM to put pressure on the entire sector to comply with what consumers want from the food industry: more transparency. But others
Comment: Why are consumers going meatless?
The answer has something to do with the economy
We seem to be living in an era in which the pleasure of eating is quite simply overpowered by values-based narratives in food consumption. And this is happening at an astonishing pace. Vegetarianism and veganism are both coming into their own, allowing more people to “come out of the cupboard” to speak openly about and
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
