Originally announced in the fall 2021 budget, the $25 million Strategic Agri-Food Processing Fund Program will launch April 1, 2022. "Ontario’s food processing sector faces challenges to their ability to process more of the food that is grown in the province, including aging technology and facilities," the government says in a press release. "Many aging... Read More

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson has introduced a bill that would end the province's single desk marketing system for table potatoes and root vegetables. Bill 12, "The Peak of the Market Reorganization Act," would transition Peak of the Market from a non-profit regulated marketing agency into an independent company. It would also remove the requirement... Read More

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) has released its alternative protein outlook for 2022. The findings, based on research from the company’s proprietary consumer insights platform, suggest what’s next for protein alternatives, which are expected to climb to a staggering $125 billion by 2030. New products will be heavily influenced by the seven emerging trends says ADM, including... Read More

The City of Kingston, Ont. has launched a multi-year, multi-faceted strategy for its rural and agriculture economic development. The strategy includes the hiring of Tracey Snow as rural economic and community development manager. It means the strategy will have one person, dedicated full-time to steering the projects going forward. Kingston, a city of about 135,000,... Read More

The Weston Family Foundation has launched a $33 million challenge for Canadian producers in an effort to spur development of long-term fruit and vegetable production. The Homegrown Innovation Challenge will run until 2028, supporting new ideas, technology, and business models that will help offset the 80 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetables currently supplied... Read More

A consortium of investment firms and plant protein industry stakeholders, including Protein Industries Canada, is looking to raise $200 million in equity capital to create a fund that will help finance plant-based food and ingredient processors. Led by Bellwoods Partners and Champlin Advisory, Protein Industries Canada (PIC) says the consortium will work with an advisory... Read More

Early in 2021, #buttergate caused a media frenzy when a foodie from western Canada suggested that butter seemed firmer at room temperature than before. Some suggested a link between farmers feeding palm oil and too-firm butter, but there was no readily available science to prove or disprove the theory. A year later, a working group... Read More