The past eight months on Manitoba’s local food scene have been a whirlwind for Eduardo and Helena Morales, the owners of Los Comales Morales. That’s because demand for their products – gluten-free, authentic corn tortillas and a unique, oil-based salsa, has been very, very steady. “We started marketing the tortillas in the second week of August 2023,” says Eduardo, who hails from Mexico City; his wife, Helena, was born in Monterrey, Mexico, but came to Winnipeg as a infant. “They are made with authentic methods, and the recipes contain zero preservatives.” The biggest plus of the tortillas is ..read more

 Artists, farmers, and food processors are all makers. They are creative, whether it be through visual arts, performance arts, or culinary arts. They are entrepreneurs. They are founders. Between March 24th and 27th, The Northern Arts and Food Conference demonstrated the incredible intersection of arts and food, both deeply rooted in cultural heritage and traditions. At the heart of the conference are its skill-building workshops, conference sessions, and collaborative learning activities. These sessions serve as more than just educational opportunities; they’re spaces where all participa ..read more

It’s not easy being a food grower or food producer these days. Faced with the task of finding ways to make their business more sustainable, they often – despite their best efforts to figure things out – find their heads spinning. That’s because they are inundated with the myriad concepts (and terminology) that come part and parcel with going green. After trying to wrap their minds around terms like decarbonization, scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions – and, of course, net zero – it’s understandable that management teams often find themselves at a loss about exactly where they need to start. “There’s ..read more

In 2023, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), Canada’s financial regulator, introduced climate reporting requirements for Canadian banks. This regulatory shift has significant implications not only for financial institutions but also for the businesses they serve.  These changes will be a new horizon for most small and medium-sized enterprises, especially food and beverage processors. According to Chris Bunio, founder of TheoryMesh, food-based SME’s need to start preparing now for the evolving landscape of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting ..read more

In the pursuit of a cleaner and sustainable world for future generations, achieving net-zero emissions stands as a vital endeavor, especially for manufacturers and processors, including those in the food and beverage industry. Net-zero emission commitments revolve around the idea of either eradicating greenhouse gas emissions entirely or compensating for them through actions such as reforestation and carbon capture before release into the atmosphere. With major retailers like Loblaws and Walmart recently making net-zero commitments, it becomes imperative for food manufacturers to follow suit ..read more

Food waste is a significant problem worldwide, and Canada is no exception. Each year, millions of tons of perfectly edible food end up in landfills, contributing to environmental degradation and wasted resources. However, there’s a growing movement in Canada that’s helping to tackle this issue head-on: upcycling food products.  By rescuing rejected fruits and vegetables and turning them into premium products, this movement is not only reducing food waste but also bringing about a positive impact on the environment and fostering innovation in the food industry. And instead of letting these ..read more

Special to Food & Beverage Manitoba Maple Leaf Foods has served Canadians for more than 100 years by delivering high-quality and nutritious food.  We have continued to innovate, transform, adapt, and grow to become one of Canada’s leading producers of fresh and prepared meats, poultry, and plant-based protein products, and are deeply connected to Manitoba and its many communities.  The province is home to several of Maple Leaf Foods’ flagship processing plants and the focus of our hog production.  We employ over 5,000 workers at our Lagimodiere, Brandon, and P ..read more

In Canada, it is a new time to cultivate Truth and Reconciliation. We can create more inclusion in the structure and the benefits of inclusion with Indigenous peoples. There are many challenges to reaching the outcome of Indigenous parity. It starts with confident leaders’ willingness to take the lead in having uncomfortable conversations. Is there a standard approach for implementing the calls to action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) within the context of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)? Visionary leader and former Chief of the Cowessess First Na ..read more

Once there was a video rental company called Blockbuster. From the early 1980’s to the mid-1990’s, they ruled the movie rental market. Then, an upstart company by the name of Netflix came along in 1997. In 2000, the fledgling company proposed a partnership. Blockbuster balked, refusing to look at future trends. Eventually, they went bankrupt in 2010. Today, Netflix’s net worth is now more than $190 billion. Sarah Duval of The United Way’s Social Purpose Institute says the lesson here is that companies must identify trends and possess the vision to make changes when market forces begin to shift ..read more

It’s easy to see non-environmentally-friendly packaging at the grocery store and think you can change the world with a couple of obvious tweaks, but it’s a lot tougher than it looks. Dana McCauley, CEO of the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN), says perishable and non-perishable items have travelled a long bumpy road before they end up in your shopping cart. First, food producers need to get their products to a distribution centre safely and without contaminants. There they’ll get moved around by forklifts, put on skids and loaded into trucks before being placed on a store shelf. “A lot o ..read more