U.S. tariff threats have boosted Canadians’ view of the nation’s food system according to the 2025 public trust report from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. Trust in Canadian farmers remains high but has been eclipsed by trust in scientists.
Trade tensions boosted confidence in Canadian food system, report shows
CFIA says regulatory changes will cut agricultural red tape
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is set to make seven regulatory changes to cut red tape around agricultural production.
Do I hear hunger knocking on the door?
An empty refrigerator, best before dates and thawing turkeys
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta Farmer columnist Lee Hart muses about an empty refrigerator, best before dates and thawing frozen turkeys.
CFIA raw poultry policy to tighten food safety
Canadian poultry slaughterhouses will have to test carcasses for pathogens before chilling when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s new pre-chill policy comes into force Dec. 1, 2025.
Trump administration aims to make faster meat processing permanent
Agency plans rulemaking to formalize speed increases
Chicago/Washington | Reuters – The Trump administration said on Mar. 17 that it plans to permanently allow U.S. poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly, raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for meat companies and industry associations such as the National Chicken […] Read more
Feds lift ‘pause’ on increases in crop chemical MRLs
New set of rules also calls for 'cosmetic' pesticide use to be banned on federal lands
Proposals to increase a crop chemical’s maximum residue limits (MRLs) on foods and food crops in Canada can again seek federal approval, after being put on temporary hold two years ago. Among several other changes, a planned new package of federal regulatory amendments will put a gradual end to a “pause” imposed in August 2021 […] Read more
Borderline city hosts interprovincial food trade pilot
Trade barrier on pause for two years for food businesses serving Lloydminster
The idea of loosening interprovincial trade in certain foods made by provincially-inspected processors will get a major test in one of Canada’s very few province-crossing municipalities. The Saskatchewan, Alberta and federal governments on Jan. 19 announced the start of a two-year pilot project within the limits of Lloydminster, a city of over 31,000 people straddling […] Read more
U.S. FDA reported weighing CBD regulation in food, supplements
Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to make recommendations on how to regulate the use of popular cannabis compound CBD in food and supplements, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing agency officials. After weighing the evidence on the compound’s safety, the FDA will decide within months how to […] Read more
Hepatitis A outbreak linked to organic strawberries
Cases reported in two provinces, three states
Washington | Reuters –– Food safety regulators in both Canada and the U.S. are investigating a hepatitis A outbreak potentially linked to tainted organic strawberries that has sickened 17 people in the U.S. and 10 in Canada, the agencies said. Fifteen illnesses were reported in California, and one each in Minnesota and North Dakota, the […] Read more
Using the stuff of stars to make food safer and boost germination
Cold plasma can reduce micro-organisms on seed surfaces while improving germination
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s the stuff of stars, lightning bolts, and the aurora borealis — and now, Alberta researchers are finding uses for plasma a little closer to home. “There are so many applications for plasma in agriculture,” said M.S. Roopesh, assistant professor of food safety and sustainability engineering at the University of Alberta. “We have been doing a […] Read more
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