Justin Trudeau was in the news this week after posting a photo of himself picking up an order of doughnuts from Winnipeg’s Oh Doughnuts with the hashtag #shoplocal. The post initially received a great deal of backlash from Canadians who were critical of the prime minister for purchasing “expensive gourmet doughnuts” instead of cheaper options at Tim Hortons, but has since been met with a seemingly equal amount of praise and defence.
Speaking of shopping locally, Agriculture and Agri-Food recently announced its plans to launch a Buy Canadian food campaign aimed at promoting consumer confidence and pride in Canada’s food producers. Agriculture and Agri-Food, along with the federal government, are now seeking bids from firms to design and implement a five-year, multimillion-dollar social marketing strategy to educate Canadians on the country’s agriculture system.
Here are five stories you might have missed in food news this week.
Justin Trudeau’s divisive doughnut purchase
Picked up some of Winnipeg’s best to keep us going through another full day of Cabinet meetings. Thanks for the fuel, @OhDoughnuts. #shoplocal pic.twitter.com/9vrgWnUdxo
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 20, 2020
Many Canadians took to Twitter this week after Justin Trudeau posted a photo of himself picking up an order of doughnuts from Winnipeg’s Oh Doughnuts with the hashtag #shoplocal. The prime minister’s post received a number of negative reactions for purchasing expensive gourmet doughnuts instead of opting for cheaper options at Tim Hortons. Although the majority of initial responses were critical, many have since come to the prime minister and Oh Doughnut’s defence.
Find the full story on The Star.
Ottawa to launch Buy Canadian food campaign
The federal government and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada officially began seeking bids from firms to design and implement a multimillion-dollar campaign focused on promoting consumer confidence and pride in Canada’s food producers. The initial $25 million investment from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada appears to indicate a commitment to a five-year social marketing strategy aimed to give Canadians a better understanding of the country’s food-producing system.
Find the full breakdown at the National Post.
Travel tips for Lunar New Year
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) released a public service announcement of sorts for Canadians traveling to Asia during the week of Lunar New Year in an attempt to mitigate the risk of introducing the coronavirus into the country. Within the announcement, the CBSA breaks down what foreign food products are prohibited and offers general tips on how to make the process as smooth and as quick as possible.
Find the full release at Canada.ca.
Milk products recalled in Ontario and Quebec
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recently reported a recall on Sealtest brand milk products in Ontario and Quebec due to the presence of sanitizer. Because food contaminated with sanitizer often has no distinct look or smell, the CFIA are urging consumers who purchased the products to throw it out or return it to the store it came from. So far, only one illness has been linked to the products.
Find out more at Global News.
Beyond Meat taste test
In an effort to see who’s offering Canada’s best vegetarian-friendly quick service meal, a Narcity reporter spent a week taste-testing everything from A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger to Mucho Burrito and Quesada’s veggie crumbles. Although there was a clear winner in the end, the biggest takeaway from the weeklong taste test seemed to be that the majority of today’s plant-based options are at least on-par with their meat-based counterparts.
Check out the whole story at Narcity.
