While the cattle industry’s headline-grabbing war on nutritional labels wages on, several other newsworthy stories have surfaced over the past week that are worth taking note of, so if you’re looking to catch up on what you may have missed, you’ve come to the right place.
From a Newfoundlander using regenerative ocean farming to rebuild underwater ecosystems to what could possibly become the world’s most sustainable potash mine taking up roots in Saskatchewan, here’s what’s happening in the world of Canadian food news.
Taste Canada announces 2022 shortlist and ambassadors
This week, the list for Taste Canada’s 25th annual awards ceremony was narrowed down from 87 entries to a shortlist of 45. Several cookbooks on this year's shortlist have been featured on Eat North, including Mary Berg’s Well Seasoned, Shahir Massoud’s Eat, Habibi, Eat!, Anne-Marie Bonneau’s The Zero-Waste Chef, and The Acorn Cookbook.
Find the full shortlist along with this year’s honourary ambassadors at Taste Canada.
Newfoundland-born entrepreneur champions regenerative ocean farming
A Newfoundland-born fisher-turned-entrepreneur was featured in CBC’s environment-focused What On Earth? series this week for pioneering and expanding the practice of regenerative ocean farming.
In addition to growing seaweed and shellfish to be sold at local stores and restaurants—which also helps to mitigate climate change—GreenWave founder Bren Smith is providing habitats for ocean organisms by building artificial underwater ecosystems like coral reefs.
Find the fascinating story in full at CBC News.
Canadian grocery oligopoly doubles annual profits despite rise in food insecurity
Despite a rapid surge in demand on Canadian food banks and a recent report indicating that approximately one in five Canadians are eating less than they should due to rising food prices, Canadian grocery stores reportedly more than doubled their annual profits in 2021 to the tune of roughly $7.3 billion in pre-tax profit.
While the source of inflationary pressures has been widely debated, many believe that the problem derives from collaboration and collusion within Canada’s oligopolistic grocery market (Loblaws, Costco, Sobeys, Metro and Walmart), which represents over 60 per cent of retail market food sales.
Head to Breach Media for more.
Canada seeks to create the world’s most sustainable potash mine in Saskatchewan
The Canadian government recently committed a $100 million investment in technology to help Australian mining company BHP create what they hope will be the world’s most sustainable potash mine in rural Saskatchewan.
The plant, which is expected to be in operation by 2027, plans to implement technology that will cut the facility’s greenhouse gas emissions in half and lower water consumption by 60 per cent.
Visit The Globe and Mail for the full story.
Ontario restaurants adopt tip-free model
When COVID-19 first arrived in Canada, hospitality industry advocates from across the country pointed out that the pandemic was exposing a variety of existing problems in the industry and that the culture itself needed to change.
While that change is happening on a much smaller scale than many might have hoped, a growing number of Ontario restaurants have begun to abolish tipping in favour of offering staff a fair and liveable wage.
Find out more from Restobiz.
