Healthy Eating

  • Diner demand for ethical eating continues

    December 8, 2022
    By Riana Topan In Canada, many people may be surprised to learn how few laws are in place to govern the ethical treatment of farmed animals. The federal government regulates how these animals are handled during transportation and slaughter through the Health of Animals Regulations and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. These apply when animals have ...
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  • How strategic labelling can increase your plant-based sales

    October 26, 2022
    By Makayla Dewit Imagine that you sit down at a restaurant, examine the menu, and see these two choices listed: low-fat vegan pasta and lemon-pesto rotini with fried capers. Which sounds more appetizing to you? It is almost certainly the second one. This example highlights the importance of thoughtfully labelling food and menu items to make them ...
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  • The US wants to redefine what counts as healthy food

    September 28, 2022
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is redefining “healthy” food. The FDA on September 28 released the result of six years of consultations and revision: proposed new guidelines for assessing what constitutes “healthy” food. In short, something that is produced, advertised, or sold as “healthy” will now need to have the equivalent of one serving (or ...
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  • How to incorporate the trendiest ingredients into your bowls

    September 26, 2022
    Food bowls have become popular in recent years, with 35 per cent of Canadian restaurants now featuring either a savoury or sweet bowl option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Many consumers are looking for healthy, value-conscious meals, and food bowls fit the bill. Beautifully simple, bowls typically include a base, a protein, complementary toppings, and ...
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  • Consumers say plant-based diets are here to stay

    August 15, 2022
    How has the pandemic affected consumers and their everyday diets? A Packaged Facts consumer survey suggests that many consumers made the shift to plant-based diets during the pandemic. While this may have seemed like a temporary step, the survey shows that 30 per cent of participants are still eating more fruit and vegetables than they ...
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  • Preventing obesity starts in the grocery aisle with food packaging

    August 4, 2022
    By Eugene Y. Chan and Liangyan Wang In 2018, Statistics Canada reported that nearly one in three Canadians were obese. Similar figures have been reported in Australia, but more concerning is the United States, where over 40 percent of the population is obese. Obesity is not the only diet-related illness to be concerned about — diabetes is just ...
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  • Canada to require nutrition warnings on some packaged food

    July 4, 2022
    Starting in 2026, Canada will require that nutrition warnings are posted on the front of pre-packaged food with high levels of saturated fat, sugar, or sodium. According to the Canadian Press, the key reasoning behind the move is to help grocery shoppers make healthier choices with just a glance. The policy has been in the works ...
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  • Health, environmental consciousness driving plant-based demand

    June 28, 2022
    Consumers’ physical health goals and concerns about the environment continue to be the leading factors in driving demand for plant-based food. That’s according to the new “2022 Plant-Forward Opportunity” report from Datassential in collaboration with The Culinary Institute of America, Food for Climate League, and the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative. The research found that more than one in five (21 ...
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  • Plant-based meals are now a menu must-have

    May 17, 2022
    By Riana Topan The skyrocketing interest in plant-based meals has moved the industry from a “trend” to a global movement, and the growing market shows no signs of slowing down. Canadian consumers have demonstrated a consistent appetite for plant-based options, especially plant-based proteins, in recent years, with over 6.4 million people reducing or eliminating their meat consumption. Moreover, ...
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  • Should menus display food’s carbon footprint information?

    May 16, 2022
    What should a good menu include? The names and prices of dishes are a given, and other menus often display other details such as a description, dietary information such as calories, and the source of local products. But what about food’s carbon footprint? A team of researchers at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg in Germany are ...
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  • Upcycled Certified expands into Canada after US success

    April 28, 2022
    The Upcycled Food Association (UFA), the premier trade association for the upcycled food industry, has announced that its Upcycled Certified program has been expanded into Canada after what it calls “extraordinary success” in the U.S. market.  Upcycled foods use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and ...
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  • Diners willing to pay premium for sustainable takeout

    April 21, 2022
    Sustainable food is increasingly a focus of discussion for the food industry and the general public, and it seems it is top of mind for diners when it comes to ordering takeout, too. According to Deliverect data cited by Restaurant Dive, more than four in 10 (43 per cent of) diners would be willing to pay ...
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  • Promoting plant-based foods to protect our planet

    April 12, 2022
    By Riana Topan Earth Day, observed around the world on April 22, began as a celebration of the birth of the modern environmental movement. Today, it has become a global day of awareness and opportunity to learn about and take transformative action for the health of our planet. This year, the call to action centres on ...
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  • Introducing Plant Forward, the first Canada-led international conference on plant-based food

    April 6, 2022
    Protein Industries Canada, Pulse Canada, and Plant-Based Foods of Canada are launching the inaugural Plant Forward conference in Toronto this November. The event will be the first Canada-led international conference on accelerating the growth of the plant-based food, feed, and ingredients ecosystem. The inaugural two-day event will take place at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto ...
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  • Canadian plant-based ecosystem uniting to strengthen regulatory system

    April 5, 2022
    The Canadian plant-based food and ingredients sector is continually evolving as it grows to meet the increasing global demand for protein. To ensure that this evolution is matched by a modern and supportive regulatory system, Protein Industries Canada is partnering with Pulse Canada, Plant-Based Foods of Canada, and Loblaw to examine Canadian regulations related to ...
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