Maple Leaf Foods Inc. and Schneiders have rebranded their products in answer to what consumers want and when they want it. “We’ve got a unique opportunity to drive category growth across our entire prepared meats portfolio,” says Adam Grogan, Senior Vice-president, Marketing and Innovation for both companies. The change follows extensive research on consumer behaviour and demand. It is …

Jumping on board the organics train, Red Bull Canada just added a new line of carbonated drinks to complement its well-known caffeine-infused brand. This April, the energy drink giant introduced its new Organics by Red Bull, a product line that includes Simply Cola, Bitter Lemon, Ginger Ale and Tonic water, to the Canadian market. Using natural flavours from plant extracts, …

Bread has been a staple in Canadian homes for generations. It’s a food that many Canadians have been raised on and in many homes, represents a significant part of a family’s diet. Recently, however, questions have emerged about the health of bread and the ever-trending gluten-free movement has cast the once popular staple as a fattening, nutritionally bankrupt holdover. The …

Richardson to Build World-Class Innovation Centre in Downtown Winnipeg Richardson International is investing more than $30 million to develop an innovation centre in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, featuring state-of-the-art technology and equipment for research and product development. “Our goal is that the Richardson Innovation Centre will become a centre for collaboration,” says Chuck Cohen, Richardson’s Senior Vice-President, Technology. “As …

By Carol Zweep Active and intelligent packaging is a sector that continues to grow on a global basis. Active packaging changes the condition of the packaged food to extend the shelf life, or improve food safety or sensory properties of the packaged foods. Active packaging can be divided into absorbers (scavenging systems) and emitters (release systems). Antimicrobial Packaging Antimicrobial packaging is …

By Dr. Robert Hanner Food fraud is not a new problem, but consumer awareness of the issue is increasing thanks to an endless barrage of media reports that expose new cases of fraud almost every day. The globalization of commerce has resulted in ever more complex supply chains that obfuscate transparency and undermine traceability, while also creating more opportunities for tampering. …

Evaluating the Importance of Food Labels By Kathy Perrotta With the Canadian government currently in the process of seeking feedback on new regulations for front-of-package nutrition symbols that would alert consumers to foods that are high in sodium, sugars or saturated fat, a review of current label evaluation behaviour reveals that there already is a whole lot of label reading going …

As foreign food processors pull out of Canada, taking jobs with them, it’s essential to the economy that we fill the gap By Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Institute for Market Studies The bloodbath in foreign-owned, large-scale food manufacturing in Canada continues. Canadian value-added food producers need to fill the gap. In the past few days, we’ve learned that two …

By Kelly Townsend Avocado, anyone? Like it or not, the green fruit has dominated as a major food trend the last few years, to the point where avocado toast has became the unexpected mascot of healthy eating everywhere. Recognizing an opportunity, Unilever developed an avocado oil product for its major margarine brand, Becel. “It’s important for us to continue modernize and …