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Canadian Consumers Protected

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the federal government will boost protection for Canadian consumers with a tough and comprehensive overhaul of food and product safety laws. Earlier in the day, the government tabled legislation in the House of Commons designed to improve the safety of food, consumer, and health products in Canada.

The legislative package proposes amendments to the Food and Drugs Act as well as a new Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. The changes include a crack down on negligent manufacturers, importers and retailers who knowingly endanger their customers. Public access to information about product safety would also be improved, giving Canadians more control over their own health protection.

After all of the recalled food products, this is a really good way to protect Canadians ensuring that what we are buying is safe.

Source: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&id=2059

Children’s Ad Ban Unrealistic

A proposal to ban all television advertising of food and drinks aimed at children under age 13 in Ontario is unrealistic in the internet age, and governments should instead concentrate on better educating both parents and children about commercials, advertisers and media observers said Monday.

The proposed private member’s bill in Ontario, introduced Monday, would be even less effective in today’s wired world, and children need to be taught to be more media savvy, said Jane Tallim, co-executive director of the Ottawa-based Media Awareness Network.

“TV tends to be quite a passive medium. The child watches an engaging commercial and it might encourage them to ask for a particular product,” Tallim said in an interview.

“But on the internet, you have marketers building whole environments that kids become immersed in, and that’s much more powerful in building brand identity and brand loyalty.”

The Media Awareness Network has a game on its website that helps children learn about advertising and how companies target them; Tallim said that’s a more effective approach than trying to implement a ban that just wouldn’t work.

The Concerned Children’s Advertisers — which represents 16 major food and beverage companies including General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, Coca Cola and Pepsico — said Monday that the ban on advertising directed at children in Quebec has not lowered child obesity rates.

The children’s advertisers have adopted a new code in which some members will stop making commercials aimed at children under 12, cartoon characters will no longer be used to promote fast foods, and companies will use ads to promote healthier food choices and a more active lifestyle.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/04/08/ont-advertising.html

Ontario Gets Cake, and Eats it Too!

Ontario has helped attract Canada’s largest, privately owned dessert company, The Original Cakerie, to the community of London.

Manufacturing companies across North America face challenges from global competition, a high Canadian dollar and slowing economic growth in the United States. Ontario’s skilled workforce, rich resources and ideal proximity to markets provide the right environment for businesses to succeed.

he province will provide $2.5 million to The Original Cakerie and its partner, the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board, for the construction of a new plant in London, expected to be completed by January 2009. Ontario’s wheat producers and dairy and egg farmers will benefit from the company’s need for local ingredients.

“We pride ourselves in creating delicious, high quality desserts and we’re aiming to be an employer of choice. London and the surrounding rural communities have the perfect combination of skilled labour, material resources and a community culture that is aligned with our company’s core values,” said David Hood, president of The Original Cakerie.

“I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to The Original Cakerie. London has the skilled labour and material resources as well as the infrastructure that an outstanding business like this one needs,” said Khalil Ramal, MPP London-Fanshawe.

“This new facility will create economic benefits and employment opportunities in our community which will be felt in London and across our province,” said Deb Matthews, MPP London North Centre.

Source: http://www.omaf.gov.on.ca/english/infores/releases/2008/022908.htm

Street Meat A la Carte

The City of Toronto is taking the next step to encourage and regulate the sale of a variety of tasty food alternatives to hotdogs and sausages in public places such as public squares and parks.

City Council in January approved a pilot project that starts with planning and consultation on the design and manufacture of up to 15 “Toronto a la cart” food-vending carts. The City’s intention is to have the pilot project up and cooking by mid-summer. The City is regulating the program to ensure that the food is safe to eat.

Benefits of this new food program
New provincial regulations for the sale of street foods give the City the opportunity to benefit from the sale of a wider range of food items on Toronto streets. Benefits include

• Introducing street food which reflects the breadth and depth of Toronto’s cultural diversity.
• Strengthening Toronto’s image-building efforts by branding the City as a place where residents and visitors can enjoy an array of authentic cuisine from all corners of the world. A Toronto Street Food Program, under the “Toronto a la Cart” brand and delivered through well-designed carts with a common look and feel, will further enhance this image in a highly visible, recognizable and public way.
• Promoting local cuisine and contributing to the recognition of Toronto as a desirable destination within the growing culinary tourism industry.
• Providing healthier fast food choices for Toronto residents and visitors.

Source: http://www.toronto.ca/business/alacart.htm

Competition on the Rise

Ontario’s food and beverage processors can increase their competitiveness and reduce costs with new technical, advisory, training and environmental sustainability programs designed and delivered by industry experts.

The province is providing $3 million as follows:

• The Alliance of Ontario Food Processors will receive $2 million to design and deliver a program to encourage innovation and productivity in the food processing sector. Program components could include expert advice on adopting new technologies, skills training and competitiveness research for the food sector, including tender fruit and vegetable processing.
• The Guelph Food Technology Centre will receive $1 million to carry out environmental and energy audits at food plants, and training programs for plant managers to implement the changes recommended in the audits.

“We want to ensure that food manufacturers have access to the latest technology and skills,” said Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Leona Dombrowsky. “We are working to put the sector on a more stable foundation for the future.”

Source: http://www.omaf.gov.on.ca/english/infores/releases/2008/013108.htm

Not Organic, No Label!

As of December 14, 2008, The Canada Organic Regime is the Government of Canada’s response to requests by the organic sector and consumers to develop a regulated system for organic agricultural products. The Organic Products Regulations (the Regulations) define specific requirements for organic products to be labelled as organic or that bear the Canada Organic Logo.

The Canada Organic Regime has been developed to:

• Protect consumers against misleading or deceptive labelling practices;
• Reduce consumer confusion about the definition of organic;
• Facilitate the access of Canadian organic products to foreign markets that require regulatory oversight; and
• Support further development of the domestic market.

As of December 14, 2008, any product with an organic claim must comply with the requirements of the Organic Products Regulations.

• Only products with organic content that is greater than 95% may be labelled as: “Organic” or with the Canada Organic Logo and/or the designations “Canada Organic” and “Biologique Canada”.
• Multi-ingredient products with 70-95% organic content may have the declaration: “% organic products.” These products may not use the Canada Organic Logo and/or the designations “Canada Organic” and “Biologique Canada”.
• Multi-ingredient products with less than 70% organic content may only contain organic claims in the product’s ingredient list. These products may not use the Canada Organic Logo and/or the designations “Canada Organic” and “Biologique Canada”.

Certified organic products must also bear the name of the certification body that has certified the product as organic.

This is a really good step that the Canadian government is taking to protect consumers because of the high prices of organic food. Because of this new regime, we can be 100% sure that the food we are purchasing are in fact organic and worth the price. Go Green!

Source: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/orgbio/stainte.shtml

Canada’s Oldest Brewery Turns Out the Lights

Molson, Canada’s oldest brewer, is pleased to announce that all its Canadian facilities will turn-off non-essential lights on Saturday, March 29, from 8 to 9 p.m. (local time), in support of Earth Hour. This global initiative calls on individuals and businesses around the world to turn off their lights and show their support for taking action on climate change. Molson’s participation in Earth Hour kicks off the brewer’s Energy Conservation Awareness Program for 2008.

“Our participation in Earth Hour is one way of saying that energy conservation is an important issue for our company,” says Daniel Pelland, Molson Chief Brewing Officer. “It symbolizes the efforts that we make every day at Molson to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and our environmental footprint,” he adds.

Similar energy-efficiency programs have also been implemented at all its Canadian facilities, resulting in substantial energy savings from coast-to-coast. Molson has set targets to reduce its overall energy use, indexed to production, by 5 percent this year.

Molson’s participation in Earth Hour and the Molson Energy Efficiency Week are all part of a larger ongoing Energy Conservation Program that will encourage Molson employees to change behaviors that waste energy and water, whether at work or at home.

Molson’s participation in Earth Hour sets an example for all other companies to follow. Their idea to turn out the lights for one hour will help save a lot of energy and shows they are socially responsible being the oldest brewery in Canada. Kudos to them!

Source: http://cnrp.ccnmatthews.com/client/molson/release.jsp?actionFor=837084&releaseSeq=1&category=5&year=2008&logo=http://www.ccnmatthews.com/logos/20060203-mol_200.jpg
http://blog.molson.com/community/

Good Things Grow in Ontario

To promote Ontario’s home grown food, they brought back a jingle they used from the ’80’s to catch the attention of grocery shoppers to choose Ontario produce.

Source: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/infores/releases/2007/062107.htm