Rickets?!? In 21st Century North America?!!!!

This just popped up on my computer! I am stunned! In this day and age how something we had conquered so many years ago is again appearing in our society is mind boggling. It shows me that the more we think we know in our society, the less we really do know. How can society lose the lessons so hard won from the recent past?

Every action has an equal and opposite re-action.... should always be front and centre in our governments mind. If parents have lost the knowledge, it has to be up to public health and the government of the day to get it RIGHT!!!

In my mind this also calls into question the new Health Canada Guidelines. I have always been concerned they are relying less on valid science and far too much on something else.

Too little milk, exercise, sunshine hurting kids
Updated Mon. Nov. 26 2007 2:49 PM ET
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Too little milk, sunshine and exercise: It's an anti-bone trifecta. And for some kids, shockingly, it's leading to rickets, the soft-bone scourge of the 19th century.
But cases of full-blown rickets are just the red flag: Bone specialists say possibly millions of seemingly healthy children aren't building as much strong bone as they should -- a gap that may leave them more vulnerable to bone-cracking osteoporosis later in life than their grandparents are.

"This potentially is a time-bomb," says Dr. Laura Tosi, bone health chief at Children's National Medical Center in Washington.

Now scientists are taking the first steps to track kids' bone quality and learn just how big a problem the anti-bone trio is causing, thanks to new research that finally shows just what "normal" bone density is for children of different ages. more.......

Food for Thought?

With all the discussion about 100 Mile Diets and NOT "Made in Canada" labelling....... someone out there needs to stitch this all together for the Canadian public. What does the continued importation of of our food needs really mean for Canadians? What possible connection can the World Trade Organization (WTO) have to the public when it comes to our food?

It doesn't take long for those in the industry to make a mental leap forward. Of course many in Agriculture know this is about the sustainability of agriculture in general.

Recent high profile shows like Marketplace and W5 have sent the public a jolt but I don't think they (the public) have put the picture together.

I spent over an hour and a half looking for sites within agriculture that would give the consumer what they need to propel their outrage about "Made in Canada" into the next step. I failed to find one site that would help them. I found long term solutions ie) the Green Label concept from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the GO5 and Farmgate 5, among others. All of these are focused on the Government or specific to the WTO.

If you Google 'domestic food supply' or 'sustainable food', you see a collection of results that talk about the feeding world's poor, organic food production and other broad, dry material, perhaps suitable for governments and intellectuals but not for the public.

Worse, often the answer appears to be Organic food production. This totally discounts the enormous gains made by traditional ariculture. Local food shows up as well. Most of the public think of this as the Farmers Market or the guy down the road who supplies local restaurants or stores.

Not one thing that would help the public understand the immediate and long term danger for ourselves , our food supply, our country or what they can do about it. Not one thing about our food system in this country, what we should keep and celebrate and what they need to ask our governments. Nothing about local or regional foods like dairy products that are here AND in their stores fresh everyday.

The question the industry needs to ask itself is this: "If you have a government that has failed to demonstrate any concrete, positive action for the industry (dairy or others) just what will it take to make them pay attention?"

All the organizations I checked agree that the real power is in the hands of the consumer (public).

It is time someone sat down and put together something for them!!

There are many, many ways to get that to them but if it is NOT in a form they understand and can relate to, the message will be lost.

Supply management and agriculture in this country have struggled for years to mobilize their public. Most of the time it is the WTO and pushing the government of the day, that is the focus.

The industry's biggest challenge to do this would be to agree on the message. If it is the Green Label for "Grown in Canada", all the presentations in the world will not lead to success if the public is not educated about it and brought on board in a big way.

So how about it guys..... let's get going!

Nov 11, 2007

In Flanders Fields the cannons boom,

And fitful flashes light the gloom;

While up above, like eagles, fly

The fierce destroyers of the sky;

With stains the earth wherein you lie

Is redder than the poppy bloom,

In Flanders Fields.

Sleep on, ye brave! The shrieking shell,

The quaking trench, the startling yell,

The fury of the battle hell

Shall wake you not, for all is well;

Sleep peacefully, for all is well.

Your flaming torch aloft we bear,

With burning heart and oath we swear

To keep the faith, to fight it through,

To crush the foe, or sleep with you,

In Flanders Fields.

~~By J.A. Armstrong.~~

Follow this link for a look at last year's Rememberance Day Tribute.

A Watershed Moment??

On CTV National news last night a segment of W-5's season opener: "Safe to Eat?", was aired as 'news'. Hot diggity.. maybe now the government will pay attention.

So, just for fun I visited our friendly neighbourhood CTV W-5 sites and CBC Marketplace to see what has been happening since both these shows aired.

Certainly the CBC site has more to offer in visible feedback from the consumers who viewed the show. Comments on the site are growing by leaps and bounds. Most consumers are shocked. Many seem to view to current state of affairs on "Made in Canada" as a government betrayal of a public trust!! Hmmmm. This sounds promising.

The comments do cover a wide range of thoughts on the issue, from alternate strategies to protect themselves to complaints about the choice of food retailers and processors. All of them are wonderfully illuminating.

Taken together, they point to the massive disconnect the public has with the source of their food. This is not their fault. The struggles farmers have had with WTO policies and the results, processors and their bottom lines and a lot of other stuff, just isn't 'out there'. If it does hit the media, few make the connection to themselves and their futures or their food. They just don't have enough information to do that.

Agriculture must help them understand what the risks are, what is going on out there and what we might need to do to 'fix' this current state of affairs. But if they come up with something, it must get media exposure. Somehow, it is to be hoped that their messages are heard.

CBC's Marketplace, Too?!

While the buzz about the up-coming show for W-5 has been spinning out there in Internet land, this came back in!

CBC's Marketplace did a show this week too! Aired on Wednesday evening they deal with the Made in Canada label and consumer's feelings both before and after their investigation. The headline reads: It says "Product of Canada" on the package, but the food is really from China. Or New Zealand. Or...

CBC also has extensive written information on how to ensure you really get domestic food AND a comments section that is quite revealing. If you have Facebook connections DO pass this around. As consumers we need to know and be educated about this farce in labelling.

Two networks on the same topic on investigative shows in ONE week. WOW!!!!

Watch CTV's W-5!!!

This Saturday evening, CTV's W5 has it's season opener. They have been advertising it all week. The topic should have every farmer in the country glued to the set. 'Safe to Eat?' should wake up and help to educate consumers. From talking to many of them I know that the average shopper still doesn't understand how little protection they have or how exposed they are by the inadequacies of the "Made in Canada" label.

The missing backbone in the "Made in Canada" legislation has also exposed many of our domestic farmers to ruin as processors take advantage of the "holes" in the labelling guidelines that allow them to import vast quantities of cheap food, simply to re-package it. The poor consumer thinks they are being protected by our pitiful "Made in Canada" label.

I can hardly believe that someone has finally picked up this issue. So far, mainstream media has skated around the edges of this one.

Farmers are being handed a prime time springboard and they better be prepared to leap!

On the Public Radar-Not Yet!

In the past few months, as environmental issues take over the public imagination, the term "Local Food", has become widely used. But our governments' and indeed many of the farm organizations in this country, have paid little heed or have been ignoring the immediacy of this issue.

There have been 'baby steps'. Ontario has pumped millions of dollars into it's Foodland Ontario program to help Ontario residents identify and look for Ontario grown produce and fruit. It has had some impact in that retailers were paying attention and put those products front and centre with the logo. So far it falls short of the mark I believe it needs to hit.

Consumers need more than that during the winter months when imports are rampant.

Quebec farmers have taken another road to raise the profile of the concept of 'food sovereignty', which ultimately should be any governments bottom line. A declaration has been signed on the issue by more than 40 Quebec organizations. The GO5 ( Coalition for a Fair Farming Model)intend to raise the profile with the Quebec government and other farm organizations in Canada.

Ontario supply managed farmers have a program as well. Not as well supported as it could be, never the less, it is supportive of the Quebec concept. Known as the FarmGate 5 , it has the attention of the Ontario Liberal Government caucus. Many individual MPP's have signed it too.

Dairy Farmers of Canada has started to talk about and discuss food sovereignty too.

Unfortunately, none of these groups have come to the realization that their consumers must howl, to really get some government attention. They have taken the slow road. A many pronged approach with big bucks is imperative. Consumers must go to their grocery stores and be angry they cannot get or identify, clearly marked, real Canadian food products. They need to understand the incredible danger current global food policies have exposed them to.

They need to be reminded that our border was closed in the not too distant past (BSE). It can and will happen again. It is only a matter of 'when'. They need to know that their food supply in this country is at risk because many food processors have moved (along with everyone else) to greener pastures off-shore. They need to know that this has not happened with supply managed food because of it's domestic focus.

This is a large undertaking and several levels of advertising support will be needed. It is the only way to empower consumers, who need to understand their own food system much, much better than they do now.

With environmental issues so high on the radar screen, there is a good news story to tell and an urgent warning to all Canadians. The land has to be preserved. The farms must survive. Domestic food processing is an imperative. We ignore these issues at our peril. Farmers must find a way to educate their base support, Canadians who care. They DO, in much larger numbers than anyone realizes. -CG

Cheesed Off!!!!

I was very surprised last evening to see an extensive report on the CTV National news about the new cheese regulations. CTV covered the story but to me the most important part of the issue for the public was either missed or ignored by the media.

They had quotes from several organizations, none who are happy about the new regs. All were referring to the old saw about increased consumer prices. Their new twist is this is bad for consumers because the additon of milk will make it harder to provide 'low-fat' cheeses!!! Back to the 'fat attacks'!!!!

There was a brief clip of the Chair of Dairy Farmers of Canada talking about this 'consistency' being good for consumers.

The real issue and message seemed to disappear in all the hyperbole. This is of course the fact that many ingredients in use now can be from Canada but are not necessarily from Canada. Expediency, amounts available and of course price, all impact the country used as the source of the stuff.

In my consumer mind the only thing I want to know is that the stuff IS from Canada. Period.

Not China, the USA or Europe or Asia or India ....... Canada. Until cheese manufacturers can answer that question, they need to get off the pot. Label the stuff so I don't have to guess. Lots of others do. The public wants decent labelling and 'made in Canada' laws that give us real information.

Sigh ...Not Again!!?

Well just like clock-work, we are back to WTO discussions. And just like the summer's heat I expected something from our famous right wing think tanks. To-day I got it.

The Montreal Economic Institutes latest offering is entitled: Supply Management of Farm Products: a costly system for consumers, it comes complete with a media release. It was a snippet on to-days noon news.

Here is a sampling:

$300 per family – Supply management of farm products: a costly system for consumers Montreal, August 23, 2007 -

As the commission on the future of Quebec’s agriculture and agrifood sector begins its hearings, the Montreal Economic Institute is estimating that supply management of milk, eggs and poultry costs at least $300 extra per year for a family of four. This amounts to $575 million for everyone in Quebec.

In an Economic Note published by the Institute, Marcel Boyer, its vice-president and chief economist, explains that astronomical customs duties and the setting of high prices for these food items constitute a particularly regressive tax on low-income consumers. “This system, motivated by protectionism, operates largely as a cartel and is obsolete, costly and unfair,” Mr. Boyer says. “The food and agriculture sector must adapt to international competition and stop penalizing consumers, as well as farmers themselves in the long run.”

(see more...)

Now I have to give them points for trying. But after some of the interesting articles lately, about the real cost of cheap food policies, I don't think they are going to resonate with the public. I do think the feds are willing to use this same old doggerel for their own purposes. That IS the part of this clap trap that bothers me the most.

For last season's effort see Dairiblawg's The Big Leagues Weigh In !!

A love affair with ice cream

The Star has been doing an amazing job of trying to educate it's consumers. This article deserves a re-print because it is specific about various ice cream makers and the fact much of the ice cream out there is NOT made from cream. I am positive many consumers will be shocked and the dairy industry had better be prepared for their next question: "So where does it come from?"-CG

Husband and wife team Martin deGroot and Ineke Booy operate a dairy farm, as well as an organic ice cream bar, near Elora, west of Guelph.

A love affair with ice cream

June 27, 2007

TheStar.com -We seem to associate it with good times, so it's no mystery why we love the creamy stuff

Katherine Elphick Special to the Star

When it comes to ice cream, Doug Goff is always "on the lookout for weird and wonderful" flavours.

"If there's a strange one on the list, I'm the guy who will try it," says Goff, a University of Guelph professor of food science who specializes in dairy, specifically, in ice cream.

Bizarre entries to his flavour inventory range from salmon and lobster to jalapeño pepper.
Sampling could be considered research for the ice cream expert. He's penned a textbook, published various studies on ice cream and taught courses on the subject for 20 years.

With such credentials, it seems only fitting to ask this ice cream guru: Why do we have a love affair with the stuff?

"It's a fun, social product, and people associate it with good times like vacations, family outings and birthday parties," Goff says. "It also satisfies a great number of taste needs and craving sensations. It's creamy, smooth, sweet and cold – and it comes in a wide variety of flavours."
Canadian per capita consumption is about 10 litres per year, but in the U.S., it's 22 litres per year.

Ontario is the hub of ice cream manufacturing in Canada, Goff says, with about 90 per cent of the national production. The three biggest players in Canada's market are Chapman's, Nestlé and Unilever, which has brands such as Breyers.

But there are smaller, independent manufacturers, often attached to dairies, throughout the province, such as Kawartha Dairy in Bobcaygeon, northeast of Toronto. Once exclusive to cottage country, the dairy's popular brand is now available across central Ontario.

Despite its expanding market, Kawartha Dairy's vice-president and general manager Blake Frazer says its premium quality hasn't been compromised.

"We still make ice cream the old-fashioned way," says Frazer, whose marketing strategy recognizes that cottagers might need that Kawartha fix during the off-season. "If you look at the ingredients, the first two items are fresh milk and fresh cream."

On hot summer days, customers can wait up to 30 minutes for an exceptionally creamy cone.
Other company-owned retail outlets are located in Minden, Bancroft, Lindsay, Uxbridge and Huntsville. This year, the company will churn out about 2 million litres of ice cream.

While Kawartha Dairy is sticking to old-fashioned methods of production, a growing number of manufacturers are abandoning the popular milk and cream formula. Several are now using mixes or, imported butteroil-sugar blends. Nearly half the butterfat used in ice cream comes from imported blends, according to industry estimates. In short, it's a substitute for Canadian-based dairy fat, an issue that angers some Ontario dairy farmers.

"The larger players are doing this for cost savings," says Frazer from his office overlooking the dairy, which has been owned by the Crowe family for 70 years.

A good cone can still be found at Mapleton's Organic Dairy near Elora, west of Guelph.

Traditional favourites and specialty flavours, including dandelion, are offered at this scooping shop, located on a 240-hectare dairy farm. Mapleton's products are also sold at health food stores and higher-end supermarkets.

"My wife's really creative," says Martin deGroot, who owns and operates the farm and dairy with his wife, Ineke Booy. "She's always coming up with new flavours."

Mapleton's processes its own milk (from 70 resident cattle) into certified organic premium ice cream, frozen and fresh yogurt.

"Our products really are farm fresh," says deGroot, while relaxing at the dairy's ice cream café and organic grocery store. Dressed like a scientist, in a white lab coat and hair net (he just finished making a batch of cappuccino ice cream), he stresses the importance of bringing people to the farm.

"It's a great way to reduce food miles," he explains. "The more we can sell off the farm, the better it is for the environment."

Ice cream aficionados should also check out Steen's Dairy in Erin, northwest of Toronto.
"We're a real old-fashioned kind of place," says Marie Maltby, 68, who has been the manager of the dairy bar for 31 years. "It's like stepping back in time when you come here."

The 60-year-old dairy bar features 16 bar stools where customers can indulge in a dish of handmade ice cream. The Steen family also runs the on-site dairy, which processes organic milk.
"Our ice cream is very creamy," says Maltby, who readily admits to doing lots of quality control. But the dairy bar is most famous for its homemade milkshakes.

Regular customer Robert Turnbull agrees. "The chocolate milkshakes are fantastic," he says, while waiting for his order. "They just have that small-town dairy taste, and nothing else can match it."

Maltby says that the best part about ice cream is its universal appeal. "You're never too old to enjoy it."

Katherine Elphick is a Barrie-area writer and recipe developer.

More Food News ?!?!

Lately, there has been almost too much information on the subject of imported food. I was sure this was affecting the average grocery shopper. The following article tells me I am on to something, here.

"Majority fear imported food unsafe, poll finds" from August 2nd Globe & Mail.

In addition, the Star, has been focusing on many local farmers help educate their readers about local food, many by Catherine Porter .

Toil and trouble, down on the farm

Strawberry fields not forever

The hopeless blight on our strawberries

Radishes and rutabagas and a bit of razzmatazz

'Eat local' message never goes out of style

And lately.......

Our fool's paradise of cheap products

Made in Canada?

Labelled in Canada

The wave of concern has become a crashing storm as more China scandals unfold. The latest of course involves our children and their toys. Our food and our children....... if I were a food retailer or processor in this country I would WANT to label my products, just to be safe.

What's going on here?

It looks like the PM and Minister Strahl have really caught the media's attention on this one ....finally! On Aug. 5th, Question Period was focused on the handling of the Canadian Wheat Board issue and the eventual, last minuet reprieve via the federal courts. I reiterate that this IS the big time.

It certainly helped that major political annalist's had been ejected from the hotel the Conservatives were at for their summer caucus meeting. Big mistake!!!

To-day on Question Period the discussion was about the upcoming Cabinet shuffle but later they again discussed the Canadian Wheat Board and the conservative handling of this event. The Prime Minister's reaction to the court ruling was also raised.

Two weeks in a row on Question Period raises the whole thing to another level.-CG

I hate to say.........

I have been raving on this site for a while about the 'local' food movement, about the concerns consumers have over the source of their food and the profile the pet food poisoning has provided. I even pointed out that consumers don't spend time complaining about these issues to food stores. They don't have the time and they don't know who to complain to.

The signs are there, the big boys are nervous. Some smart cookie is starting to think about some of the ramifications of all of this stuff. Farmers better start pushing them even harder. They can't forget frozen foods or meats! What about milk products? Shouldn't they be under this 'banner' too?

I hope someone is paying attention out there.-CG

Loblaw Loves Local!
“Ontario Grown – Picked at its Peak” Produce Program arriving in Ontario Stores Today

Brampton, ON – July 28, 2007 – Leading the growing movement towards buying local and satisfying consumer demand when it comes to sourcing food, Loblaw Companies is proud to launch its “Ontario Grown- Picked at its Peak” produce program across all Ontario Loblaws, Fortinos, Zehrs, Valu-Mart and Your Independent Grocer stores.

Loblaw Companies are avid supporters of Ontario grown produce! Shoppers will find stores overflowing with large selections of farm-fresh produce. The vibrant colours, freshness and mouthwatering taste pops during peak season. Loblaw works closely with farmers in maintaining high standards of excellence to ensure consumers get the freshest and most flavourful fruits and vegetables possible. “Ontario Grown – Picked at its Peak” produce program will have a positive impact on local economies and help revive and support Ontario’s family farms. Loblaws Companies is committed to this relationship – to consumers and to farmers!

Arriving today, shoppers can look for special “Ontario Grown – Picked at its Peak” signage and farmers market displays in produce departments. To learn more about farmer families, food guides, recipes and produce specials visit: www.loblaws.ca, www.fortinos.ca, www.zehrs.ca, www.valumart.ca, www.yourindependentgrocer.ca.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of general merchandise, drugstore and financial products and services. Through its various operating banners, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a one-stop destination in meeting their food and everyday household needs. This goal is pursued through a portfolio of store formats across the country. It also offers one of Canada's strongest control label programs, including the unique President's Choice® and no name® brands. Loblaw is one of the largest private-sector employers in Canada, employing over 139,000 full-time and part-time employees.
-30-

For more information or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson, please contact:
David Primorac
Director, PR Formats
Loblaw Companies Limited
Office: 905-459-2500 ext. 3634
david.primorac@loblaw.ca

All Canadians Win with the CWB !!

There has been a fair amount of reporting on the events of July 31st, 2007. That is the day the Canadian Wheat Board won a decision against the federal government regarding the method it employed to try to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board.

Although it has been high on the radar of farm organizations, farmers themselves and many regulated marketing boards, I was unsure how the rest of the country was viewing the disgracful events of the last 6 months.

What does it mean for us all, if a minority government can ignore the law of parliament with impunity and do what it wants? For many, it means there is no democracy. This is why we MUST have a judiciary that is separate from politics. The current government has stated it's intention of changing this, too. We do not need a court system at the mercy of our politicians.

Other thoughtful Canadians are saying similar things. The government's mis-handling of the issue has resonated with far more Canadians than I was aware of. They have seen through the smoke thrown by the Harper government.

For some very interesting reading see the comments at the end of the article entitled:

Court slams Ottawa over Wheat Board
DAWN WALTON
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
August 1, 2007 at 12:02 AM EDT

The Canadian Wheat Board Wins........

This was an important decision for all farmers and their regulated marketing boards or agencies. The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) received a ruling yesterday from a Federal Court Judge, that effectively stops the beginning of the end. Kudos to the CWB for having the fortitude to take this battle to the courts for a ruling.


This is a valuable lesson for us all. Farmers are to be congratulated for their elected members taking the Government to the wall on this one. I would consider this an important legal test of the legislation itself. They have endured much. Shame on this Government for forcing them to take these steps to protect their industry.

Judge rules against gov't in wheat board battle

Canadian Press


Updated: Tue. Jul. 31 2007 11:04 PM ET


OTTAWA — A court decision has derailed, at least temporarily, the federal government's plan to strip the Canadian Wheat Board of its monopoly on western barley sales.

From the article:

"Well, obviously, I'm very disappointed," Strahl said in a telephone interview from Charlottetown. "The Federal Court has made a decision I'm very disappointed with."

Strahl said he never expected the case to end up in court in the first place.


'Nuff said!! -cg

What Can a Consumer DO!!!??

There's no doubt about it. The food processors in this country have done the consumers of Canada the greatest dis-service ever. I have more than a little knowledge when it comes to identifying Canada sourced food in the grocery stores. But it looks like not only have our processors run off to Asia, our regulators have made the "Made in Canada" label a joke and worst than useless!

In conversations with consumers (that means 'shoppers' boys) everywhere, the topic comes up. People are frustrated and angry that their ability to make choices on the food available in their grocery stores, has been taken away from them.

I feel qualified to find good local, fresh foods now, when they are plentiful and real farmers markets are supplying a wonderful array of fresh locally grown vegetables and fruit.

I am very concerned that this winter I will have no choices that provide any comfort about my family's food sources.

I do believe that customers of these large retailers will leave in droves. They are only buying now because no sources with good labelling are readily available but I believe that the demand is there and it is growing.

Consumers don't complain about things in stores like they should, they leave and find alternate sources for their food. THIS is what is behind the growing demand for organic foods. I know that I can go to small organic stores and find local Canadian foods all year. If I have to this is what I will do.

Now, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has handed the Organic movement the single thing it needs to equate quality and CANADIAN with a label. Oh, and they have helped publicized it to boot! Where does this leave the 'other' farmers in this country?

As a group, they have been asking Ag Canada to develop a label or regulations to identify grown in Canada foods for a long time. The government continually avoids this final step because they believe they will hit the trade barrier wall with anything that smacks of Country of Origin Labels!

Why was this not the case for Organic foods which are being imported at an unprecedented pace? The new Certified Canadian Organic label will definitely act as a country of origin barrier to many imported food items.

I saw a commercial for Natrel Milk the other evening and flashed on the screen at the beginning is the statement: "Natrel milk does not contain rBSt or anti-biotics like all milk produced in Canada".

As a consumer education effort it is a baby step, but someone out there understands what I do. Food shoppers are avoiding products when they cannot identify them as Canadian and we better give them the tools in a hurry, before their hard won confidence in our food products is lost.

They do not know that the majority of milk is produced and processed here. Better tell them quick. I can't think of a better use for the blue cow... but boy, you'd better back that up with some fast, high profile info to educate them.

Wheat Board Latest.....

I have to give the Canadian Wheat Board credit. They are fighting hard to stop "Canada's New Government", from imposing something on them they never asked for and that their producers appear to NOT want. I have followed this particular battle for quite some time.

Note:As all my archived posts from Dairiblawg's former site have not been entered here, yet. Not all older posts will be available for the interested reader. When time permits they will be posted here.

I wish them well in their battle. Many of the other sectors of agriculture should be hoping for this as well.-CG

AGRICULTURE
Battle heats up over barley monopoly

Canadian Wheat Board takes Ottawa to court this week over Conservatives' move to open up market

JOE FRIESEN
July 23, 2007

The Canadian Wheat Board is taking the government to court this week in a last-ditch attempt to preserve its monopoly on barley sales.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Good news for all of us!

The July issue of the (Ontario) Milk Producer had a lengthy article that all of us should be paying a lot of attention to. Entitled: "CLA:milk's emerging miracle fat" , it is full of information about Conjugated linoleic acid ( CLA) , the CLA Network, some of the research results and the many modern health ills that CLA may be able to defeat.

The dairy industry is to be commended for their assistance in forming this collaborative network of scientists and research. As the article mentions, Health Canada is notoriously slow in allowing health claims for food products. Having a large body of science and research in one place, should improve the odds, when the time is right. A large clinical trial in the human population is likely the next step, if the industry wants the word to get out to the public.

Witness the explosive results from Vitamin D research results, earlier this year. Before Health Canada could act, the Canadian Cancer Society,was already advocating its increased usage for the public! If the industry is really lucky, the same result could happen with CLA. Having the best information and removing the 'saturated fat' stigma from my favourite food group, will result in better information to the public about the value of dietary dairy fat.

From the CLA Network website:

Health sells, but who's buying?

February 12, 2007

Consumer survey gauges prospects for CLA-enriched dairy products.

Download the PDF file

Faster than you can say Omega 3, specialty dairy products that showcase nutritional content and health benefits are rapidly becoming the major drivers of growth in the dairy sector.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is one of the latest and arguably the most promising dairy component to show potential in this area. But with a complex and ever-shifting environment of consumer attitudes regarding health value, the success of potential CLA-enriched dairy products will depend heavily on understanding the customer.

To help kick-start that process, the CLA Network conducted a major telephone survey of consumers in Alberta and British Columbia. The survey was designed not only to gauge potential attitudes and acceptance of CLA-enriched products, but to unveil consumer perceptions that can assist in the development of successful marketing strategies.

CG

Campaign to Keep Cheese Real

OK, guys... this website is great! I checked it out and it is chock full of really good information about the whole regulation-standardization issue. The only problem is, WHO is seeing it?

Apart from agricultural circles, I am betting NOT many.

This campaign needs to engage the larger cheese buying public or it will NOT be effective! How about a full page ad in the more prominent national dailies? Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has done this before in a battle between butter and margarine. I would think that this particular fight needs the public involvement to be really successful.

They are only going to find out about it if we tell them. So let's tell them .

See the Real Cheese!

At Last!

As a consumer in this country and a female, I have despaired for years, about the attitude in agriculture over "what consumers really want". I was shot down time and time again by a mostly male dominated industry, who were convinced the only issue was price!!!!

But if any of them had taken the time to wade thought the confusion of misleading labels, the ridiculous "made in Canada" labelling guidelines, or try to find Canadian grown "anything" in food products, perhaps something would have happened sooner.

Our consumers represent a vast, untapped resource to support what agriculture is trying to do when it fights to save processing, ensure Canadian ingredients, save farm land, fruit farms, ensure Canadian ingredients in cheese or what-ever!

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has finally taken some action on this issue. They commissioned a poll to find out what consumers would do or not do and what they wanted.

Some of the results:

95 per cent said they would buy Canadian products that are competitively priced and of equal or better quality to imported.

90 per cent felt Canadian agricultural products should always be easy to identify at the store.

83 per cent felt a branding system based on three criteria - grown in Canada, produced to high environmental and food safety standards, and providing a fair return to farmers – is a good or a very good concept.

46-50 per cent of consumers were willing to pay premiums for “labeled” fruits, vegetables, poultry, beef, pork and grain products.

Canadian processors are disappearing faster than you can say 'gone". We are losing 'pick your own' farms. If someone doesn't do something soon, even those of us who want to, will be hard pressed to find fresh, local, anything, without going to extra-ordinary means. Many time crunched consumers will be unable to afford the time to do this. I believe it has to be available in our grocery stores or we are lost.

Get going guys before it's too late for us all.

They are At IT Again!!!

It's time again for the annual Doha Round emergence of Right Wing extreme editorial comments! I can't believe I missed this one! Neil Reynolds, writing for Report on Business has come up with another editorial that targets dairy farmers and their system of supply management.

This one is entitled: "Make dairy farmers an offer they can't refuse" June 15, 2007. Reading through the article just makes me very angry. Many of the same old assumptions about the industry are rife, through-out. Not only doesn't he 'get it' about supply management ...... he doesn't 'get it' about the whole issue of the dangers surrounding imported foods, period.

The best way to protect consumers is to continue to support domestic food production and a decent standard of living for domestic farmers!

'Save the Doha round'.... indeed. If Canada is stupid enough to even consider this, with what has been happening lately and the eye opening scandal around imported foods, we are doomed.

But with ideas out there to 'integrate' North America.... it would be a good way to even that playing field in a hurry. Simply apply the New Zealand model asap and you are set.

God save us all from fools and economists. -CG

A Ray of Hope?

Just as I was thinking there was nothing happening out there, something appeared on the CBC. The story was good but in my mind, anyway, it needs to be developed and expanded further.

As much as I love the CBC, you haven't really made the news until all National media are putting forward their own elements of the same story.

After all, it is the consumer here, who is being hosed over "made in Canada" labeling and the food processors who are buying that 'least cost' stuff from China. The food retail industry is also not without blame. Their drive for higher profits and lower cost suppliers is all part of the package. Since they purchase much of their fresh stuff from the 'Food Terminal', they are the problem here, in spades!

See 'Product of Canada' labels misleading, consumer group says

Check out the video cast under "related stories" for the full CBC National story from Monday, June 12, 2007.


In the meantime, consumers are still being exposed to risks and the 'Made in Canada' label is worse than useless.

Time for Dairy Farmers of Canada to put some real media weight behind efforts to educate their consumers. As one of the few farm organizations with a large media budget this opportunity needs to become full blown.



The proposed new standards for cheese are also part of this story. I fail to see why processors do not understand how the "China" issue affects them too. They are also missing an opportunity to get media buzz by voluntarily offering to comply for the benefit of their consumers. This would definitely be newsworthy and garner millions in free publicity. They could even list those cheeses they would be applying these new standards to.

Instead, they are locked in a battle to keep their cheap products and put all of us at risk.-CG

Agriculture is missing this boat!

I just cannot resist hammering this message home. Farmers just do not understand how to get their message out there!!! They have been so quiet on this issue it is almost embarrassing! With all the hoopla regarding China,the time has never been better to expose more of the imported food issue, to the public. Along with it, major media attention is theirs for the asking!!!!

The industry has always struggled to be relevant. This is relevance with a vengeance. While Canadians were busy doing their thing, the food processing industry in this country has headed for cheaper pastures. Canadian consumers will not soon forget this one. Farmers had better make sure they don't!

Along with that, governments had better get the message that they are part of this problem and they cannot abdicate their responsibilities in the matter.

If you do not believe that farmers and their organizations are missing this boat just have a look at this sample of head lines from the past two weeks alone. -CG

Consumers hungry for locally grown food, struggling Loblaws told

Food import tests sought Former federal agriculture minister Ralph Ferguson is leading a campaign for such tests.

Bringing country food to city-Two groundbreaking new farmers' markets in Toronto prove that local really is the new organic

You can practically smell the good Ontario earth
With the opening of Liberty Village market under the FMO seal of approval, you can trust your produce is grown locally

Seafood imports from China raised in untreated sewage Fish products consumed by Americans treated with dangerous drugs, chemicals

Chinese authorities investigate sale of fake blood protein to hospitals

Is the Food Fight Flourishing or Floundering?

When I spoke about the "Golden Opportunity" available for dairy farmers, I wasn't alone in my thinking. The recent week has provided a HUGE number of related news stories surrounding the issue of tainted food AND the concept of Local food.

I am impressed that it seems some action is taking place. But on this exploding issue, I have not seen anything in the media about the labelling and proposed, new regulations for cheese. That is not good. I sure hope dairy farmers are taking advantage of this window of opportunity, while it lasts!

There is a lot at stake. Much more than even I thought. We met with friends this week, who happen to live in Stoney Creek. (That is part and parcel of the Hamilton-Niagara belt, home to millions of people.) My friend has been subjected to my wrath about the whole China import issue as it pertains to our food. I wasn't sure she was listening. It turns out she was!

At a recent gathering of professional women, the issue of the cost of fresh local food came up. The subject was asparagus but it could have been any food grown in this country.

Apparently, for much of the winter asparagus was available, imported from the USA and Mexico for $1.49 a lb. The first local asparagus has hit the stores and the price is $2.79 a lb.! This is what generated the discussion she related to me.

So, as the discussion continued, my now very educated friend stated support for the locally grown asparagus, even with it's current price. She also told the other women her reasons ( food safety and not from this country). The conversation then turned to labelling and it turns out that NONE of those women had a clue about Made in Canada!!!! They thought that the "China" label on some frozen vegetables meant the plastic wrapper! I remind you all, that these are well educated, intelligent women. I knew the problem was bad but this blew me away.

Labelling and made in Canada regulations and import labels are obviously not well understood!

I rest my case. If the government can't/won't educate consumers, farmer MUST! It is imperative or they will drown under the imported products coming from other countries.

This also speaks to the issue of labelling for cheese. Dairy farmers must educate their consumers or they will not succeed with their battle on labels and regulations. There must be some profile to this or the message will NOT get out there.

How about fighting fire with fire? The processors have sent an 'open' letter to the Minister. Dairy farmers should emulate them and go one better... a simple, clear cut ad explaining to the public "why" they need this too!

Golden Opportunity Part II ????

I wrote the previous article about 5 days ago. My delay in publishing it has allowed events to over take this article but in an even MORE timely way! I feel very strongly about this issue and see the recent events as a way to make the concerns of supply management, the same concerns the public SHOULD have.

Clever marketing people or a good PR Firm should be able to package this stuff in a way to make the media and the public sit up and take NOTICE!!!!

Don't think I'm on the right track?

Take a look at these headlines AND articles from the last few days:

Environment Hamilton starts program to support area farmers, protect Ontario's Greenbelt

Chinese workers admit lacing pet food

China arrests food managers

Food Safety at issue, local farming praised (Panel of experts stresses need for more locally grown, organic products in U.S. food supply)

Farmed Fish Fed Tainted Meal Same contaminate prompted pet food recall

120 fish farms sent contaminated feed

States Introduce Bill to Support Local Food Systems

U.S. legislators could side-swipe Canada with measures to protect food supply

U.S. puts Canada in firing line after food safety scare

Toxic Dyes and Preservatives Are Often Key Ingredients; Export Worries Widen

Nutrition Labels Not Accurate, Researcher Says

Shanghai to use mobile tests in food- safety blitz

Certainly the level of interest AND concern has gone way, way up. The story keeps on getting wider and other issues, including those important to dairy farmers, need to be connected to this widening public concern.

This week's Ontario Farmer had an another article that should be of interest to the public!

"Cheesed Off" Campaign launched against new cheese regs- Francis Anderson. The Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC) is beginning a high profile battle against changes to the regs. This is just another side of the same food safety coin, as far as I am concerned. I WANT to know where it's from and what it is, if it is going into my food!

I do not believe that THIS TIME, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), should let sleeping dogs lie.

DFC is the organization for producers who DO market milk! Research has shown they (farmers) are considered to be MORE trust worhty than business (processors or importers). They do take principled stands (BSE). The public needs to hear their voice on this issue!

Millions of dollars in free PR could be theirs for the taking, to advance "made in Canada" labeling and 100% Canadian dairy products. I have never seen a climate so perfect to raise the spectre of 'free trade" and it's ultimate impact for farmers and the public, than this one. -CG

Golden Opportunitiy For Dairy Farmers??

The recent pet food poisoning disaster has provided agriculture with a GOLDEN opportunity!! Every farm organization should be monitoring the news reports and finding ways to plug in.

I am blown away by the fact it was the death of pets that broke the story! Major food recalls and human illness has NOT exploded into the media like this story has. Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that the company imported something they could have bought in North America, that started it all.

Certainly, the almost daily exposure of the widening product list that was tainted with melamine is part of the issue. Articles and news stories about the government and the CFIA are starting to hit the air ways as well. Just last week, CTV had a major story about the issue and touched on the CFIA , the lack of standards for imported product and the fact that Canadian farmers must adhere to a higher standard for domestic food than imports from other countries.

This issue has been upsetting farmers for a long time. Every time the government has been questioned about this glaring in-equity, responses have been luke warm, at best. "Equivalency standards" for imported food has never been good enough, in the view of farmers. The public, however, did NOT understand this part of the issue and agriculture never seemed to be able to or want get that message out there!

A quick check of news stories on the CTV site brings up a lot of stuff, including some 'Special Reports' in the works. The subject matter is Food Safety and Food Security!

Since Dairy Farmers of Canada has been discussing this issue and trying to focus the political interest on this important topic, they need to start talking to CTV asap!

Currently, CTV is focusing on the 'Local" food movement and one man's attempt to inform Canadians about this issue. More needs to be done with the groups that represent farmers and the importance of keeping Canadian farmers viable in Canada, the crisis in some industries, the problems with the border and imports like MCP.

Milk Protein Concentrate (MCP) is in a dry form and so was wheat gluten. Without confirmation of sources, labelling laws, appropriate tariffs and standards, no one can confirm what this stuff is, in ice cream, cheese and who knows what else. The issue could & should receive front and centre media coverage.

After all, the pet food mess is all about consumer education and understanding of the problems ultimately involved with free trade. The cheapest source can have a cost people are not willing to pay.

The government reacts to public pressure and anything that will raise that bar, right now, is critical.

For more articles about this important issue, see Dariblawg del.icio.us

Uh OH! Cheese in the news?

I can always tell when somebody has cranked someone else in the dairy business. Something shows up somewhere in the Globe & Mail! You really know you've hit a nerve when it shows up in the ROB section.

Even more instructive is the comments link at the bottom of the editiorial. Follow it and see for yourself.

Somebody goes to a great deal of effort to talk about the Belleville Cheese Exchange and the old days. Someone else is pretty upset and certainly doesn't understand the quota system in Supply management.

Mr. Strahl, it's not the Canadian whey

NEIL REYNOLDS
From Friday's Globe and Mail

E-mail Neil Reynolds
Read Bio
Latest Columns

May 4, 2007 at 5:53 AM EDT

OTTAWA - Like Little Miss Muffet, Canadians have been consuming their curds and whey - and helping the environment at the same time. By choosing "light" cheeses at the supermarket, products that recycle whey, Canadians have exponentially increased the country's consumption of a waste product traditionally bereft of commercial uses. Since residual whey is a significant industrial pollutant, this marketplace adaptation has produced a fine symbiotic relationship. Fewer calories for people. Less wastes for industry.

In this allegorical construct, the next character we encounter should be the Spider. Enter Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl as Spiderman. When Mr. Strahl addressed a convention of dairy farmers in February, he announced that he had directed federal food regulators "to launch a regulatory process related to the compositional standards for cheese." He had taken this action, he said, "to protect consumer interests and to promote choice in the marketplace

For the complete story see....... Mr. Strahl, it's not the Canadian whey -CG

China's Food Issues Just Keep On......

Here we go with more stuff in the mainstream media. Some of the players are the same here in Canada. These are just glimpses into the complicated food system that has developed in North America. I think that is the largest shock to most consumers. They had no idea.-CG


Production trumps quality Apr 28, 2007 04:30 AM
China faces growing concerns over its exports in wake of tainted pet food, milk

Ariana Eunjung Cha
Special to the Star

SHANGHAI–Something was wrong with the babies.

The villagers noticed their heads were growing abnormally large while the rest of their bodies were skin and bones. By the time Chinese authorities discovered the culprit – severe malnutrition from fake milk powder – 13 had died.

The scandal, which unfolded three years ago after hundreds of babies fell ill in an eastern Chinese province, became the defining symbol of a broad problem in China's economy.
Quality control and product-safety regulation are so poor in this country that people cannot trust the goods on store shelves.

Until now, the problem has not received much attention outside of China. In recent weeks, however, consumers everywhere have been learning about China's safety crisis. Tainted ingredients that originated here made their way into pet food that has sickened and killed animals around the world, with nearly 4,000 deaths reported in the United States.

Chinese authorities acknowledge the safety problem and have promised repeatedly to fix it, but the disasters keep coming. Tang Yanli, 45, grandaunt of a baby who became sick because of the fake milk but eventually recovered, said that even though she now pays more to buy national brands, she remains wary.

"I don't trust the food I eat," she said. With China playing an ever-larger role in supplying food, medicine and animal feed to other countries, recognition of the hazards has not kept up.
By value, China is the world's No. 1 exporter of fruits and vegetables, and a major exporter of other food and food products, which vary widely, from apple juice to garlic to sausage casings.
China has been especially poor at meeting international standards.

The United States subjects only a small fraction of its food imports to close inspection, but each month rejects about 200 shipments from China, mostly because of concerns about pesticides and antibiotics and about misleading labelling.

Since 2000, some countries have temporarily banned whole categories of Chinese imports. The European Union stopped shipments of shrimp because of banned antibiotics. Japan blocked tea and spinach, citing excessive antibiotic residue. South Korea banned fermented cabbage after finding parasites in some shipments.

As globalization of the food supply progresses, "the food gets more anonymous and gradually you get into a situation where you don't know where exactly it came from and you get more vulnerable to poor quality," said Michiel Keyzer, director of the Centre for World Food Studies at Vrije University in Amsterdam, who researches China's exports to the European Union.

Chinese authorities, while conceding the country has many safety problems, have claimed other countries' assessments of products are sometimes "not accurate" and have implied the bans may be politically motivated, aimed at protecting domestic companies that compete with Chinese businesses.

China's State Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture – which along with other government agencies share responsibility for monitoring food and drug safety – this week declined to answer written questions sent to them via fax.

In the United States, more than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled since March 16 because of a spike in animal deaths, generally from kidney failure. The recall, one of the largest ever, included mass-market brands sold in stores like Safeway and Wal-Mart, as well as pricey brands sold by veterinarians and specialty retailers.

The FDA and a manufacturer in South Africa have found that several bulk ingredients shipped from China, including wheat gluten and rice-protein concentrate, were contaminated with an industrial chemical called melamine.

Last week, concern about animal safety transformed into a concern about risk to people.
California state officials said the industrial chemical melamine had been found in livestock feed at a hog farm and could pose a "minimal" health risk to people who ate pork from there.

The investigations are unearthing details of the food chain that were previously a mystery to most Americans, including the international dealings that determine how ingredients make their way into the food supply. U.S. companies are under relentless pressure to cut costs, in part from consumers who demand low prices, and obtaining cheap ingredients from China has become an important strategy for many of them.

In China, meanwhile, the government has found that companies have cut corners in virtually every aspect of food production and packaging, including improper use of fertilizer, unsanitary packing and poor refrigeration of dairy products.

William O'Brien, president of Hami Food of Beijing, which transports food for the McDonald's restaurant chain and other multinational companies in China, said in some of his competitors' operations, "chilled and frozen products very often come in taxi cabs or in vans – not under properly controlled conditions."

The Chinese government has undertaken a major overhaul of its monitoring system by dispatching state inspectors to every province.