The word sustainability means something different to everyone, and this is somewhat problematic. If I were to ask an entire room of farmers if their farm is sustainable, likely every one of them would raise their hands. It seems odd, considering that no two farms are the same. Current sustainability dialogue for grain crops is […] Read more
Tag Archives food
Food fundamentalism: is food the new religion?
Science becomes a less effective way to defend agricultural practices as food beliefs begin to border on ideology
It’s Thanksgiving, the time of year when Canadian farmers gather with family to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and then argue with urban relatives who believe that modern agriculture, with its genetically modified food and factory farms, is the embodiment of evil. The debates over food production can go on for hours as rural […] Read more
Scary news can come from sketchy sources
Food reporting can be tough. The safety of food is very important in our society, and that can be exploited. In all but a small number of communities across North America, tap water is safe to drink. Even so, we bought $2.49 billion in bottled water last year in Canada, nearly all of that in […] Read more
Recalled flour products focus of lawsuit
An Alberta law firm has launched a class action lawsuit against Smucker Foods of Canada Corp. following the nationwide food safety recall that involved Robin Hood all-purpose flour milled in Saskatoon. James H. Brown and Associates of Edmonton filed a statement of claim on March 31 against Smucker Foods of Canada Corp. Claimants are seeking […] Read more
The upside to climate change
Prairie farmers are going to have to adapt to climate change because they are going to face more of it than most of the rest of the world. However, they should also look at the coming rise in temperatures as an opportunity to play a more vital role in feeding the world of 2050, says […] Read more
VIDEO: Building a better bagel
Sometimes the most innovative creation is something that seems exactly like something else, but is actually profoundly different. Such are the regular-looking and good-tasting bagels being eaten at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals. They look like regular wheat bagels. They taste like regular wheat bagels. But the human lab rats consuming the […] Read more
The hungry planet
The world’s population is expected to surge to nearly 10 billion people by 2050. How will farmers manage to feed everyone?
The premise of this year-end edition is that increasingly sophisticated science and technology will be applied to agricultural production in the coming years. This development will be driven in part by humanity’s natural inclination to improve and evolve — to get bigger and better. However, another driver will be the inescapable reality that the world’s […] Read more
University of Guelph gets $77 million from feds for sustainable food research
The federal government has made a massive commitment to sustainable food, as it is investing nearly $77 million to support an innovative research program at the University of Guelph. The program is called Food From Thought. The research will focus on information systems, big data and how digital tools can be used to produce more […] Read more
New food centre aims to build consumer trust
Public opinion polls can be misleading, but it’s hard to ignore a survey that produces the same result year after year. For instance, a majority of Canadians consistently say they are worried about hormones in food. “We’ve known since 2006 that almost two-thirds of Canadians have concerns about hormones in their food. That’s not just […] Read more
MP asks ag committee to undertake food cost study
Rising food costs, particularly for fruits and vegetables, prompted Quebec NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau last week to ask for a study about the causes and possible solutions. She is a member of the standing committee on agriculture, and asked the committee to undertake the study. She said the members should consult with producers, distributors, […] Read more
