Text by Art Hill I developed a love for the dairy industry growing up on my parents’ dairy farm on Manitoulin Island. We started shipping cream in 1961 when I was five. My parents were grateful when the Ontario Milk Marketing Board (OMMB) was formed in 1966 and soon thereafter they received market sharing quota and began shipping milk …

Lisa F. Clark   Today, organic food can be found everywhere from the local farmers’ market to the aisles of Walmart across North America. According to the 2015 International Federation of Organic Movements (IFOAM)’s annual report World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends, the global market for organic products was worth $72 billion USD in 2013, an increase of …

Aleksandar Yovchev | Michael Nickerson* Photos courtesy Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre In today’s marketplace, the nutritional quality of food products is of the upmost importance to the consumer. Pulses are a protein, carbohydrate, vitamin and mineral rich raw material that are underutilized in the food industry. One of the reasons for this is that in general the cooking of …

Ryan West | Dérick Rousseau* Chocolate is a centuries-old product turned multibillion dollar industry that is constantly evolving as processing conditions continue to improve and consumers’ needs change. As we presently reside in the age of food science, our understanding of the molecular behaviour of chocolate has not only enhanced both production and quality, but has also brought many questions …

Text by William Miller There is a science to flavour. The field of food science has evolved significantly to meet the growing demands for food composition and characteristic determination. Trends and demands of consumers, the food industry, and national and international regulations challenge food scientists as they work to monitor food composition, authentication and to ensure the quality and safety …

  Text by Jenny Zegler Consumption of high-caffeine energy drinks among children and young adults has been a focus for local and national governments worldwide. As Mintel Trend Supernanny State describes, many governments are enforcing taxes, fines and, occasionally, outright bans to encourage people to improve their behaviour. Lithuania was the first country to ban sales of high-caffeine drinks to …

Balances “Free-from” and Functional Text by Sarah Theodore Juice drinks in Canada have struggled in recent years, with volumes declining 1.3% in 2014 and 2.7% in 2015, according to Mintel estimates. Cost has played an important role in consumption declines, as have changing consumer demographics that favour older consumers who tend to drink less juice than younger consumers or households …

Recently, the Millennial cohort (23% of the Canadian population, ages 18-34 years) has faced exhaustive observation and daunting scrutiny that typifies large up-and-coming generations. Given the current and future spending power of this generation, this is not surprising. In 2014, Statistics Canada reported that Millennials accounted for $255 billion in annual spending. However, as the Millennial generation matures and fragments, …

RiceBran Technologies’ new exclusive supply agreement has given it a foothold in the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. food and beverage market, that of natural, organic and functional foods. The company has entered into an agreement with Thailand-based Narula Group, one of the world’s largest growers of organic rice, which gives RiceBran exclusive worldwide supply and distribution rights for Narula’s …

Think of it as a food industry Dragon’s Den: an entrepreneurial program aimed at supporting companies which are developing new probiotic food or beverage products. The Probiotic Innovation Jumpstart, the brainchild of probiotic research and product development company Ganeden, is inviting scientists, entrepreneurs and inventors to submit their ideas for new probiotic products by May 6. Canadian companies can apply, …