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Mike Dixon is on standby: ready and waiting. He just needs a mission. The professor of environmental biology at the University of Guelph and Director of the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) has been leading cutting-edge research growing plants in controlled environments. His research is pulled by the goal of growing a plant on the moon, with the ultimate …

In the wake of recent pet food recalls, consumers are willing to spend more on premium, quality ingredients for their animals Text by Chelsea Shim Your dog would gladly eat the food off your plate, but would you eat what’s in its bowl? Dorothy Hunter would. Hunter, owner of Paws Natural Pet Emporium is an advocate for all-natural, premium pet …

AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CANADIAN SWINE INDUSTRY Sinisa Vidovic1 | Bernardo Predicala2,3 | John R. Lawrence1 | Darren R. Korber1* BACKGROUND The rapid emergence of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) in North America has significantly impacted hog industry operations as well as the supply of market hogs. While known to have caused outbreaks for several decades in Europe …

WITH SUGAR UNDER ATTACK IN THE MEDIA, SOME COMPANIES ARE LOOKING AT SUGAR REDUCTION STRATEGIES. IT MIGHT BE EASIER SAID THAN DONE Text by Nicolas Heffernan First it was fat; then came salt; now sugar is in the crosshairs. Sugar has been under increasing attack in the media with reports comparing the overconsumption of the sweetener to cocaine addiction and …

RECENT TRENDS HAVE LED TO LOWER CEREAL CONSUMPTION, BUT FOR COMPANIES THAT CAN FIND A NICHE, CEREAL CAN STILL BE LUCRATIVE Text by Nicolas Heffernan There’s a killer on the loose. Cereal has been a staple of breakfasts for more than 100 years but changing consumer demands have become cereal killers for world famous brands like Kellogg and General Mills. …

FOR THE ONTARIO FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROCESSING INDUSTRY TO GROW AND PROSPER Text by The Honourable Gary Goodyear, P.C., M.P., Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario) As the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, or FedDev Ontario, I would love to host a dinner party for the food and beverage processing …

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 …

A TEAM OF MCGILL MBA STUDENTS WINS THE PRESTIGIOUS HULT PRIZE FOR USING INSECTS TO HELP SOLVE THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS Text by Nicolas Heffernan The answer to securing food for the impoverished and undernourished: grasshoppers, palm weevils, caterpillars, and water beetles. Don’t worry if it takes you aback, it took the captain of the team who is bringing the …

EMERGING DEMAND FROM ASIA, CHANGING CONSUMER DEMOGRAPHICS AND HEALTH-CONSCIOUS SHOPPERS WILL SHAPE CANADIAN BUSINESS NEXT YEAR Text by Nicolas Heffernan It won’t be easy but 2014 could be a good year for the Canadian agri-food industry. “I’m actually quite bullish on Canada,” says Dave Donnan, partner and leader of Global Food and Beverage Sector Practice for A.T. Kearney, a global …