CNS Canada –– Increased demand by Canadians for gluten-free products had an impact on the wheat industry, leading reduced sales and experiments with new ways to feed the market. Now, industry specialists have mixed opinions on the future of gluten-free. Almost a third of Canadians, 10 million people, are seeking out gluten-free products, according to […] Read more

Canada may have already passed peak gluten-free

Sources say BASF mulling potential bid for Syngenta
Reuters — German chemicals group BASF is considering a potential offer for Syngenta, its Swiss rival which has received a C$56 billion takeover offer from Monsanto, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. BASF is speaking to investment bankers about the possibility of an offer for Syngenta, though it has made no decision and […] Read more

Sask. producer car loader firm owners approve AGT bid
Shareholders in a western Saskatchewan producer car loading firm have approved a deal to sell their loading sites to Regina pulse processor AGT Food and Ingredients for $22 million. AGT announced Tuesday it has completed its deal, announced in April, to buy the bulk loading assets from Eston, Sask.-based West Central Road and Rail. The […] Read more

Tight lentil market watching weather
CNS Canada — Old-crop large green lentils saw a jump in price over the past week, but actual supplies are few and far between, with most market participants turning attention to new-crop opportunities and weather uncertainty across Western Canada’s lentil-growing regions. “The trade is very thin right now,” said analyst Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity […] Read more

Quality, not quantity key to chickpea sales
CNS Canada –– Chickpeas may be relatively small in terms of acreage in Western Canada, but the quality aspects of the country’s crop, especially the larger-calibre varieties, may help command some premiums in the global market. Canadian farmers intend to plant 140,000 acres of chickpeas in 2015, down from the 170,000 seeded the previous year […] Read more

Strong new-crop prices could entice more pea, lentil area
CNS Canada — Stronger prices for new-crop lentils and peas over the past few weeks could lead to an increase in Canadian acreage compared to the Statistics Canada estimates released last week. “You have to look at the timing of when the survey was done for the StatsCan report. Of course there’s a bit of […] Read more

Lemon tart takes the cake at Mission Impulseible student competition
Pulse-based ‘Peamon’ tart takes the cake at Mission Impulseible
Reading Time: 2 minutes Calling something a “lemon” suggests it’s not up to par, but a lemon-based tart was the winner in this year’s Mission Impulseible. The “Peamon” tart was created by a trio of University of Alberta food science students who used canned red kidney beans, chickpeas, romano beans and great northern white beans as well as other […] Read more

Putting pulses into the spotlight
Reading Time: < 1 minute Organizers of the 2016 International Year of Pulses have set a goal “to position pulses as a primary source of protein.” “The International Year is the single largest opportunity to increase awareness of pulses many of us will ever see,” the international organizing committee states on the International Year of Pulses website. “In many countries, consumer, […] Read more

Pea growers weigh demand opportunities against root rot
CNS Canada — Pea acreage in Western Canada could rise by five to 10 per cent this year, according to one industry expert, who notes root rot threatens to curtail that projection. Demand from India, China and Bangladesh is strong and that means total pea area could hit four million acres, said Carl Potts, executive […] Read more

Record Prairie lentil area likely
CNS Canada –– Canadian lentil acres are expected to rise considerably this spring, with most of the increase in red lentils, according to industry participants. While the acres are going up, the opposite is likely in prices. “Everybody is looking for an increase (in lentil acres),” said Darren Lemieux of Simpson Seeds at Moose Jaw, […] Read more