After significant market research in China, Japan, Mexico and right here at home, Canada Beef, a national advocacy group, announced that it has determined what consumers, importers and processors like most about Canadian beef — it’s Canadian. Now, that may seem obvious. Maybe even simple. But what it’s Canadian really means is a huge question,... Read More
Category: Food
The United Nations formally launched the "International Year of Pulses" at the headquarters of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome today. The international recognition aims to heighten public awareness about the role of pulses — dry beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas — in global food security, nutrition and environmental sustainability. Pulse Canada CEO... Read More
So eating processed meat can cause cancer? Dr. Joe Schwarcz of McGill University, host of “The Dr. Joe Show” and author of numerous books interpreting scientific information for the general public, joins RealAg’s Kelvin Heppner on this week’s TWORA podcast to explain the World Health Organization’s report linking processed and red meats to cancer. Elsewhere,... Read More
Only a week after Subway's (U.S.) announcement to shift towards animal protein raised without antibiotics, McDonald's Canada has made its own announcement. The company is starting its transition to only source chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine. The change is part of the company's "journey to evolve its menu to better meet the... Read More
This week, Subway Restaurants announced that it will begin transitioning to serving only protein from animals that have never received antibiotics starting in early 2016. Starting in 2016, we'll transition to serve meat that’s never received antibiotics to make our products even better. — SUBWAY® (@SUBWAY) October 20, 2015 “Today’s consumer is ever more mindful... Read More
It's an organization developed to "cultivate an appreciation for food and farming" across the country, a feat that requires conversation, and a "giant Team Canada effort," says executive director and soon-to-be-CEO of Farm and Food Care Canada (FFC) Crystal Mackay. Mackay to Lead National Farm & Food Care Group Mackay says the effort should see... Read More
Uncertainty goes hand in hand with change, and so after almost a decade of Conservative government, the shift to a Liberal majority in Ottawa brings with it plenty of questions, including questions about the future of Canadian agriculture (in no particular order): Who's going to be the next ag minister? The Liberals have several ag... Read More
"I am the greatest botanist on this planet," declares Matt Damon's character in 20th Century Fox's new blockbuster "The Martian." Astronaut Mark Watney (played by Damon) is stranded on Mars, able to survive by growing potatoes for food. Several Earth-bound scientists who are members of the Crop Science Society of America shared their thoughts on... Read More
Western Canada and the northern U.S. could be positioned to provide more plant-based food protein to parts of the world where a shortage of protein is a growing nutritional problem. Some big picture thinkers, including John Oliver of Maple Leaf Bio-Concepts, are working on developing a concept they're calling the "Protein Highway." Extending from the... Read More
Society as a whole, including agriculture, is experiencing a trend toward the use of more autonomous machines that can communicate amongst themselves and optimize their own activity using “big data” analytics. That might sound like a whole lot of high-level tech lingo, but it raises serious questions for farmers on the ground: will there come... Read More