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 …

Ingredients and So Much More By Karen Proper In the early to mid-2000s, “light” and “fat-free” foods took the centre stage for a brief period of time.  Consumers demanded products that were lower in calories and fat – and the industry delivered.  These products did not provide the sensory qualities consumers expected. Consumers were unwilling to sacrifice so-called healthier options …

How Canadian food manufacturers will benefit from digitalization By Markus Brettschneider From automotive and aerospace, many industries have been using digitalization technologies, such as automation and robotics, for many years. This goes hand in hand with the idea of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), where connectivity of devices opens up new possibilities to improve production. However, the food and beverage …

Bread consumption has steadily declined in Canada over the last decade but growing diversity in the bread aisle is encouraging younger consumers to stay in the category By Chris Brockman Canadians are unequivocally eating less bread. According to Mintel, based on data from Statistics Canada and the Economist Intelligence Unit, per capita consumption of bread has shown a consistent decline in …

  University of Guelph Students to Develop Innovative Food Concepts with Industry Mentors As part of an annual project, students from the University of Guelph presented their original food product concepts to a panel of industry mentors in October. Students from the Food Science, Marketing, Nutrition and Engineering programs will work in teams to turn their ideas into prototypes, culminating …