MEATER thermometer takes the guesswork out of cooking

No more standing over your stove or grill; you can monitor what’s cooking from your phone

MEATER thermometer takes the guesswork out of cookingWhether 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…

Food industry code of conduct finally gains traction

Recognizes that manufacturing - including farmers - are the anchor to the entire food supply chain

Food industry code of conduct finally gains tractionA new coalition led by the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has presented a roadmap to peace within the food industry. It’s a positive step forward for the food production industry and consumers. For years, grocers have unilaterally imposed fees on their suppliers, with questionable excuses. While grocers maintained a hard line to protect margins,…

Weaponizing science to justify protein choices a dangerous game

Suggesting humanity got it wrong by eating meat is unsupported by scientific evidence

Weaponizing science to justify protein choices a dangerous gameProtein wars have taken a back seat to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. Most of the attention was obviously given to the virus, variants, vaccines and how to keep safe. That makes sense. But since we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, proteins appear to be back in the spotlight. Just…

Don’t be so quick to condemn processed foods

It's played an essential role in offering edible, safe and nutritious foods to all Canadians, yet food processing remains misunderstood

Don’t be so quick to condemn processed foodsProcessed 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…

Restaurants face a great reset, thanks to COVID-19

Canada’s food service industry has suffered. But the pandemic may be exactly what it has been waiting for to make things better

Restaurants face a great reset, thanks to COVID-19It was certainly a year to be forgotten for the food service industry. Statistics Canada numbers told us this week that food service sales dropped a whopping 32 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the same period in 2020. The food retail/service ratio, a key metric to assess how important food service…

Farm practices may have altered the quality of our butter

The increased use of energy supplements is leading to harder butter that doesn’t soften at room temperature

Farm practices may have altered the quality of our butterFor months, thousands of Canadians have taken to social media saying that they’ve noticed that butter sold in Canada is harder and doesn’t get softer at room temperature. Not all butter is harder but most is. Some people blame winter and the colder weather. The truth is more troubling than that. Disturbing reports now point…

Canadians still love meat, regardless of COVID-19

Recalls and plant shutdowns due to COVID-19 couldn’t keep Canadians away from the meat counter. But prices did reach the sticker-shock point

Canadians still love meat, regardless of COVID-19The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone on Earth one way or another, which is why the moment we are in is so unique. The way we consume food has also changed: how and where we buy it, and where we consume it have seen tremendous changes over the last 11 months. Proteins play a significant…

Eat your fruits and veggies for the sake of your immunity

One of the major pieces to building a strong immunity system is eating more fruits and vegetables

Eat your fruits and veggies for the sake of your immunityAccording to the United Nations, 2021 is the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. Many couldn’t care less about a proclamation from a global agency that has been criticized over the years as being inner-looking and out of touch. Some of this criticism is certainly warranted but depending on the topic, these campaigns can bring…

The year’s top food-related stories

From lab-grown meat to grocery store staff bonuses to the food-service crisis to gardening and cooking at home to panic buying

The year’s top food-related storiesThe year 2020 was as unusual as they get, with no shortage of stories. Some flew under the radar because of the pandemic but this list is based on how some food-related stories will probably have long-term implications, whether they were related to COVID-19 or not. At No. 10, the apparent end of Tim Hortons’…

Synthetic meat is the new frontier of food

If livestock farmers were threatened by the plant-based revolution, they haven’t seen anything yet

Synthetic meat is the new frontier of foodFor thousands of years, humans have had to kill animals to eat meat. This is no longer the case – at least in Singapore. Cultured meat is now legal in the city-state. The Singapore Food Agency has approved chicken nuggets from a San Francisco-based company called Eat Just, which is known for its cultured meat.…