A distillery is halting production of discount four-litre vodka jugs after the Alberta minister responsible for the province’s liquor industry called out the product for not being responsibly priced. T-Rex Distillery says public response has been mixed since photos of the jugs began circulating on social media, with about half praising the jugs for “innovation and convenience.” Others expressed concern, including Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally, who says the low $49.95 price was “not very responsible” and that he was looking at intervening. The Edmonton-area distillery says the jugs are a ..read more

Aurora Importing appoints Chef Pino Di Cerbo as the company’s culinary head. Chef Pino Di Cerbo is widely recognized for his innovative approach to traditional Italian dishes, blending modern techniques with timeless flavours. “We are excited to introduce a new member to the Aurora family, Pino Di Cerbo as our head chef,” said Joe Moscato, president of Aurora Importing. “Chef Pino’s diverse culinary expertise and creativity is strongly rooted in Mediterranean cuisine, a perfect match with Aurora Importing’s authentic assortment of quality food sourced from all over the world.” Prior to joining ..read more

Canada’s food and beverage manufacturers face a mix of obstacles and optimism for profit margin improvements in the year ahead, according to the latest Food and Beverage Report by Farm Credit Canada. After hitting a record $165 billion in food and beverage manufacturing sales last year, 2024 is expected to see sales moderate in sync with slowing inflation and tighter household budgets. Despite sector-specific headwinds and changing consumer shopping habits, the overall outlook is more positive. Population growth and stabilizing input costs are two reasons for expecting margin improvement in 20 ..read more

Consumer Reports (CR) called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to remove Lunchables food kits from the National School Lunch Program. CR recently compared the nutritional profiles of two Lunchable kits served in schools and found they have even higher levels of sodium than the kits consumers can buy in the store. CR also tested 12 store-bought versions of Lunchables and similar kits and found several contained relatively high levels of lead and cadmium. All but one also tested positive for phthalates, chemicals found in plastic that have been linked to reproductive problems, diabetes, and ..read more

Space food isn’t Tang and puréed meat in a tube any longer, in fact it’s mushroom bacon and fresh strawberries that have earned a North Vancouver company the grand prize in a Canadian Space Agency and NASA challenge to make food indoors. Ecoation Innovative Solutions has won the Deep Space Food Challenge with their CanGrow Modular Food Production System, and will receive $380,000 in grant funding as the grand prize winner. Ecoation CEO Saber Miresmailli said the news was “fantastic,” but what made him feel even more proud was that his idol, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, announced the comp ..read more

Highbury Canco produces a variety of food products, including pasta sauce, salsa and beans for large brands. With an investment of over $26.5 million, the company will modernize their facility and increase their processing and warehouse capacity. The project is supported by more than $3.1 million in funding through Ontario’s Regional Development Program and will create 20 new jobs. “We are thankful for the support from the provincial government which will allow our company to modernize our facility and increase our processing capacity. Initiatives to support local manufacturers like the Region ..read more

Food in Canada is welcoming speaker proposals for our inaugural Ingredients for Success: Scaling Strategies for F&B Processors conference. Held on June 19, 2024, at the Storys Building in Toronto, Ingredients for Success is an intensive, workshop-style conference aiming to equip F&B SMEs with the essential knowledge and practical strategies to navigate the exciting, yet challenging journey of scaling up their business. We are looking for workshop presenters to cover the following themes: Strategic planning and goal setting; Understanding your market; Financial management; Operational ..read more

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada grants up to $1 million each for five projects that are addressing challenges such as work productivity, labour shortages, and operational efficiency in the industry. The funding was made under Phase 2 of the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program – Challenge Stream. The five projects will target the Canadian meat processing industry and the Canadian controlled environment agriculture industry with the goal of advancing automation and robotic technologies. Under the Canadian Meat Processing Technology Development Challenge, projects include: Exonetik, which ..read more

Robin Poulain joins Conagra Brands Canada’s customer leadership team in the role of group director, sales, Sobeys, reporting to Leslie Mackay. Having most recently served as director, national sales with Kind, Poulain brings more than 15 years of customer leadership, national sales and marketing experience from other past roles at Irving Consumer Products and Ferrero ..read more

An Ontario-based powdered milk manufacturer says it has the green light to start making baby formula. Canada Royal Milk in Kingston says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved its application to produce infant formula. The company says it always intended to manufacture the product, but was held up by an approval process involving both Health Canada and the CFIA that took nearly two years. Canada Royal Milk had complained about the lengthy process last year after a formula shortage in the United States spilled over into Canada as there were no manufacturers north of the border. The co ..read more