H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe Overview Canadian fruit crops are worth over $700 million annually post-farm gate to the food industry. Apples, blueberries, grapes, cranberries and strawberries represent the major fruit crops grown in Canada. However, recently market trends are shifting towards newer varieties, imported exotic fruits, and value-added fruit products as consumer demand is growing for healthier antioxidants-rich foods1. Emerging imported …

Debbie Lockrey-Wessel The role of science and technology continues to be critically important in maintaining the profitability and competitiveness of Canada’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector. At the same time, the sector’s science requirements are growing in complexity, new technologies are emerging, the government policy and program landscape is changing, and the science capacity of many players in Canada’s …

Alain Clément1 | Bernard Panneton2 | Nathalie Martin3 | Luc Lagacé3* Every spring, when daytime temperatures rise above the freezing point and night-time temperatures are below zero, the sap in maple trees starts moving from the roots to the stem. This sap contains everything the tree needs to prepare for the growing season: water, sugars, amino acids, vitamins, etc. Abundant …

Nicholas Low In the relatively short history of humans, our relationship with bees and the honey that they produce has been a mutually beneficial enterprise. It has been postulated that this relationship may have played an important role in our evolution, due to the fact that honey was a readily available energy dense food that is rich in the carbohydrate …

In the last edition of the Regulatory Arena, we introduced you to Health Canada’s “modernization makeover”. As we noted, in part that endeavor is focused on making over the CFIA’s inspection program. In this edition of the Regulatory Arena, we will cover one of the more recent elements of the inspection modernization makeover: the Integrated Agency Inspection Model (or “iAIM”). …

The Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) announced the top natural health trends to look for this summer at local health food stores. “Summer heat and seasonal changes put new stresses on our body’s systems,” said CHFA president Helen Long. “Leading experts helped us find new, exciting, natural solutions that we are pleased to share with Canadians across the country to …

Ontario farmers and processors have a new tool to measure current business performance and help build an action plan for greater success. The Agricultural Management Institute’s (AMI) Business Score Card is an online business assessment tool developed for farmers and processors to help them to identify business management strengths, weaknesses and gaps; develop action plans to improve business management performance; …

Loblaw Companies Limited announced the purchase of Arz Fine Foods, an established Middle Eastern grocery retailer located in Toronto. It will operate as a unique operating division of Loblaw. Canada’s Middle Eastern population represents about 2 per cent of the population and is one of the fastest growing market segments. “This key partnership holds great promise as Canada’s Middle Eastern …

After some recent high-profile closures the food manufacturing industry received a boost with the official opening of the new Dr. Oetker’s facility in London. The company’s new frozen pizza production facility, which has been in operation since mid-March, will act as a production hub for the company’s North American pizza operations. “Canada is an excellent market for Dr. Oetker,” said …

CANADA AGRICULTURE AND FOOD MUSEUM EXPLORES THE SCIENCE BEHIND FOOD PRESERVATION The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum’s (CAFM) new exhibition, Food Preservation: The Science You Eat, gives the topic of food science centre stage. The CAFM’s mandate, to foster scientific and technological literacy, meant the science behind food preservation was a natural fit. “Early testing on the topic of the …