Hello and welcome to the Regulatory Arena! This regular column will highlight regulatory developments of relevance to the food and beverage industry. And what a year it is going to be for the food industry. Health Canada is in the midst of a “modernization makeover” and as a result, significant change is on the horizon. Health Canada’s current modernization efforts …

Foodborne illness associated with fresh produce Kevin Allen1 | Pascal Delaquis2* Analysis of recent epidemiological data reveals that sporadic infections and full-blown outbreaks associated with the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables contaminated with viral, bacterial or protozoan pathogens are occurring with increasing frequency in Western countries1. Some commodities are now recognized as important vehicles for the transmission of foodborne …

Richard A. Holley1 | Tineke H. Jones2 | Lynn M. McMullen3* Guaranteeing the safety of the food supply in Canada continues to prove challenging to industry and government. Food safety cannot be “regulated” into food and new approaches are required to support the production of safe meat products. Recognition by processors that “a culture” of food safety is the best …

AS GM FOODS BECOME MORE COMMON IN THE MARKETPLACE, CONCERNED CONSUMERS AND FOOD INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS ARE FIGHTING BACK AGAINST FOOD PRODUCERS AND RESEARCHERS Text by Lindsay Grummett The Canadian food industry is no stranger to the headlines. There was the Alberta beef recall back in 2012 and, of course, the legal battle of Michael Schmidt, an Ontario dairy farmer who’s …

DESPITE HIGH-PROFILE CLOSURES AND AN EXPANDING TRADE DEFICIT, AGRI-FOOD EXPERTS REMAIN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CANADA’S MANUFACTURING FUTURE Text by Nicolas Heffernan Reports of the demise of the food manufacturing and processing sector in Canada may have been exaggerated. After nearly 90 years in London, Ont., Kellogg will close the doors to its cereal plant by the end of next year, costing …

The Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) received $4 million in funding for poultry research and innovation from the federal government, an investment that was possible through the Agri-Science Clusters initiative of the Growing Forward 2 AgriInnovations Program (AIP). The five-year investment in the Poultry Science Cluster will be leveraged by more than 50 contributing scientists from across the country for …