Funds to fix up Canada’s agricultural research stations and food safety labs and a new program to boost rural broadband coverage are among the nuggets for the farming sector in Tuesday’s federal budget. Overall, the Liberals’ first budget is based on $287.7 billion in revenues for 2016-17, against $291.4 billion in program expenses and $25.7 […] Read more
Budget to boost ag research infrastructure, rural broadband
Chipotle shuts for staff food safety meeting
Reuters — U.S. burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill shut its stores for four hours on Monday to hold a nationwide staff meeting, where CEO Steve Ells apologized for E. coli and norovirus outbreaks and laid out the company’s recently developed food safety program. Chipotle also said it would spend about $10 million to help local […] Read more
Opportunities abound in horticulture, says provincial specialist
The financial startup costs are typically lower and a host of information resources is available
Reading Time: 2 minutes More people are interested in a career in agriculture these days and horticulture offers many opportunities, says a commercial horticulture specialist. “Increased interest in local production as well as the desire to know where and how food is grown means more people are looking to get into agriculture and primary production,” said Dustin Morton. Horticulture […] Read more
Science lacking in alarmist report on beef safety
The numerous misleading statements in a new report are no reason for consumers to lose confidence in the safety of Canadian beef
Reading Time: 3 minutes Consumer Reports’ Food Safety and Sustainability Center released its Beef Report last month. A number of questions, concerns and criticisms have been raised by the North American Meat Institute, the International Food Information Council, Business Insider, and others. Rather than answer the specific questions raised, Consumer Reports encouraged people to read the report more closely. […] Read more
What Consumer Reports said about beef safety
The organization claims that drug-resistant bacteria pose a serious and growing health threat
Reading Time: 3 minutes The following is excerpted from The Beef Report produced by Consumer Reports’ Food Safety and Sustainability Center. The full report can be found here. The danger of superbugs Foodborne illness caused by drug-resistant bacteria, such as the antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella that have caused beef-related outbreaks in recent years, are also a major cause for […] Read more
Workshop offered for selling at farmers’ markets
The day long workshops will take place on April 21 and April 28
Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers wanting to sell at farmers’ markets can learn about the basics at the Getting into Farmers’ Markets workshop. Farmers’ markets in Alberta had more than $700 million in sales in 2012 and continue to see rapid growth. Topics include food safety culture and best practices, product pricing, and regulations. A panel of experienced vendors […] Read more
Are we using traceability to its full potential?
Other countries extend traceability right to the packaging of meat so customers can find out what individual animal and farm it came from
Reading Time: 3 minutes As I’ve been travelling this past year, I’ve been astonished by the level of traceability in processing plants abroad. I was welcomed into two plants, on two different continents, with open arms and fantastic hospitality with the only request being I leave my camera outside. Geographically these two businesses couldn’t be further apart but their […] Read more
SAIT and Olds College upgrade meat program facilities
Dean expects the program to more than double in capacity
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the meat and livestock industry, efficiency leads to increased productivity, which often leads to increased profitability. All three are key factors behind the SAIT meat lab renovations and the Olds College meat-processing lab equipment upgrade. SAIT originally offered a 15-week meat-cutting program strictly focused on the retail meat industry. With the addition of the […] Read more
Obama proposes creation of stand-alone U.S. food safety agency
Reuters — U.S. President Barack Obama has proposed bringing together the country’s food safety operations into one agency to better monitor food quality in a move that would reshape the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The proposal was put forward as part of the President’s 2016 budget plan. The new agency would combine the food […] Read more
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