Be Patient With Picky Eaters

Families play an important role when it comes to food and eating. Families not only provide food for children, but they lay the groundwork for a child’s future eating patterns. Parents and siblings can be positive role models when they eat a variety of foods. Forcing children to eat foods or to clean their plates


What Can We Learn From Hawaii?

In agriculture, we often hear the terms value added, sustainability, organic, and gate to plate; some growers are becoming interested in ag-tourism. On a recent visit to the island of Maui, Hawaii, this winter I had the pleasure of touring O’o Farm in the upcountry region of this beautiful Hawaiian island and discovered an excellent

Manitoba Egg Producers Adopt Alternate Housing Standards

“We don’t want governments and retailers telling us what to do.” – KURT SIEMENS, MEF Manitoba egg producers have taken a major step toward alternate housing for hens by introducing new animal welfare standards for layer barns. The new policy will eventually mean the phasing out of battery cages, currently the industry standard for housing


The Wedge Effect

If recent reports are any indication, a growing number of consumers want to feel good about the food they eat – even if it means paying more for it. For example, a recent Context Marketing survey of consumers in the San Francisco Bay area found that 70 per cent of the respondents said they would

Cattle Cycle Has Bottomed Out, Says Wright

“Miraculously, in the last year, producers have found every record they had since March of 1999, and are age verifying cows at an alarming rate.” – RICK WRIGHT Cow-calf producers take heart, better times may be on the way. A mass sell-off of cattle around the world driven by years of low prices has finally


A National Food Strategy Involves Farmers And Consumers

“Remember, they’re not looking for people to tell them they don’t pay enough for food.” – DAVID HERLE Farmers need to put aside their philosophical differences and reach out to consumers to ensure the long-term health of the sector. That message, under various names, was advanced by several speakers at the annual meeting of the

Make Mealtime Family Time For A Healthy Heart

Heart and Stroke Foundat ion of Manitoba (HSFM) nutrition managers are encouraging Manitobans to eat together as a family as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating plays a vital role in the prevention of heart disease and stroke. Studies show that children who sit down to eat dinner with their families tend to eat


Proposed Food Additive Risky, NFU Says

The National Farmers Union is urging Health Canada not to allow Asparaginase, a genetically modified enzyme currently used as a chemotherapy drug to treat leukemia, to be approved as a food additive. The NFU sent a letter to Health Canada on Feb. 18, 2010 in response to a website-posted comment period on the proposed change.

Canada, EU Flax Industries Hit Hard By Triffid Contamination

Canada has lost its lucrative food-grade flax market in the European Union due to contamination from genetically modified (GM) CDC Triffid flax, an industry official told flax growers meeting here last week. “From the food industry side Canadian flax is now excluded (from the EU),” Rick Hallock, manager of eastern meal marketing for Richardson International