Emerging Trends

Productivity gains outpace steep rise in agricultural energy use since 1990

Experts say moving to LED lighting has meant a huge reduction in energy costs, especially in dairy and poultry.

Third-generation farmer Ron Lamb remembers his father pulling six-metre-wide crop-seeding equipment around his southern Alberta grain fields in the 1990s, overlapping on each pass to make sure he covered all the ground.

Meat consumption is changing

While meat consumption is down overall, consumption of chicken and eggs is actually rising.

Meat consumption in North America is changing. Product developers and policy-makers need to understand the reasons for that change.

Crazy for meal kits

HelloFresh Canada, the country’s largest meal kit player, offers many poultry-based options like this turkey scallopini dish.

It’s hard for some to believe that the meal kit sector is booming. It’s strange to think that people would buy a kit with all the ingredients for a meal (or have it delivered) and cook it when they could just buy the ingredients themselves for a substantially lower price.

Public Insight: Earning trust in innovation

New digital tool What are the values that drive consumers when it comes to credibility about information on their food? See the latest research from CCFI on foodintegrity.ca using a new methodology called ‘digital ethnography’ to document consumer behaviour online to help establish five key segments of consumers based on values and motivations.

Most Canadians celebrate innovation when it comes to their phones, cars and medical breakthroughs. Break out the party horns!

How is the turkey industry responding to shifts in consumer demand?

This year, Turkey Farmers of Canada and some provincial boards are promoting turkey as a great option on the BBQ.

Whole bird turkey sales in Canada have declined quite a bit over the last few years, especially during the last two. Still, the turkey sector in Canada and in the U.S. continues to find success building consumption of other products.

Updating the food guide

CFC says special interest groups have mobilized to drive non-science-based changes to the Canada Food Guide and Healthy Eating Strategy.

As has been done periodically since it was created decades ago, the Canada Food Guide is being updated again, this time as part of a new Healthy Eating Strategy launched by Health Canada in the fall of 2016. Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) and some other groups and individuals have…

Trends: A growing long-term love for chicken

If you think you’ve noticed more chicken than ever on restaurant menus and being served at family gatherings – let alone at your own dinner table – you would be right.

Canada is breakfast sandwich nation

Across Canada, breakfast sandwich sales are exploding. And Canadians’ love for eggs is booming right along with it.More and more restaurant chains across the country are offering all-day breakfast menu items, and Canadians are getting inspired in the kitchen with their own creations. And the results are amazing.After implementing all-day…

A holistic approach to sustainability

Several years ago, the people at Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) noticed a trend. In an increasingly urbanized society, fewer people had a direct connection to where their food came from. Despite this shift, the organization’s CEO Tim Lambert noticed younger Canadians were more interested in where their food came…

Ontario-produced kosher chickens hit the market

It wasn’t exactly the kind of product launch that consumers – and, for that matter, retailers – were expecting. Almost two years after receiving government approval to supply Ontario-sourced kosher chickens, Premier Kosher introduced its free-range birds in 50-pound boxes that were shipped directly to customers, bypassing retailers entirely –…

The healing power of eggs

Pictured are chickens that Japanese researchers genetically engineered to lay eggs carrying a protein known to fight diseases like cancer and hepatitis.

The idea of using a biological system to produce products for human use is not new. Since civilization began, humans have harnessed bacteria, yeast and more to produce alcoholic drinks, fermented foods and, later on, things like silk and insulin.

Eggs beyond breakfast

How time flies – it’s been a year since two major fast food chains introduced all-day breakfast (ADB) in Canada.

Emerging alternative protein trends

In March 2017, Memphis Meats achieved chicken and duck meat production from poultry cells. The company is targeting 2021 for commercial launch.

There is hardly a month that goes by without a new story on cultured meat or plant-based products that look, smell, cook and taste just like meat. Commercialization of both types of foods is moving forward.

Exploring a future without supply management

With the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations on the table, there has been much concern that Canada’s supply management system will once again be on the chopping block. According to a recent survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, some Canadians think it should be.

Animal groups call for chicken welfare changes post Brexit

January 22, 2018 – The “Brexit: getting the best deal for animals” report, produced by animal protection groups and brought together through Wildlife and Countryside Link and the UK Centre for Animal Law, includes a section on poultry within the animals in agriculture section.