We all know diet and nutrition are directly linked to health, and we’re often told we can help make that link by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Yet, as a population, we seem to be getting fatter and unhealthier – a trend that is most alarming in young people as we see childhood obesity rates [...]

This is a longer version of a post I put up last week – and this article is also printed in the Ontario Farmer this week.
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An episode of Oprah. A film called Food Inc. A hard-hitting Time magazine cover story. A series in the Toronto Star.
The last year was not a good one for agriculture [...]

A series of global trends will change everything about the way we eat, says the head of Canada’s largest grocery chain. And that means both adjustment and opportunity for those involved in food, Galen Weston of Loblaw Companies Limited told attendees at the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s annual meeting in Guelph recently.

This post is a continuation from yesterday’s H1N1 topic that explored Alberta Pork’s experiences at the centre of the H1N1 media storm earlier this year. The information is based on a presentation I attended by Lee Funke of Torque Communications at the recently held Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation conference in Edmonton.
He outlined some of the [...]

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to be at the centre of a media firestorm unless you’ve actually experienced it. For the staff at Alberta Pork and the communications professionals working with them, the spring of 2009 provided more first-hand experience than they could have ever wished for.

The relationship many of us have with food is a lot like one we would have with a spouse, family member or friend. It can make us feel joy and inspire great passions – but can also evoke feelings of sadness, disappointment or guilt. We interact with it every day of our lives on [...]

Much has been said about media coverage of the H1N1 outbreak – both by the general public and by those of us in agriculture. And most of what is being said hasn’t been very complimentary.
Certainly from farmers’ perspective, the media is to blame for tagging H1N1 with the nickname swine flu and then repeating it [...]