Food Focus

For many the word hemp is synonymous with cannibis. The truth, however, is that hemp is a plant that grows without THC (the pyshchoactive ingredient in cannibis) and has a wide range of uses - from food to industrial fibre. To help draw back the curtain on the mystery of hemp, Mike chatted with Dr. Jane Kolodinsky, from the University of Vermont to get an introduction to the history, uses, and potential of hemp.

The pandemic has been tough on everyone but it has been especially tough on restaurants. While change for the industry was inevitable, this significant shock may catalyze some significant changes going forward. Food writer Corey Mintz has written a book - The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Then and What Comes After. Mike talks to Corey about some of the key themes in his book, how restaurants will change and what we can do individually to get the types of restaurants we would like to see in the future.

As we are getting a bit more freedom (whether temporary or permanent) and venturing back into restaurants, we hear a lot about labour shortages. Why are restaurants struggling to find people to work? Is this novel and due to the pandemic or is it a broader systemic problem. Bruce McAdams and Rebecca Gordon wrote a piece in the Conversation (https://theconversation.com/worker-shortage-or-poor-work-conditions-heres-whats-really-vexing-canadian-restaurants-167614) suggesting that at least part of the problem is that many (not all) operators don't offer appealing jobs. Mike talks to them both about their article and issue broadly. We often hear challenges about hiring across the food system from farm to fork and, while this discussion is specific to restaurants, there are likely lessons for anyone who hires people in the food system.

In this episode, Mike chats with Dr Beth Ventura about animal welfare. Beth is a teaching professor in animal welfare and behaviour at the University of Minnesota. She studies the science of animal welfare - understanding how animals are doing and what they prefer - but also some of the challenges to making progress in animal welfare both on the farm and in the public conversation.

Labelling foods with genetically modified ingredients has been a contentious debate. Some argue labelling is unnecessary and causes undue alarm. Others suggest consumers have a right to know. There remains a question as to whether it matters to consumers and whether labels will make any difference at all even if we do label. In this episode Mike chats with Dr Jane Kolodinsky of the University of Vermont to get her perspective on the issue.

The Opaskwayak Cree Nation has built a small smart vertical farm in Northern Manitoba. The technology is very cool but the impact on the local community is what really caught my interest. Vertical farms are not some sort of futuristic pipe dream but real and practical production systems that are evolving to provide food sources in all sorts of different communities. This episode is dedicated to shining the light on one that is working.

Farmers are people too. Economists traditionally assume that farmers will behave rationally and maximize profits. The truth is there are many things that influence farmer decisions in adopting new practices, products, or technologies. That's the point Dr Ellen Goddard made in her Presidential Address to the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society. I this episode, Mike talks to Ellen about why we need to spend as much time thinking about producer behaviour as we do consumer behaviour.

In this episode of Food Focus, Mike talks to Dr Kelly Barratt a dairy veterinarian in Ontario. Their conversation ranges from the role of a veterinarian in modern dairy production, how she became a vet, the joys and challenges of being a female veterinarian, and the critical issue of on farm mental health. Her passion for being a vet is clear and you'll find it engaging and educational. The episode ends with a discussion of on farm and on the job mental health and the role of veterinarians in supporting farmers. This one is worth a listen.

Cellular agriculture is not a concept you hear about every day - but it soon might be. You've heard about lab grown meat. We can also produce some dairy proteins using genetically modified yeasts. Technological innovation is allowing a wide variety of food products and ingredients to be produced outside of traditional agricultural production. In this episode, Mike has a conversation with Dr. Lenore Newman of the University of the Fraser Valley to get her perspective on what's coming and what it means for food supply and food security.

We hear a lot of different descriptions of egg production - cage free, enriched housing, free run, free range - but what does it all mean? How should we be making choices? It seems as though the industry is struggling with it as well as the Retail Council of Canada just rescinded a cage free commitment to move into alignment with the national codes of practice on laying hen housing. In this episode Mike talks to Dr. Tina Widowski to get a better understanding of what is actually going on.

Brian Alexander grows grass in Kansas for a living. Mike wanted to chat with him because many say he is farming regeneratively. We are hearing more and more about regenerative agriculture and many of us aren't sure what it means. In this episode Mike talks to Brian about what he does and why he does it. This will be the first of several episodes on regenerative farming to improve our understanding the term.

Food Focus is back after some technical issues and the recruitment of a new producer we will be posting regular episodes again. In this episode I speak with two researchers from the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph. We talk about how carbon taxes affect farmers and what the future of carbon credits for farmers might look like. Taxes are here now and credits or carbon markets are still emerging and we discuss some of those challenges.

Mike had a conversation with Hal Herzog as part of a seminar for the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare at the University of Guelph. They talk about how we think about different animals differently, why it happens and what it means.

How does a small family run grocery store thrive in the era of big box grocery retail and ongoing consolidation? In this episode, Mike speaks with Jackie Fraser of Fraberts Fresh Foods about how they differentiate in the market by selling local and developing a relationship of trust with customers. They talk about the keys to success and some of the challenges a smaller player faces. They also talk about the Ontario Food Terminal - a lifeline of product for small grocers and restaurants.

This is the podcast version of my second YouTube discussion with experts on the dairy and palm issue. I visit with a dairy farmer (Andrew Campbell), a dairy nutritionist (Mike Steele), and a veterinarian (Stephen LeBlanc) about what is happening, what we need to understand better, and where we go from here. You can also see the video version of the discussion if you prefer that to a podcast (https://youtu.be/c_h7zsIpQXc).

Palm oil has gotten a lot of attention lately, particularly in the context of dairy feed. This video presents and discussion with three experts from the University of Guelph and highlights what palm oil is, why it is used in the food industry, why and how it is used in dairy nutrition and how it might be affecting milk and processed products. We originally posted this as a video on YouTube (https://youtu.be/vvaqBMfRY44) but I thought some people might prefer the podcast format.

Many of us take internet connectivity for granted. For some, however, in rural communities even simple things like streaming a Netflix program is frustratingly unpredictable. This affects not only leisure time but also critical economic and social functions. Running a business is impossible without good and affordable internet. We are learning more from home. We are bridging the health service access gap in rural and northern communities with tele-health services. In this episode Mike speaks with Helen Hambly from the University of Guelph about why broadband matters and what we should be doing to improve it.

This is the second conversation that Mike had with Chef Pam Fanjoy. The focus on Pam's culinary therapy program that provides both cooking skills and mental health and life skills support. She uses a kitchen as a context for an activity to help people relax and be somewhat distracted while dealing with broader issues.

This is the 50th episode of the Food Focus podcast. We're exited to hit this milestone and look forward to talking to many more people about a wide variety of issues related to food. This episode is the first half of Mike's conversation with Chef Pam Fanjoy. She talks about her food business (restaurant, meals to go, and more) before and after COVID and how her business reflects her values.

In this episode Mike talks to Ken McEwen about Canada's pork industry. The Canadian industry represents 6% of farm cash receipts and we export between 60 and 70% our our production. This is a profoundly important segment of our ag sector and many people don't have any idea of how it works. They talk about industry structure, strengths, challenges and opportunities.