Local/Organic

  • Organic food sales climb by record amount in 2020

    May 26, 2021
    Amid the uncertainty and change of the past year, organic food is prospering. U.S. organic sales jumped by a record 12.4 per cent to US$61.9 billion in 2020, according to the 2021 Organic Industry Survey released by the Organic Trade Association (OTA). That marks the first time that total sales of organic food and non-food products have surpassed ...
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  • Loblaw promotes local through Ontario Made program

    May 19, 2021
    Loblaws is doing what it can to promote local Ontario brands through its new Ontario Made program. In partnership with Grey Jay Sales & Distribution, the Canadian chain is featuring products from 12 Ontario-based suppliers in more than 150 stores under its Loblaws umbrella, including Zehrs, Your Independent Grocer, and Valu-Mart. Suppliers include Jakeman’s (maple products), Urban Hippie (granola), Yawdi’s (marinades and sauces), ...
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  • Food and Beverage Ontario launches job program

    May 13, 2021
    Food and Beverage Ontario has launched CareersNOW!, a province-wide program that is designed to rapidly fill immediate job vacancies in the food and beverage processing sector and attract talent for the future. CareersNOW! will optimize Food and Beverage Ontario’s initiative Taste Your Future to profile careers and will also expand Frontline Food Facts to provide essential skills training and ...
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  • Walmart Canada now sourcing sustainable Canadian beef

    May 10, 2021
    Walmart Canada is now sourcing beef from certified sustainable farms and ranches according to standards set by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). Additionally, the chain is sourcing enough beef from sustainable sources for its Your Fresh Market brand beef patties that it has been granted permission to include a sustainability certification label on each ...
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  • New certification program for plant-based foods

    May 5, 2021
    A new certification seal aims to help consumers easily find plant-based foods and vegan products on store shelves. Plant-Based Foods of Canada (PBFC) has partnered with the U.S.-based Plant-Based Food Association (PBFA) to make its “Certified Plant-Based” food certification program available in Canada. The first products carrying the seal have already hit shelves in Canadian grocery ...
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  • Voilà grocery pick-up service expands into Western Canada

    April 11, 2021
    Empire has expanded its Voilà grocery home shopping offering to Alberta. The launch of “Voilà by Safeway Curbside Pickup” sets the stage for its online grocery home delivery service ultimately coming to the province in 2023. In support of the expansion, a Customer Fulfilment Centre is being built in Rocky View County, just outside of Calgary. The new ...
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  • Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards finalists announced

    April 8, 2021
    The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has revealed the finalists for the 28th Annual Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards.  The finalists represent the 124 most impressive new food and consumer packaged goods products launched into the Canadian market in 2020. Submissions include established companies as well as new suppliers, smaller boutiques, and family-owned retailers across Canada. “Canadians ...
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  • Strength, resilience & creativity: How foodservice operators have thrived in the pandemic

    April 1, 2021
    RestoBiz spoke to numerous foodservice operators about the bold steps they have taken to keep moving forward throughout COVID-19. By Tom Nightingale Faced with mounting pressure, closures, razor-thin margins, and a range of health and business concerns, foodservice operators have had to tread where they have never stepped before during the COVID-19 pandemic. Battening down the hatches and ...
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  • Creating a new at-home culinary experience

    March 24, 2021
    In a time when ghost kitchens and meal kits are in vogue, Toronto’s Lavish focuses on unique quality. By Tom Nightingale For much of the last 12 months, eating at home has been the new dining out. The stark reality is that the physical dining experience as we knew it pre-COVID-19 may not be back for some ...
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  • Canadian vegan chain Planta expanding in Eastern U.S.

    March 23, 2021
    Planta, the Canadian plant-based, full-service restaurant that creates all its own vegan menu items from scratch, is expanding in the United States. Planta is opening its seventh location in Florida this month, with plans to open more units in the New York and Maryland later this year. The brand operates four different versions of its concept in ...
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  • Burger King’s Impossible Whopper available across Canada

    March 23, 2021
    Burger King Canada has announced that it has begun serving the plant-based Impossible Whopper in stores across Canada as of April 12. The meal is now available in other Canadian provinces, after launching in Ontario locations in March. After a successful launch in the U.S., the Impossible Whopper, a collaboration between Burger King and Impossible Foods, ...
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  • More Canadians looking to buy Canadian food

    March 22, 2021
    More Canadians are now looking to seek out Canadian-produced food, according to a recent survey from Farm Credit Canada. The survey, which was conducted between January 8-12, 2021, found that six out of 10 Canadians are more likely to purchase Canadian-made or -grown food. “We had surveyed 2000 Canadians across the country, reflective of how the country ...
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  • Drink trends to watch in Canada in 2021

    February 16, 2021
    New trends emerged across almost every industry in 2020 as consumers and businesses adjusted to the realities of a global pandemic. Drink trends within the beverage alcohol industry were no exception. Just like in fashion, drink trends regularly come and go as the seasons change and the calendar flips to a new year. This year, however, ...
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  • Tim Hortons to starting serving 100-per-cent Canadian eggs

    February 5, 2021
    Tim Hortons eggs will now be exclusively 100 per cent freshly cracked Canadian eggs, in partnership with Egg Farmers of Canada.
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  • Global reuse platform Loop launches in Canada with Loblaws

    February 1, 2021
    Loop’s partnerships with the likes of Loblaws and Kraft Heinz place a greater focus on using sustainable and reusable packaging.
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