When it comes to food, irradiation just does not sound all that appetizing. Visions of X-ray machines and the atomic bomb quickly come to mind and associating these images with food may not be compelling. Now that Health Canada is considering the use of food irradiation for beef products, the debate rages and most wonder
An appetizing case for irradiation
Canada is at least a decade behind other countries in adopting this proven and safe technology
Marketing boards are failing Canadians
Canada’s agriculture marketing boards are showing signs of obsolescence, forcing commodity groups to consider desperate measures. Certainly, given the economic conditions of the last century, forming marketing boards made perfect sense. Marketing boards and agencies were designed to sell agricultural commodities throughout Canada and to the world. They were also intended to protect farmers from
The ketchup saga
Imperfect information fuelled this social media uprising
The politics of food distribution is alive and well, or so it would seem. Without notice, Loblaws decided to dump French’s Ketchup, causing a two-day viral backlash by the public. The pressure was so great that Loblaws actually reversed its decision, just a few days after making it. Many are speculating how unfair competitive practices
Cauliflower hysteria offers lessons for Canadian consumers
Food inflation is hammering consumers, but there are ways to reduce price pressure
Food inflation is top of mind for Canadian consumers, with rampant claims about produce being grossly overpriced. And the latest consumer price index (CPI) report won’t calm Canadian shoppers any time soon, since food inflation stands at 4.1 per cent. That’s a significant contrast to the -0.4 per cent in food inflation reported in the
Supply management fixation may finally be coming to an end
Economist says CWB changes were positive and the same could happen for dairy
We shouldn’t kid ourselves, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal was never really about Canada. It was, in fact, about the United States’ will to undermine China, increase its commercial footprint in the region, and connect with Japan. But whatever the motivation for the deal, it is time to redefine what competitiveness really means to
Canadians love meat, but don’t take them for granted
Demand should stay strong despite higher prices, but cases of meat fraud could undermine consumer confidence
What do Confucius, Albert Einstein and Leonardo Di Vinci have in common? Well, not much professionally, but they were all vegetarians. Einstein once claimed that, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” With recent record meat prices, some might
Politics and the revenge of the food consumer
The USDA has decided to act on growing pressure and establish a voluntary program to label food products with non-GMO content
What was unthinkable a few years ago is now happening. In an unprecedented move, the United States Department of Agriculture has established a voluntary program to label food products with non-GMO content. Non-GMOs already exist in the marketplace, but none of them are sanctioned by the government. At the request of a global food company,
Moving beyond supply management
Now that we have some clarity on the economic future of the Canadian Wheat Board, attention is slowly turning toward the issue of supply management, which has arguably served our agricultural economy well for decades. Economically speaking, these sectors have been unwavering, and consumers have long benefited from stable retail prices for these products. However,
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
