Food Focus

Mike chats with Dana McAualey about the future of meat. We are seeing more and more restaurants offering plant based burgers (most recently McDonalds and the McPlant). Singapore recently approved lab grown meat for human consumption. Are the stars aligned for the end of traditional livestock production? While there are clear changes in meat consumption, we believe that we are not at the end of meat but just at milestone in the increasing diversification of the North American diet.

This is the second half of Mike's conversation with Angela Straathof on soil. In the first half they spoke about why soil is important and what soil health means. In this episode they talk about improving soil health and the potential for carbon sequestration or carbon capture as a revenue source for farmers.

This is the second half of Mike's conversation with Angela Straathof on soil. In the first half they spoke about why soil is important and what soil health means. In this episode they talk about improving soil health and the potential for carbon sequestration or carbon capture as a revenue source for farmers.

In this episode, Mike has a conversation with Angela Straathof, a soil scientist with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association. This is the first half of a longer conversation. They talk about why we should care about soil and how its so much more than just dirt - in fact Angela says we shouldn't use the "D" word at all.

We are hearing more and more about large food retailers increasing the charges they put on suppliers. These are the costs of doing business with these retailers who provide access to a large share of the consumer base. In this mini-pod Mike provides a perspective on what these fees do in the market place. He anticipates higher costs (or smaller packages), less choice, and more pressure on an already imperiled food processing sector.

Mental health is a topic we need to bring to the fore; in agriculture and everywhere. During ag mental health week, Mike spoke with Jason Medows, host of the mental health focused Ag State of Mind podcast, about the issue and how to help. Jason has a unique perspective as a farmer, a pharmacist, and someone who has battled mental health himself.

In this episode Mike speaks with Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute on the issue of food security. We've seen food security issues worsen during the pandemic. They talk about why that is and what we might do about it to lessen the impacts of food security in North America and around the world.

Have you tried online ordering and home delivery for groceries yet? If so was it a good experience? If not, whats holding you back? In this episode Mike speaks with Sarah Joyce, Senior VP of Ecommerce at Sobey's about their new Voila home delivery offering. We talk about the size of the market, what their research suggests are the keys to success, some details or their offering, and what an online customer shops like.

This is a first for Food Focus. This is a mini pod - a shorter recording with just the host, Mike von Massow, providing a perspective on a topical issue. In this mini pod, Mike talks about tipping and restaurants. Many restaurants are talking about ending the practice of tipping. Mike talks about why, some of the pro's and con's of tipping and why it may be tough to change - especially in the current climate.

Many sectors in modern agriculture depend on seasonal labour to plant, maintain, and harvest crops. Often these jobs are done by temporary foreign workers, new immigrant, or undocumented workers. In fact cheap labour is essential across the entire food system from farms, through processing to restaurants and retail. The COVID pandemic has highlighted dependence of the food system on these low wage workers. In this episode Mike speaks with Evan Fraser, the Director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph about the issue and what we might do to move forward.

Waste - including food waste - is increasingly in our consciousness. In this episode my colleague Mark Wickson speaks with Laura Nash about the Zero Waste movement. They talk about her motivation and experiences as she works towards a life with no waste. They acknowledge some of the challenges and explore opportunities.

In this episode Mike talks to Dr Jess Haines, Co-Director of the Guelph Family Health Study about new research on how families are being affected by the pandemic. Jess shares some new survey results on how family's routines have changed during the crisis. They talk about less exercise, more meal planning and preparation, more meals prepared as a family, shopping habits, and more. Jess also shares some resources the GFHS has prepared to help families.

Have you ever wondered how restaurants might operate in the future? Will the COVID Pandemic accelerate or catalyze some of the changes? This is the second half of Mike's discussion with Bruce McAdams on restaurants and COVID. They talk about what restaurants might look like in a few years. They cover issues like delivery, specialization, labour, pricing and revenue management. A fundamental question is what is hospitality - what creates value for customers and how do we deliver that?

What will restaurants look like as they re-open after COVID-19 lockdowns? This episode is the first half of a conversation with my friend and colleague UofG's Bruce McAdams on restaurants and COVID. We talk about what we might expect in terms of our experience in restaurants and also some of the things that might not be as obvious to the average guest. The restaurant industry is hurting more than you might think and this first stage of opening may do more harm than good. In our next episode we look into the future to talk about some long term changes that might come to the industry - stay tuned.

Flour has never been as cool. Temporary shortages coupled with a surge in baking as people are staying at home during the pandemic has brought flour into the mainstream. In this episode, Mike talks to Melissa McKeown who runs 1847 Milling, a micro miller in southwestern Ontario. They talk about starting and running a small farm based food business, competing against the giants, and some the challenges such as rural internet access. They also talk about different kinds of flour and what makes a good flour.

In this episode Mike has a conversation with Dana McCauley about food innovation and trends and how they are changing given the COVID19 pandemic.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the agri-food system has experienced unprecedented demand shocks. Questions and concerns about Canadian food supply chains have been discussed as new food processing plant closures are announced. In this podcast episode we sat down with John Masswohl, member of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, to discuss the challenges present in the beef industry and how ripple effects of this pandemic impact everyone from primary producer through to consumer.

From farm to table, a new year typically presents new opportunities and challenges within the food system. Predicting these changes can allow us to better prepare for what may come. However, it is important to consider not only the consumer side of food, but also what may change in primary production. In this episode of the Food Focus Podcast we sat down with Len Kahn, President of Kahntact Marketing, to discuss his predictions for food trends in 2020.

The food industry seems to be constantly evolving and adapting. This makes predicting future food trends difficult - but not impossible. Jo-Ann McArthur and her team at Nourish Food Marketing are experts on all things food and are up for the challenge. In their 2020 food trends report, they’ve taken a high level look at how our interactions with food are changing. In this episode, we sat down with Jo-Ann to discuss some of their trend predictions for this year.

In this series of episodes titled Talking to Farmers, our objective is to introduce listeners to farmers and give you insight into their lives and work. In this episode, we sat down with Emily den Haan, a dairy farmer who manages Haanview Farms operations. We cover everything from how Emily first got started in dairy farming to what she thinks the industry will look like in the future.