Genetically modified cotton plants with an edible cottonseed trait are seen growing near Belvidere in northeastern North Carolina. (Texas A+M University handout via Reuters)

U.S. regulators allow GM cotton as human food source

Washington | Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light for genetically modified cotton to be used for human consumption, paving the way for a protein-packed new food source — edible cottonseed that tastes a bit like chickpeas — that its developers said could help tackle global malnutrition. The Food and Drug Administration’s […] Read more

Maynard Kolskog has made some remarkable tasting oat-based cheeses. Pictured here are a smoky cheese and a blue cheese.

Reporter plays foodie and samples oat-based cheeses

“The more I work with Alberta crops, the more I get excited about them,” says local culinary arts instructor

Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not every day that I go into a laboratory to try food. But today, I walk into a room with steel containers and refrigerators, where researchers are wearing lab coats. I’m about to taste some new oat ‘cheese,’ and I’m excited. Before I get to taste the oat cheese, research chef, Maynard Kolskog has […] Read more





Where’s the beef? It’s in the upper righthand corner of the new edition of Canada’s Food Guide, in the section labelled ‘Eat protein foods.'

A plateful of advice offered in new national food guide

But that plate has less meat, more plant-based protein, and water is the ‘drink of choice’

Reading Time: 3 minutes “Don’t see a lot of meat or dairy!” That tweet from a University of Guelph food expert summed up the reaction of many farm groups in the country following the unveiling of the revamped Canada’s Food Guide. As expected, Health Canada’s new edition of the guide — last revised in 2007 — recommends Canadians eat […] Read more

What are perceived as imperfections by some in fruits and vegetables, results in global losses as much as 50 per cent of the total grown.

When it comes to food waste, the system is broken

An astonishing amount of food spoils or is thrown out — it’s time to take action

Reading Time: 3 minutes Between my home and the Victoria airport is a big sign urging “Let’s reduce food waste.” If you are reading this column from your farm table, you may already be an expert at the preservation of food and the use of leftovers. Typically, we eat all we grow on the farm. In the store however, […] Read more



A McDonald’s Canada commercial (featuring its Angus burgers and the Calgary Stampede) prominently displays the CRSB logo.

There’s a new brand on Canadian beef

Beef from certified ranches or products containing 30 per cent of that beef can use new CRSB logo

Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s already in use by McDonald’s Canadian division, but now other sellers of Canadian beef can use the official sustainable beef logo if they source that type of meat. Having an official logo is a significant milestone in the lengthy journey to make Canada a world leader in the certified sustainable beef movement. Over the […] Read more


Farmer examining young green corn maize crop plant in cultivated agricultural field

Building the foundation for a sensible food policy

We need to have strong and unbiased science to create approaches that are sensible and sustainable

Reading Time: 3 minutes Food prices are expected to stay low for the next decade or so, according to recent reports from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is good news to people who eat, which, of course, includes farmers. But it does remind us that farmers […] Read more

National food policy council needed

Reading Time: < 1 minute A coalition of more than 50 farm groups and food companies want Ottawa to create a national food policy council. The council “would bring together key stakeholders from across the food system to work collaboratively with the government,” said the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Among other things, it would address food insecurity; high levels of […] Read more