(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Cybersecurity ‘incident’ hits Maple Leaf systems

Grocery firm Empire also dealing with IT grief

Some information technology (IT) systems at Canadian pork and poultry packer Maple Leaf Foods have been downed in what the company described Monday as a “cybersecurity incident.” The company said in a release Monday that it “took immediate action and engaged cybersecurity and recovery experts” when it learned of the problem, and its in-house and […] Read more

(FarmBoy.ca)

Sobeys parent to buy fresh-food grocer Farm Boy

The owner of the Sobeys and Canada Safeway chains has a deal in place to buy southern Ontario grocery retailer Farm Boy, a well known patron of the region’s producers. In a deal still subject to review by the federal Competition Bureau, Empire Co. announced Monday it will pay $800 million for the grocery chain, […] Read more


Sobeys now offers Island View beef as the “primary” beef brand in the 13 stores it supplies across Prince Edward Island. (CNW Group/Sobeys Atlantic)

Sobeys locks in Atlantic Beef for P.E.I. stores

Prince Edward Island’s long-beleaguered packing plant, Atlantic Beef Products, has now ramped up its slaughter and processing capacity to meet a new commitment from grocery chain Sobeys. The Nova Scotia-based grocery chain on Tuesday announced ABP’s Island View Farms is now the “primary” brand for beef sold at the five Sobeys, five Co-op and three […] Read more

Putting a farmer’s face on food products has become key these days, says lamb producer Nathanael Polson.

New meat products hit the spot for lamb producers

Reading Time: 3 minutes An Alberta processor is putting a face to the farmers behind a new line of lamb products. SunGold Specialty Meats’ Lamb Tonight line of meats began selling at Sobeys, Safeway, and Thrifty Foods stores across Canada earlier this summer. It features 10 ready-to-cook lamb products, including lamb burgers, sausages, meatballs, kabobs, and seasoned ground lamb. […] Read more






Cherie Copithorne-Barnes has had a front-row seat as global giants like McDonald’s and Walmart move to selling ‘sustainable’ beef.

The new world of ‘sustainable’ beef

Rancher Cherie Copithorne-Barnes has dealt with the movers and the shakers in the sustainable beef movement – and they're not all the same

Reading Time: 5 minutes Who’s driving this bus? Amid ‘grocery wars,’ Jamie Oliver, ‘hormone free,’ Walmart, and a storm of related debate, this is the core question many producers and others in animal agriculture have about the new swath of expectations and ‘sustainability’ programs taking hold in the industry and the marketplace. One person with a unique, up-close perspective […] Read more