The multi-cultural team that heads up the Viandes Lafrance meat packing plant in Quebec. Photo courtesy Viandes Lafrance

The great food summit adventure

Higher learning experience at the end of an escalator ride

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta Farmer columnist Lee Hart attended the Food Leadership Summit in Calgary, where about 400 ag industry players gathered for the new annual conference.






A survey conducted last year by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity found that only three in 10 Canadians believe the food system is on the right track. Photo: File

Public trust in Canadian food system at a low

Research organization says more needs to be done by the agriculture industry to engage consumers and gain influence

The Canadian food system's reputation has taken a significant hit in the last couple years, said Ashely Bruner of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) during a recent webinar.




Might future growth for Canada’s fruit and vegetable industries be found indoors?

Schoepp: Technology can be used to create new opportunities in Canadian agriculture

We can not only grow more veggies and fruits here, but also create new value-added sectors

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s food guide encourages putting fruits and vegetables at the centre of the plate. But to do this the nation is heavily dependent on imports, particularly from California. In 2019, Canada imported US$4.3 billion of vegetables, fruits and nuts from California. In total, Canada imports nearly US$6 billion in fruits and US$4 billion in vegetables […] Read more


Rance: Sustainability isn’t a burden, but an opportunity

Reading Time: 3 minutes It didn’t take long for a young cattle rancher from Saskatchewan to capture the audience’s attention at the recent Canada 2020 National Forum on Agri-Food in Ottawa. “For me, the word ‘sustainability’ is synonymous with McDonald’s,” said Adrienne Ivey, who is part of a family corporation managing 3,000 beef cattle on a 10,000-acre spread near […] Read more

If you’ve got a vision for a new food product, “do it and don’t wait,” says John Schalkwyk, who started Sylvan Star Cheese with wife Janneke on their dairy operation near Sylvan Lake more than 20 years ago.

The time is right for small-scale local food processing

Food processing could be the real ‘Alberta Advantage’

Reading Time: 6 minutes Alberta’s new premier has declared the province “open for business” — and investing in food processing might just be the right place to start. “There are a ton of opportunities for us to capitalize on our ‘Alberta Advantage’ to make high-quality food products at a reasonable cost,” said Sanford Gleddie, vice-president of agriculture and business […] Read more