Special Reports

Philip Bélanger shares his passion for Canadian cheese Text by Lekha Kanagasabai A passionate cheese connoisseur, Philip Bélanger has gone, seen, and conquered the ends of the cheese world, tasting the finest there is to offer. “After exploring various cheeses from all over the world, I really fell for the ones in Canada,” he says. Bélanger is Jury Chairman of …

The Canadian Poultry Research Council manages research under four interlinked categories to address issues from all stakeholders Text by Nicolas Heffernan Think of Canada’s poultry cluster as a big wheel. The spokes are different research projects, funding mechanisms and communication channels that reach out to industry, academia and government. But at the centre of it all is the Canadian Poultry …

Heavy rainfall has seen the second flood in four years on the Prairies, leaving provinces and farmers looking for solutions and consumers on the hook with higher prices. Text by Nicolas Heffernan Norm Hall’s family carved their farm out of the bush on the southern shores of the Quill Lakes in Saskatchewan 133 years ago. He’s been working the land …

Prince Edward Island’s fast-developing food technology cluster has an opportunity to turn small-scale, artisan businesses into tourism for the province. Text by Lindsay Grummett Prince Edward Island’s fast-developing food technology cluster has an opportunity to turn small-scale, artisan businesses into tourism for the province. With its striking red soil and country charm, PEI is a favourite vacation spot for tourists …

Every day the global food enterprise becomes more and more complex. The worldwide demand for food is increasing, and supply chains are more global and interconnected than ever. As a result, the need to easily identify knowledgeable food professionals that meet scientific and workforce needs along the value chain is imperative to delivering safe, quality food to consumers. Continuing education …

RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN ACADEMICS, INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT IS CHANGING THE DAIRY INDUSTRY Text by Lindsay Grummett Scattered across the Canadian countryside from Vancouver Island to Logy Bay, Nfld., are nearly 13,000 dairy cattle farms that are home to just over 960,000 dairy cows. A typical dairy farm in Canada is a family-owned operation with a herd of about 77 Holstein …

WITH THE HELP OF STRONG EUROPEAN EXAMPLES, LOCATION-BASED CLUSTERS ARE BRINGING COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION TO THE FOOD INDUSTRY Text by Lindsay Grummett Food is a vital part of the Canadian economy. So much, in fact, that in 2007 more than 70 per cent of the food purchased in Canadian stores was produced domestically. Beyond Canadian borders, the global food market …

Ron Kehrig Starting and operating a small company is not easy, and it is hard to survive. It often seems like far too many skill sets need to be found among very few bodies within the company. At times it may feel like you are alone – on “Company X” island. Fortunately, outside resources are available, but like most things, …

Promoting Industry Development through Commodity-Based Clusters By Lindsay Grummett GLOBAL FOOD LEADER With more than seven billion people on the planet including over 35 million Canadians, the global food industry has a lot of mouths to feed. Fortunately, Canada’s diverse agricultural landscape and solid workforce is the ideal support system for its developing food industry. Investment in food and food …