Consumers used to love to hate these machines. But things have changed
Self-checkouts have long been an unloved tool in the world of retail. In the beginning, nothing worked as it should, especially at the grocery store where an order for 20 items brought a new form of despair. But even if the mere presence of self-checkouts bothered many consumers, Canadians have apparently befriended them in some…
But the way we communicate risks through food labelling needs to change
Health Canada is reportedly likely to treat gene-edited crops differently than genetically-modified crops, or GMOs. That would be the right move. That means the oversight provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would look very much like what we see for conventionally-bred crops. This issue is obviously far removed from consumers, but it will certainly…
The alleged dangers will be news to countless families who have grown up on raw milk
There’s a legal way to consume raw milk in Canada: buy it in the United States and bring it home. Of the 13 states bordering Canada, 12 have legal raw milk. More than 40 have it legal in some form, yet the U.S. has not had a death from raw milk in more than two…
The ONE in the name refers to the speed of a reading – one second – with accuracy within 0.3°C (0.5°F)
Even after years of preparing steak, fish and chicken, do you still cut into your protein to make sure it’s cooked just right? I’ve used a typical thermometer, but I keep cutting meat on the grill due to a combination of concern about inaccuracy and my cooking ineptness. A good solution is Thermapen ONE by…
No more standing over your stove or grill; you can monitor what’s cooking from your phone
Whether you’re tracking the time or simply gauging by touch, some people just have the knack for knowing when their meat has been cooked to perfection. For others – like me – it’s always been about constantly hovering over the hot stove or grill, poking your chicken, steak or fish with a thermometer or cutting…
If you feel you’re paying more for food, it’s not an illusion
The Conservative Party of Canada recently promised to control food inflation for Canadians. It’s an odd promise for a party typically known to embrace market-free conditions but it holds great potential. What makes this promise even more atypical is that Canadians have access to one of the most affordable food baskets in the world, 18th…
What was once purely academic has become a reality
Meat processing giant JBS recently paid out a US$11 million ransom following a cyber attack, according to reports. Most of its meatpacking facilities, including the one in Alberta, remained idle for a few days. Most of us link the concept of cyber attacks with information technology companies, governments and media. But experts have warned the…
It's played an essential role in offering edible, safe and nutritious foods to all Canadians, yet food processing remains misunderstood
Processed foods exist so we can save time, money and energy. They’ve made our food systems more efficient over the years. It’s all about convenience. But in recent years, the health attributes of processed foods have increasingly come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons, biased and unbiased. Many reports by professional organizations and interest…
McCain Foods ups the ante in TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture
We learned recently that McCain Foods has upped the ante in TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture and its wholly-owned subsidiary GoodLeaf Farms, Canada’s largest commercial vertical farming operation. McCain has invested $65 million in GoodLeaf, making it the single largest shareholder in the venture. The idea is to create a national network of sustainable vertical farms that…
China is effectively playing the victim card
If there’s one thing we’ve learned throughout this pandemic, it’s how the science related to the virus can be constantly politicized. And to change COVID-19’s origin story, that’s exactly what China is doing. Many are talking about vaccine nationalism, with concerns that some nations are racing to access as many vaccines as possible. It’s disappointing,…