ICYMI: Food inflation potentially peaks, toxic waste from cruise ships in Canadian waters, and more

Here are six food stories you might have missed this week

If you’re tired of hearing about food inflation you are certainly not alone, but some experts say an end may finally be in sight. We hope to see an end to the roughly 31 billion litres of waste dumped into Canadian waters each year, but it may require some big regulation changes before it actually happens. 

Canada will be implementing some regulations for single-use plastics in the not too distant future, which could lead to more big bucks coming to the Ontario-based plastic-free packaging company that recently won Sobeys’ nationwide contest.

Catch up on these stories and more in our weekly roundup of Canadian food news.

Experts say food inflation has reached its peak

After Statistics Canada reported lower consumer inflation rates in June than in the months prior, Dalhousie University’s Sylvain Charlebois stated this week that he believes Canada’s food inflation rate has peaked. Charlebois also predicts Canada’s agriculture sector will see a strong harvest this year, which would also help keep commodity prices down. 

Head to CTV News for more.

U.S. Cruise ships dump sewage and toxic waste in Canadian waters

According to a recent report produced by Stand.Earth and B.C.-based West Coast Environmental Law, cruise ships heading to Alaska from the U.S. mainland discharge roughly 31 billion litres of sewage and toxic waste into Canadian waters annually. 

Transport Canada has announced new measures aimed at reducing the amount of waste U.S. cruise ships dump in Canada, however, the measures did not include scrubber washwater, which comprise the majority of the total waste dumped. 

Get the full story from The Star.

Ontario-based plastic-free packaging company wins Sobeys’ nationwide competition

An Ontario packaging company was the recent recipient of a cool $25,000 cheque after winning a nationwide competition held by Sobeys. Eco Guardian’s meat packaging product design is made solely from sugar cane and bamboo fibres, which allows it to decompose in 30 to 60 days. 

Find out more from CBC News.

Calgary dumpling shop explodes in popularity after review goes viral

A family-owned dumpling shop in Calgary who had been struggling since opening earlier this month recently had a big turnaround after a customer’s restaurant review went viral on Facebook.

The customer was blown away by both the quality of the food at Deng’s Dumpling and the kindness its owners showed to her and her family. Since going viral, the restaurant has gone from having few customers to having lineups out the door. 

Read the full story at CBC News.

Health Canada announces new regulations for supplemented foods

Following its recent introduction of front-of-package nutritional labelling to foods that are high in fat, sugars, and sodium, Health Canada recently announced a similar set of regulations for supplemented foods. 

The regulations state that pre-packaged foods containing one or more added ingredients, such as vitamins, mineral nutrients, amino acids, caffeine, or herbal extracts will feature a standardized Supplemented Food Facts table with information about each supplemental ingredient added. 

Head to Restobiz for a more comprehensive breakdown.

3 Canadian culinary schools nominated for North America’s Best Culinary Training Institution

The World Culinary Awards recently unveiled its 2022 nominees and while the U.S. received far more nominations than Canada in the North America awards, Canada claimed an equal number of nominations in the Best Culinary Training Institution category with Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, the Northwest Culinary Academy in Vancouver, and the Culinary Institute of Canada in P.E.I. 

Visit the World Culinary Awards to see all of this year’s nominees.