When the prestigious medical journal The Lancet published a 51-page report this month laying out a plan for a sustainable “planetary diet” that transforms how we eat and live, it made a big splash. The group of 37 experts are members of the EAT-Lancet Commission, which was brought together by the Stockholm-based non-profit EAT, dedicated […] Read more
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Online groceries change retail business
One after the other, grocers are going online. All of them, at some point over the last 12 months, have announced some sort of commitment to an e-commerce strategy. Costco launched its home delivery pilot in Ontario, while Maxi, Loblaws’ discount stores in Quebec, jumped on the virtual bandwagon with their Click and Collect program. […] Read more
Meat is not the ‘new tobacco’
The idea of having to pay a sin tax for environmentally detrimental foods is gaining support. For some, eating meat is a sin, and therefore meat products should be taxed like alcohol and tobacco. A new report published recently by a British group called Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return Initiative argues that a tax […] Read more
Loblaw, Weston bake the numbers, burn consumers in price-fix scandal
Most Canadians were stunned and dismayed to learn that the country’s leading grocer was caught in a price-fixing scheme with bread-maker George Weston Ltd., which is owned by the same company. The scheme lasted from 2001 to 2015. As a result, Loblaw Companies Ltd. fired several people and gave $25 gift certificates to millions of […] Read more
Tax reforms fail to understand ag sector
Until recently, two things were certain in life: death and taxes. We can now add a third one: botching the promotion of a tax reform for political gains. Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s tax reform has been a communications disaster. Claims about Ottawa’s intentions to revamp our tax system for small corporations have been ridiculous. Some […] Read more
Brazil in mother of all food fraud cases
Brazil, the largest exporter of meat products in the world, faces a food fraud crisis — and it seems federal authorities have been complicit. There’s a lesson here for Canada. Brazilian authorities recently announced they would investigate several companies, including meat packing giants JBS SA and BRF SA. The companies are accused of bribing licensed […] Read more
Cheap food challenges food industry
Making money in the food business isn’t nearly as simple as it once was. It’s becoming cheaper to buy food in Canada — prices fell in August for the first time in years in every province except Alberta. And the Statistics Canada data may indicate the start of significant ongoing food deflation. But while consumers […] Read more
Bayer may give GMO new lease on life
Putting Monsanto out of its misery could shift future debates about genetically modified crops to arguments based on fact rather than emotion. Agricultural chemical and seed technology giant Monsanto is arguably the most detested company in the world. But Bayer’s acquisition of St. Louis-based Monsanto will likely mean the latter (or at least its brand) […] Read more
China may wane as meat export market
China is one of the world’s largest meat consumers. It currently consumes 28 percent of the globe’s meat, including half of its pork. While the average Chinese consumer used to eat about 13 kilograms years ago, meat consumption is now up to 63 kilograms per person. These are staggering numbers, and if nothing changes, they […] Read more
Canada’s food costs not hard to swallow
Food unites us all and Canada is certainly not immune to global pressures affecting food systems. Food price hikes these days have no borders, or so it seems. Prices have gone up in Canada, but also in other countries. While summer is a great time to get reacquainted with our BBQ, it’s also a time […] Read more
