A video of an exasperated Canadian dairy farmer, Jerry Huigen, went viral last week. For probably the first time in Canadian history, a Canadian dairy farmer was filmed while discarding milk on his own farm. That video has now been viewed by almost 3 million people. It shocked many Canadians, who were wondering why this
Comment: Canada can fix its milk dumping problem
A recent viral video has given the nation’s dairy sector a public relations black eye
Comment: A face-saving code for grocers
Food retailers are facing a crisis in public confidence and need the code as much as consumers do
As reported in recent days, the grocer code of conduct is coming to Canada. Both the United Kingdom and Australia, where grocer oligopolies exist, have a similar code already. This is great news for consumers. In fact, it should be considered a minor miracle. It all started a few years ago with the announcement of
Comment: A look behind the optics on food prices
Lessons from a frivolous picture of overpriced chicken breasts
It all started with one reporter taking a picture of an overpriced pack of five boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The cost was $26.87 a kilogram, a world-class sticker shocker and at least double what one would expect to pay for chicken breasts. Within hours, the picture became the lightning rod for frustrated consumers on social
Opinion: Ottawa tone deaf to issues facing farmers
This is what happens when a government is driven by urban politics
Ottawa recently announced that tariff revenues received from Canadian farmers who bought Russian/Belarusian fertilizers this year are being sent to Ukraine to rebuild infrastructure. Canada was the only G7 country to put tariffs on Russian and/or Belarusian fertilizer after Russia invaded Ukraine. Of the $115 million sent to Ukraine, $34 million were collected from Canadian
The top 10 food stories of 2022
This past year proved interesting to say the least
As a follow-up to a very busy 2021, the year 2022 was filled with food-related stories. Food was top of mind for many for the entire year. Reflecting on the last 12 months is always interesting, come December. As we do every year, Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab presents this year’s top 10 food news
Comment: The politics of diet
There are groups that don’t even want the industry to be able to speak
The COP15 meeting on biodiversity brought thousands of delegates to Montreal to address critical issues our planet is facing. Related to food systems, delegates discussed agroecology, food systems intensification, and consideration of fisheries in food security. One issue catching some people’s attention is diet and overconsumption. That’s right, food was discussed in Montreal. Many believe
Comment: Avian flu – let’s talk turkey
Canadian consumers are better off than their American counterparts
Avian flu deserves more media attention. The illness affecting our poultry sector has become a real problem. Unlike previous strains, this one has spread across Canada, raising fears that it could become endemic in wild birds, no less. A nightmare. This year alone, avian flu has infected approximately 200 farms with more than 3.6 million
Comment: Lettuce romaine calm
The great lettuce shortage is revealing the fragility of our food web
Many consumers have noticed that Canada has run out of lettuce – well, some lettuce – mainly from California. Crops were destroyed by a drought and a nasty virus, according to some reports. This is the time of year when we import plenty of leafy greens, since our farmers can’t compete on such a scale.
Comment: A population of eight billion
Canada is a leader in securing the world’s nutritional future but gets little credit for this contribution
On Nov. 15, the world population reached a symbolic number: eight billion people. The planet took about 11 years to add one billion more humans to its population. By 2058, it’s estimated that the planetary population will reach 10 billion. That’s a lot of people. Whenever humanity is reminded that our population is increasing, we
Comment: Greedflation accusations pointless
The real failure in Canada is of our Competition Bureau, not the market
As food prices rise, many are quick to blame grocers for profiteering and taking advantage of consumers. The notion of “greedflation” has emerged as one of the most talked about issues in the last month. Food inflation in Canada is at a 41-year high, at 10.3 per cent, and chances are that consumers won’t get
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
