Consumers at the wheel of potato market

Consumers at the wheel of potato market

With the rise of the budget-conscious consumer and increasing influence of Gen Z, where does the potato fit?

Circana food industry analyst Vince Sgabellone visibly brightens when he recalls the childhood Sundays when his family wandered the Ottawa Valley hunting for the best chip wagon. “Those days before social media, my parents would follow a tip they heard from somebody at work or one of the neighbours about a food truck parked on

The desire to “shop local” has moved into the mainstream.

Comment: Canadian food promotions shouldn’t be needed — but they are

Canadians enjoy a secure food system, but still have misgivings

Canadians are realizing in an unprecedented way the value of Canada’s food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Friends and family are regularly discussing where their food comes from, at least in my circles. The desire to “shop local” has moved out of urban ‘hipsterville’ and into the mainstream, as folks across the country realize the


Unlike what many analysts have said in the past, the food sector has never been recession-proof. COVID-19, however, may show us that it is in fact immune to deflationary pressures.

Opinion: Better get used to higher food prices

Food inflation is vastly outstripping price advances in other products

Despite a negative inflation rate, recent StatsCan numbers are telling us that we are in for a wild ride at the grocery store. The numbers are also telling. While the general inflation rate sits at -0.2 per cent, the food inflation rate is at 3.4 per cent. In December 2019, Canada’s Food Price Report forecasted

A food sector representative says the industry is facing ‘extraordinary cost pressures’ that need to be addressed with either government support or food price increases.

Food and beverage sector misunderstood by regulators

Food-processing plants were designed with food safety in mind, not social distancing

Officials from Food and Beverage Canada told a parliamentary committee that the COVID-19 pandemic shows there is a “fundamental misunderstanding of how Canada’s food system operates” among senior policy-makers. The comments were made during a digital meeting of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on May 8. James Donaldson, who sits on the board



The best time to harvest rhubarb is before the seed stalks come out.

A rhubarb Q&A with Getty Stewart

How to make sure your rhubarb thrives, new ways to prepare it, and will I die if I eat the leaves?

Rhubarb is a staple of the Manitoba garden and beloved in pies, cobblers and muffins throughout the year. Though it thrives in our cool climate, it’s not native to our soil. Rhubarb is native to central Asia, according to an article from the University of Minnesota, where it was valued for its medicinal qualities. Marco

Justin Girard

Year in Review: Local food producers struggle ahead

Lack of supply chains, business risk management programs, and clear regulations are keeping local food from reaching its full potential in Manitoba, say producers, experts

Manitoba has a way to go before it’s a friendly place for small food and drink producers, several articles demonstrated throughout the year. Be it crippling regulations, lack of risk management programs for small farmers, or simply lack of local supply chains, several factors say Manitoba’s local food system has yet to fully mature. “It

Dustin Peltier and Rachel Isaak say the province has blocked them at every turn in the process of bringing their traditional, Trappist-style cheese to market.

Artisanal cheese makers cheesed off

‘Complex, inconsistently interpreted regulations’ have left one couple near bankruptcy and other small food processors in limbo

A Manitoba couple says red tape has killed 100 years of cheese history and put them near bankruptcy. Husband and wife team Dustin Peltier and Rachel Isaak, along with Peltier’s parents Gary and Silver Peltier, say the province has blocked them at every turn as they’ve attempted to bring their traditional, Trappist-style cheese to market


The Manitoba Food History Project “food truck” has travelled to Steinbach, Altona, St. Norbert and Dauphin, allowing the researchers to conduct interviews and cook food with people all over the province.

Manitoba Food History Project ‘trucks along’

A Winnipeg-based food history project delves into how cultural forces shaped food production in the province

In Winnipeg there’s this tradition of burgers called the ‘fat boy.’ The staple of drive-in restaurants, they’re fairly ordinary beef burgers with lettuce, tomato and a thick pickle spear, except they have a chili sauce that isn’t found much elsewhere. These burgers are also often served in Greek Canadian restaurants. To some residents of Winnipeg,

A sampling of the burger options (Big Mac, cheeseburger and Quarter Pounder) available from McDonald’s Canada.

Comment: McDonald’s and the great protein betrayal

Many will feel abandoned by a company that long-championed livestock producers


When McDonald’s makes a move, everyone pays attention. That’s just the way things are in the food-service industry. For months, rumours were swirling around McDonald’s and when it would launch a plant-based product. We now know McDonald’s will enter the plant-based game by running a pilot in Ontario. The pilot project will last 12 weeks.