Farm and Food Care Ontario gets $597,000 in program funding

Farm and Food Care Ontario gets $597,000 in program funding

Provincial funding will support six public outreach initiatives

Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) gets a $597,000, three-year funding agreement from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) to enhance and expand consumer outreach and farmer and agri-business training.

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Trump administration aims to make faster meat processing permanent

Agency plans rulemaking to formalize speed increases

Chicago/Washington | Reuters – The Trump administration said on Mar. 17 that it plans to permanently allow U.S. poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly, raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for meat companies and industry associations such as the National Chicken […] Read more


Governments invest in food safety, industry growth

Governments invest in food safety, industry growth

Ontario and Canada commit $5 million to bolster smaller agrifood businesses in the province

Small agriculture and food industry businesses can soon apply for up to $75,000 to enhance food safety systems. The province has earmarked $5 million in cost-share funding from Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership funds, issued through Ontario’s Food Safety and Growth Initiative. Successful projects can receive up to 50 per cent of eligible costs, to a […] Read more

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Feds lift ‘pause’ on increases in crop chemical MRLs

New set of rules also calls for 'cosmetic' pesticide use to be banned on federal lands

Proposals to increase a crop chemical’s maximum residue limits (MRLs) on foods and food crops in Canada can again seek federal approval, after being put on temporary hold two years ago. Among several other changes, a planned new package of federal regulatory amendments will put a gradual end to a “pause” imposed in August 2021 […] Read more


File photo of a provincial border marker in Lloydminster. (Michele Gervais/iStock/Getty Images)

Borderline city hosts interprovincial food trade pilot

Trade barrier on pause for two years for food businesses serving Lloydminster

The idea of loosening interprovincial trade in certain foods made by provincially-inspected processors will get a major test in one of Canada’s very few province-crossing municipalities. The Saskatchewan, Alberta and federal governments on Jan. 19 announced the start of a two-year pilot project within the limits of Lloydminster, a city of over 31,000 people straddling […] Read more

Manitoba’s Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA) ran billboards such as this one in Winnipeg in 2019 to educate the public ahead of edibles’ entry to the recreational market. (Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. FDA reported weighing CBD regulation in food, supplements

Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to make recommendations on how to regulate the use of popular cannabis compound CBD in food and supplements, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing agency officials. After weighing the evidence on the compound’s safety, the FDA will decide within months how to […] Read more

A P&P Optica employee shows how the company’s smart visioning technology can help improve food safety at a recent open house.

Using the science of light to reduce food waste, improve meat quality

Waterloo start-up receives expansion support

An Ontario company has just received a funding boost from the federal government for its smart visioning technology.  P&P Optica of Waterloo has developed a system that harnesses the power of light to measure chemistry to improve meat quality and safety. The new funding will help promote its automated inspection system to meat processors.  Using […] Read more


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Hepatitis A outbreak linked to organic strawberries

Cases reported in two provinces, three states

Washington | Reuters –– Food safety regulators in both Canada and the U.S. are investigating a hepatitis A outbreak potentially linked to tainted organic strawberries that has sickened 17 people in the U.S. and 10 in Canada, the agencies said. Fifteen illnesses were reported in California, and one each in Minnesota and North Dakota, the […] Read more

Vertical greenhouses are one type of technology that can help Canada become more self-sufficient in food production and have greater control over food sovereignty.

Tech seen as a game-changer for agriculture

Food companies are using technology to push boundaries and make production more sustainable, reliable and secure

Glacier FarmMedia – Compared to cattle, crickets punch far above their weight as a source of protein. “There’s a biological organism that is arguably the most ancient source of protein that humans have ever consumed in recorded history that has the most efficient feed-to-protein conversion and that is insects,” said Muhammad Ashour, co-founder and chief […] Read more