The Canadian Dairy Commission has just released its recommendations for 2023. Unlike last year’s shocking 8.4 per cent, which was almost double the previous record, the increase won’t be as dramatic. As of Feb. 1, 2023, most farmers in Canada will get about 2.2 per cent more for their milk. Provincial boards have the final
Comment: Milking Canadians no longer that simple
A recent press conference to announce Canadian Dairy Commission recommendations was a response to past criticism
Comment: On Loblaw’s decision to freeze food prices
Some may be cynical about this effort, but it is unprecedented
For weeks now, many have called for Canadian grocers to voluntarily freeze prices for some grocery staples as we weather the current food inflation storm. Many Western economies have seen price freezes from grocers. The first grocer in the world to do this was more than six months ago. Canada has had no grocer pursuing
Opinion: Politicizing proteins
Dietary choices are personal, not political, and undue coercion is unacceptable
During the current election campaign in La Belle Province, one political party recently proposed a protein shift in public cafeterias and institutions by offering a menu made up of 50 per cent plant-based protein meals. In the same vein, the party also suggested that 70 per cent of food products served in public institutions be
Opinion: Canada’s food affordability problem
Rising prices will surely continue to contribute to food insecurity
Did you know there is a global food security index? The well-known magazine The Economist has just published the 11th edition. The Global Food Security Index comprises a set of indices from more than 120 different countries. Since 2012, it has been based on four main pillars: food access, safety, sustainable development and food affordability.
Comment: Is Canada drinking too much?
Group that issued recent call for reductions is a lobby organization first and foremost
It looks like Canadians are drinking way too much alcohol. According to a recent report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), which includes the assessment of more than 5,000 different past studies on alcohol consumption from around the world, our country’s alcohol drinking guidelines need to be significantly reduced. The report
Comment: Canadian brewers having a hard time staying afloat
The industry hoped for a post-COVID bounce, but instead sales continue to sag
With recent reports that people are out enjoying the weather, we could assume that everything is back to normal after the pandemic. But that’s not entirely true, especially for the beer industry. Total beer sales have dropped 7.3 per cent from last year, according to Beer Canada. Total beer sales are up in Newfoundland and
Opinion: Food inflation seems to be concluding
More stability and predictability are leading to a slower inflation rate
Statistics Canada is reminding Canadians every month how painful their trips to the grocery store have been recently. The retail inflation rate is still at an astonishing 9.9 per cent, its highest point since 1981. In fact, our food inflation rate has exceeded the general rate since December of last year, which is why food
Comment: What’s really behind higher milk prices?
According to leaked data, the answer isn’t empirical evidence
Every year, the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC), a branch of the federal government, hires external consultants to assess the cost of producing milk on the farm. The CDC has never released any data about costing and has recommended farm milk price increases in most years, eventually impacting retail prices and Canadian families. Since February, dairy
Comment: Farming is losing to urban politics
Not tying fertilizer use to productivity is a dangerous failure of federal policy
Most Canadians have never been on a farm, let alone lived on one, which makes more than 98 per cent of our population agriculturally illiterate. For many Canadians, crop production is an unknown concept. Because of this, it’s relatively easy to use fear to influence public opinion on any food-related issue involving agriculture. Activists know
Comment: Light at the end of inflation tunnel?
Food inflation in Canada may have already peaked
Statistics Canada hasn’t had a lot of good news for Canadian consumers. The agency put food inflation rate in the country at 8.8 per cent in June, which is still higher than the general inflation rate. Everyone is affected by higher food prices. Americans recently learned that food inflation at the grocery store was 12.4
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
