Locavore News by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: December 21, 2009
Categories: Food in the News / News from Sustain Ontario
Perspectives on good food and farming
Wage hike will ‘shrink’ tender fruit industry
An independent agriculture think tank is predicting catastrophe for Niagara’s tender-fruit industry if nothing is done to temper the blow of a minimum wage hike in March. The problem, Mussell said, is that minimum wage increases have come quickly for growers in the edible horticulture industry, which relies on manual labour. With the hourly wage jumping to $10.25 in March, growers will have had their labour costs increase by 28% — or $73 million — in three years. St. Catharines Standard story.
Processor to make Ontario grown available year round
A 65,000 square-foot food processing facility set to begin operation in Norfolk County in May will establish the year-round availability of Ontario fruit and vegetables, says one enthusiastic producer. Brenda Lammens who, with her husband Raymond, owns a 50-acre asparagus operation (with cash crops) near Langton, describes the unique venture as ideal for marketing locally grown products and helping growers to increase their production flexibility over a full 12-month period. Better Farming story.
The Artisanal Garden
There are so many choices when selecting a squash that I fear it might seem easier for you to just move on to another vegetable. A little knowledge will make your decision less complicated. Pumpkins, most gourds, and squash are botanically the same. The differences lie in how they are to be used. Pumpkins are usually meant to have strong handles (stems) and have smooth skins for easy carving. Gourds are selected for their interesting appearance. (A word of warning: though most gourds are edible squash, some are in other families not suitable for eating.) Cucumbers and melons are related to squash, but since these are typically warm weather crops and are used in different ways, I will save them for a summer article. Squash have been selected through the centuries for their succulent flesh. They can be eaten either in an immature or fully mature state. Immature squash can be eaten raw or briefly cooked. Mature squash are usually fully cooked before eating. Squash seeds may also be eaten either raw or roasted. Even the shoots, leaves, tendrils and blossoms may be savoured. David Cohlmeyer writing in Edible Toronto.
An Ontario couple is the first in the province to milk water buffalo
Lately, there’s been an explosion of award-winning cheese production in Canada, from Salt Spring Island to Prince Edward County to Quebec. But buffalo mozzarella, while standard gourmet fare in Italy, is still a niche imported product. Until now. Littkemann and Smith, working with Toronto’s Quality Cheese Co., are the vanguard of the push to make buffalo mozzarella as indispensable in Canada as it is in Naples. Ottawa Citizen story.
OFA Pushing National Food Strategy Discussion
The President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture says they made some headway on a National Food Strategy discussion at the Federation’s recent convention. Bette Jean Crews says the concept will be developed further now with support from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and input from consumers CKNX Radio website.
Animal Agriculture Shrinking in Ontario’s Greenbelt, Study Finds
Animal agriculture is disappearing even more rapidly in Ontario’s protected greenbelt, according to a first-ever study by University of Guelph researchers. Province-wide, traditional livestock operations such as dairy, beef and hogs have experienced a decline since 2001. But the trend is far more dramatic in the greenbelt than anywhere else in Ontario, the study found. University of Guelph news release.
Consultant: Poultry Industry Movement Could Reap Locavore Benefits
It looks like Ontario’s Poultry Industry can benefit from the locavore movement.
John Groenewegen of the JRG Consulting Group recently addressed a group of producers and industry stakeholders in Brodhagen. Groenewegen says studies show consumers want more access to locally grown foods. Groenewegen says linking campaigns like Ontario Fresh Chicken to the easily recognized Foodland Ontario brand will help consumers identify the product as having the same freshness attributes. He says while there are many successful County or regional product branding programs, Provincial efforts are more effective. He adds consumers prefer the freshness of local products and want to support the local farm economy so it is important for the poultry industry and others to launch more branding initiatives.CKNX Radio website
Province supports wine council
The beleaguered Wine Council of Ontario, which recently lost its biggest vintner members, will continue to have the support and dollars of the provincial government. Last week, Andrew Peller Ltd., Vincor Canada and Colio Estate Wines pulled out of the nonprofit trade association, tasked by Queen’s Park as being the official marketer of 100% Ontario wines. The powerful big three produce most of the Ontario-made wine sold in the province and each have their own network of private wine outlets, often found in grocery stores. But Douglas Tindal, a spokesman for Consumer Services Minister Ted McMeekin, said the government will continue to put its cash behind the shrunken wine council. St. Catharines Standard story.
Labels that mislead
Done in by Froot Loops. It’s hard to imagine a more inglorious fate. That’s what happened to the controversial food-labelling program Smart Choices. The program’s mandate was to identify healthy foods, but somewhere along the way consumers noticed that Froot Loops — a sugar-laden cereal — was among products awarded the coveted Smart Choices green check of nutritional approval. Ottawa Citizen story.
Toronto Food Policy Council 2008 Annual Report
This annual report from the Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC) updates the Board of Health on public health and related implications of the rising popularity of locally-grown food. The report identifies six important areas where healthy public policy needs to address the many complications of moving toward a more local food system. Toronto staff report.