More 'Food Crisis' news

The past few days my mailbox has been full of articles about the rising cost of food. A sampling is illuminating ...... but no farmers on those interview lists yet!!

As usual, our food retailers and processors are quick off the mark. The problem in this country is that very few consumers understand just what free trade has really done for them.

Destroying crops while others starve
Apr 26, 2008 04:30 AM Thomas Walkom

Note: This particular article exposes nicely, the weakness in globalization and economic theory that focuses on 'which country can produce the most efficiently';translation of course is 'cheapest'!!

Beef producers struggle in midst of price rise rumours

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA

Rising grain costs push Maple Leaf into loss

Reuters Published: Thursday, April 24, 2008

Bread prices on the rise, food reps say
Last Updated: Thursday, April 24, 2008 11:11 AM ET

Why grocery bills are set to soar
PAUL WALDIE
From Friday's Globe and Mail
April 25, 2008 at 4:01 AM EDT

Food companies warn of rising prices
Canadians can expect to pay more at grocery stores as higher feed costs advance through the food chain
Apr 25, 2008 04:30 AM
Dana Flavelle business reporter

This is just too much ...... it goes on and on. It is almost enough to have people digging up the yard for this year's garden. Don't laugh!!! Some articles have actually put forward that idea. It was 'tongue in cheek', but I am sure that some people took it very seriously.

In the land of plenty we go round and round and consumers are buffeted by articles, news stories, pundits and the food players. The Business News Network (BNN) even discusses our 'food' or commodities constantly.

Hmmmmm??! Maybe it's time to push the 'Food Security' idea much, much, harder. Woe betide the foolish politician who forgets about these headlines at the WTO.

It should NOT be hard to get some valuable air time for this one.-CG

Food Crisis .... a warning.

I have been listening to and reading numerous articles and reports this week, about the 'Food Crisis' faced by many impoverished countries. There even is an article warning the 'crisis' could hit this country,too!

At the same time, we have Ontario beef and pork producers faced with their perfect storm and the depopulation of their herds as a solution to their crisis.

Meanwhile, grains and oil seeds farmers are just beginning to see the light of day, with the rise in prices for wheat, corn and soybeans.

Canadian supply managed farmers (dairy, turkey, chicken and eggs) are worried about their governments' goal at the World Trade Organization and what may happen to their stable system.

Something is terribly wrong with this picture.

For one thing, this country's food supply is dominated by a retail strangle hold. Their suppliers look for the 'cheapest' source of their food products for you (Walmartized).

Distributors and processors push backwards to their suppliers, the farmer. Processors of food for many products have been allowed to consolidate or have been sold off to foreign buyers. Large processors have way more political power and power over the farmers of many products who are forced to sell to them. With free trade agreements in force they are moving their products into this country at the expense of our own food supply.

Really bad agricultural policy ignoring "Made in Canada' labels among other national food issues and focused on the World Trade Organization and the globalization of food instead, are responsible as well. There have been all kinds of special Agricultural reports to Parliament that could have gone a long way to begin to solve the problems. They were ignored.

The result of course has been a reduction in produced crops, loss of farmers in production and loss of world stocks, pushed ahead by drought in many countries. This is just a tiny part of the result.

Agriculture has been such a pawn of commodity brokers, prices set by outside forces (not the farmers themselves) and government, including our own federal government, it is no wonder some have given up.

In all the attention the media has showered on the "Food Crisis" issue I have yet to see anyone focus on the farmers themselves and this country's own food price and source dysfunction. There are all kinds of 'reports' from our own members in Parliament that too many governments have ignored.

Our media could do us all a great service if someone would take an in-depth look at the whole mess. We have way too many ridiculous inconsistencies of supply of food, price of food and who controls it. It's time for CTV or Global or the CBC to try to get to the bottom of it all. Maybe now, there is an appetite to do it.

WTO Storm Clouds again?

I haven't been paying a lot of attention to recent WTO activity. Besides, it's been kinda quiet out there. But when contradictory stuff appears 'out there' , wise citizens concerned about our ability to continue to feed ourselves need to pay attention. So too, do farm organizations for turkey, eggs, milk and chicken.

As noted in a Dairy Farmer's of Canada newsletter, last week, Supply Management (dairy) and the government's support for it, was detailed in question period. That was the first rumble.

About the same time the Ontario Farmer arrived and in it was a letter to the editor from former Senator Jim Tunney. This is the second rumble.

Entitled: 'Wheat Board Politics are of the worst kind', his letter gives some very interesting insights into the scanky and contradictory activities by the government, with regards to the Canadian Wheat Board. It is a quick history that all farmers and citizens should read. The last point in the whole letter is the part that made me pause:

Farmers want to trust our ministers, but have doubts when we see the results of a referendum and then hear another senior minister, David Emerson warn poultry and dairy farmers that they should prepare to find another way than with supply management to market their production.- Jim Tunney, Grafton

These are remarks Mr. Tunney, obviously knows about or has seen written, by the Minister for International Trade, the Hon. David Emerson.

Now Mr. Tunney has a respected background. He " was a director of the Dairy Farmers of Canada for 18 years and of the Dairy Bureau of Canada for 8 years. He was also a director of the Ontario Milk Marketing Board, representing farmers in six counties including his native Northumberland County. "[English]

During his term as Senator he was a member of the Standing Committee of Agriculture and Forestry. He is, as I would term it, "plugged in". His concern for supply management and the Dairy Farmers of this country is well known.

If farmers know what's good for them they need to have a hard look at the Hon. David Emerson and his government. No matter what they have said, are saying or will say, their track record with the Wheat Board is not calculated to inspire confidence in their activities with the WTO.

At the very least, supply managed farmers need to figure out what kind of options they may have to derail any stupidity coming from this government.-CG

R.I.P. !

I thought it particularly important to mark this date. This is the day Cangro marked for closure of it's Ontario Fruit and vegetable processing plants. This has weighed heavy on my mind for weeks since I first heard about it. Today this article showed up in Sun Media.

Cheaper imports threaten the 752,000 people employed by Ontario's agriculture and food processing sector.

Fruitless labour
Hank Daniszewski Sun Media
March 13, 2008


The slogan is Good Things Grow in Ontario. But finding those good Ontario-grown products in your supermarket is getting tougher.

The rising value of the Canadian dollar means food manufacturers are finding it easier to go global when they buy and process products. It's a trend that threatens the 752,000 people in Ontario's agriculture and food processing sector, the second-largest employer in the province. ( see complete article...)

This is our last peach and pear processor. It is about time somebody in the media tried to let the public know just what is going on out there.

As a consumer looking for Ontario processed foods it does not matter to me why they were leaving. I was SURE the 'why' is all about the money. It usually is. According to the article the Canadian owned processor was purchased 2 years ago by an American company. It is obvious, now, why they are leaving.

With a huge increase in the 'Grow Ontario" advertising budget, Ontarians are going to be even more aware of those products that are NOT from home. Since this is such a compelling issue for many consumers and growing daily, one has to wonder why the food processors left in this province fail to take advantage of all that free advertising to promote their products!!!!!!

I wonder if NAFTA and free trade rules will impact our ability to label food sourced in this country? Maybe we better work on keeping our processors before we have to sort that one out.

It looks like is going to be a long summer .

Again!!?!?!

I was doing a bit of trolling to-day and found a couple of interesting articles that I think merit posting on this site.

One refers to Loblaws and the infamous Pear Juice recall of late.

Tainted juices pulled from Loblaws' shelves
Arsenic in organic children's pear drinks puzzles investigators
Louisa Taylor , The Ottawa Citizen (see complete article ...)

While I was browsing that site I came across another one.... this time about Food Safety... again.

Safety at the table
The Leader-Post (Regina 2008) (See complete article..)

Things have been reasonably quiet of late but these articles and concerns about Food Safety keep popping up. The Tainted Juice story came along quick enough to just put the cap on the jug, so to speak.

The Leader-Post takes readers partway down the road of 'what if'. In my opinion this is just the beginning because far too few have thought that one out.

What if .. our border closes again? It is far from impossible... all it could take is a little bird flu epidemic in the wrong place. What if a major processor is shut down for contamination of some sort? What if we have more drought in the wrong county? What if ... gas becomes too expensive or in short supply?

How will we feed ourselves then? I really don't want to think about this one. It means one heck of a lot of HARD work. I have canned and preserved and stored food before. It is not an activity that I am keen to return to ... but like a lot of consumers out there if I must, I must and will. - CG

What do American Consumers Think?

While Canadian consumers struggle to locate Canadian processors and their products on most retail shelves, a new book has been published in the U.S. to provide their consumers with hard information. The article below provides some surprising statistics from the book.

WASHINGTON - Would you be willing to pay a little extra for goods made in the USA?Join the club.

Polls show a majority of Americans willing to do the same. And with China charging Americans to ship its hazardous materials to line the shelves of Walmart, Roger Simmermaker thinks he has the answer - a guide to buying American."How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism" is hot off the press, providing tips and listing thousands of retail outlets owned by Americans as well as manufacturers still operating in the U.S.

If you think Americans no longer care about where goods are made or have concerns about safety of foreign products, think again. Simmermaker has assembled some surprising statistics:

92 percent of Americans want country-of-origin labels on meat and produce;

68.6 percent of Americans check labels for information like manufacturer, nation of origin and ingredients - up from 52.9 percent a year ago;

86.3 percent of Americans would like to block Chinese imports until they raise their product and food safety standards to meet U.S. levels;

33 percent of Americans would be willing to pay four times as much for American-made toys;

63 percent were willing to join a boycott of Chinese-made goods in general

(see full article ...)

In the past, Canadian figures on issues like this, follow American trends and in some cases they are ahead of our American neighbours. I think food is one of those areas. Canadian consumers are generally even more knowledgeable than their American counterparts. After all, I am one of those consumers, too!

If I am right ..... then a lot of grocery retailers and processors will have to pay the piper for their lack of foresight.

Of note though, food retail giant Loblaws has another new commercial offering a dessert product (apple dumplings) made by Ontario farmers, which is a start. How about large, clearly identifiable signage for Ontario products?

Are they paying attention or are they just paying lip service? Only time will tell and consumers are watching.-CG

Tit for Tat?

Just prior to the news release by the Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, this article showed up in the news wire:

MPs say time for feds to abandon barley campaign
Updated Wed. Feb. 27 2008 4:27 PM ET
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- Opposition MPs say it's time for the government to abandon its campaign to end the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on sales of western barley.
Liberal Wayne Easter says consecutive losses in the courts make it clear that the government can't go on.

He says the move to allow farmers the choice of selling their barley themselves or through the board threatens the existence of the marketing agency.

The Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal have both ruled that the government can't change the barley marketing rules through regulations and must follow a process set out in the Canadian Wheat Board Act.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says western producers support the change and the government will bring in legislation to allow them a choice.

The opposition parties have said they'll fight such legislation.

Obviously, this was like waving a red flag to a bull and they are just as unpredictable.-CG