News

Fifteen varieties of wheat from around the world were catalogued by a team from the University of Saskatchewan, enabling scientists and breeders to much more quickly identify influential genes for improved yield, pest resistance and other important crop traits. The research results, published in Nature, provide the most comprehensive atlas of wheat genome sequences ever reported. The 10+ Genome Project …

Editor’s Note: Along with exposing Canada’s food security and distribution issues, we all know that COVID-19 has impacted the restaurant and bar industry on a dramatic scale. Restaurants Canada estimates that 10,000 restaurants closed in 2020, resulting in approximately 800,000 job losses; if lockdowns continue, it’s estimated approximately 50 percent of restaurants could shut down. From what I’ve seen, I’d …

Sol Cuisine, a Canadian manufacturer of plant-based food products, earned the top spot for its plant-based Crispy Chik’n Bites in a recently published report by industry experts listing the “100 Best Vegan Products of All Time.” The chicken-style bites also ranked top 10 in the entire meatless category and top 30 in the whole plant-based category including all foods, beverages …

The global COVID-19 pandemic caused 10 years of change in 10 months, according to the authors of a newly released study.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) published its honey authenticity surveillance results which tested domestic and imported honey sold in Canada between April 2019 and March 2020. Under Canadian law, honey cannot contain added sugars if sold as authentic honey. Testing found 87 percent of the targeted honey samples were authentic, compared to 78 percent the previous fiscal year. In …

Research at the University of Exeter in the U.K. has a strong emphasis on understanding fungal plant disease and in developing new ways to protect crops. In an article published by Nature Food this spring, a consortium of world-leading Exeter-based fungal researchers, led by Professor Sarah Gurr and Dr. Helen Fones (UKRI Fellow), has merged their expertise to highlight the …

Dr. Spagnuolo in the lab Metavo is a new product created by SP Nutraceuticals and researcher Dr. Paul Spagnuolo, in collaboration with a team of nutritional scientists from the University of Guelph, who identified and isolated a powerful bioactive in avocados. Avocatin B (AvoB) helps maintain normal blood glucose levels and supports healthy metabolism. It is particularly beneficial for those …

COVID-19 caused significant disruptions to areas of Canada’s food system, as it forced the near closure of the restaurant and hospitality industry in Canada and the United States. Some producers across Canada are left with surpluses of quality food, while increased demand from grocery stores alone is not expected to clear the inventory before it spoils. At the same time, …

In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced almost $100 million of funding towards the new Winnipeg facility for Merit Functional Foods, a company that was established last year in a joint venture by Burcon NutraScience and three veteran food industry executives. The new company’s high-tech, 94,000-sq.ft. facility is expected to be functional by the end of 2020, becoming the first …