barley heads

Cereals crops have beverage potential

Health claims made by beverage manufacturers continue to grow as consumers demand more 
nutritious alternatives to traditional canned colas and bottled water

Reaching for a refreshing beverage after a long, hot day could someday mean guzzling back a tall glass of barley water. And no, that doesn’t mean beer. Beverages are the fastest-growing category in food development with new products popping up all the time, says Roberta Irvine at the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie.

overweight horse

Obesity a serious health issue for horses

But the treatment is the same as for humans — diet modification, calorie restriction and exercise

It is not healthy for horses to be overweight. It may be one of the most serious health conditions a horse can have. Unfortunately many animal owners deem a degree of obesity as normal, acceptable and even desirable. As a result, obesity is commonly disregarded. Nonetheless, as a horse moves from overweight to fat to


So much for the ‘cheap food’ defence

Ag boosters habitually fall back on two defences whenever someone questions why farmers do things the way they do — usually on ethical or environmental sustainability issues. We’ve dealt with fallacies of the first mantra — our farmers must feed the world — previously in this space. Increasing the productivity of small-scale farmers — most

Crop researchers in a field

Rising CO2 levels may cut nutrient levels in crops, study finds

Wheat and rice were lower in zinc, iron and protein at higher levels of CO2

Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may cut the nutritional quality of some of the world’s most important food crops, researchers reported May 7 after conducting experiments simulating conditions expected by mid-century. The amounts of two important nutrients, zinc and iron, were found to be lower in wheat, rice, soybeans and field peas


Woman holding jar of jam.

Berry good: New jam takes top honours

Taste, marketing and nutrition all play a role in the development 
and launching of new food products

New jam takes She ditched the sugar and still managed to score a sweet victory. Jill Tanner’s Jamore! — a fruit spread made with wild blueberries, prunes and organic chia seeds, but no added sugar or sweeteners — took home gold at this year’s Great Manitoba Food Fight, held at Red River Community College in

Sow and piglet

Fibre could be key to reducing sow aggression

Changes to swine nutrition must benefit the producer’s bottom line, not just increase a barn’s throughput

Changes are coming to Manitoba’s hog barns, and for Denise Beaulieu that means it’s time to revaluate swine nutrition. With hog prices improving and feed costs declining, the Prairie Swine Centre nutrition expert said pork producers should be looking at new input models and investigating ways to increase net profits through feed efficiency. “For the


Two women

New eating plan is a Mediterranean Diet for the Prairies, say developers

The Pure Prairie Eating Plan, developed at the University of Alberta is built around the traditions, foods and geographies of the Prairies

Researchers Initially, it was named ‘the Alberta Diet,’ and focused on those with Type 2 diabetes, says co-creator Catherine Chan, a professor of human nutrition at the University of Alberta. But as she and colleague Rhonda Bell worked on it, the vision became bigger, she says. A colleague suggested they call it the Mediterranean Diet

Nutrition label on a consumer product.

U.S. proposes major update to food labels in bid to combat obesity

Under the new rules, serving sizes would reflect typical amount consumers eat

Packaged foods sold in the United States would display calorie counts more prominently and include the amount of added sugar under a proposal to significantly update nutritional labels for the first time in 20 years as health officials seek to reduce obesity and combat related diseases such as diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration said


Man speaking into microphone.

Food manufacturers hooked on salt, fat, sugar, says speaker

Author Michael Moss says food companies have a real challenge making processed foods palatable without excessive amounts of three ingredients

When New York Times reporter Michael Moss started delving into why the foods we eat contain so much salt, sugar and salt, he didn’t expect his investigation to leave him empathizing with the food industry. “At one point I asked, ‘Everyone wants you to cut back on sodium because of high blood pressure. Why don’t

Take your taste buds on a trip around the world

Try more international foods this year – all from the comfort of your own home

Many of us eat more international foods than we imagine. Although we might think we are enjoying North American food, the recipes we prepare at home and the ones we choose in restaurants often are melting pots of world cuisine. What ethnic foods do you enjoy? My family particularly enjoys food of Asian, European and