In Ontario, a fully automated greenhouse allows lettuce to be grown and harvested with virtually no human intervention—a first in Canada.
Haven Greens had to invest $50 million to make it happen. But the result is striking: the company can operate with just five employees in the greenhouse, whereas it would have required more than 100 pickers using the traditional method.
If you've been noticing white fluff floating around Montreal lately, you're not the only one. Those are seeds from the Eastern Cottonwood tree and it's the season that they're spreading through the air.
CBC News spoke to David Wees, Faculty Lecturer and Assistant Director of the Farm Management and Technology Program at McGill University, to find out more.
French doctors are raising the alarm about rising exposure to cadmium, a toxic heavy metal found in phosphate fertilizers. Cadmium is a known carcinogen linked to kidney damage, bone disease, and other long-term health issues, even at low doses. French doctors are urging France's government to tighten fertilizer regulations to reduce this public health risk.
In the IGA and Metro grocery stores visited this week by Le Journal de Montréal, the price per pound of discounted products appeared on signage, but the regular price per pound was still not indicated, contrary to a new regulation that came into effect on May 7 which requires that grocers to "indicate a single unit of measurement for all goods of the same type." This rule aims to allow consumers to easily compare prices.
Canada's grocery sector code of conduct will finally come into effect on June 1, after years of discussion.
The voluntary grocery code, which all major retailers have agreed to sign on to, aims to support smaller retailers by providing guidelines for fair negotiations with suppliers.
The Quebec cooperative Exceldor, known for its chicken breasts, wings, and nuggets, has taken steps to sell its assets to the Ontario company Aliments Sofina.
For the sale to be completed, it must be approved by two-thirds of the cooperative's members and two-thirds of the investment shareholders, as well as the Canadian Competition Bureau.
Food banks across Canada set a new record for demand in 2024, with more than two million monthly visits—nearly double the rate seen five years prior, reports CBC News.
One reason for the spike in demand is the rising cost of food.
"What we're encountering right now is a problem where food inflation is bigger than general inflation," economist and agronomist Pascal Thériault, Senior Faculty Lecturer at McGill University, told CBC.
While there are plenty of examples to the contrary, the general academic consensus is that boycotts don’t work for a sustained period, as consumers eventually disengage and reprioritize brand loyalties or price. According to a recent poll, however, the Globe and Mail reports that the Buy Canadian movement shows no signs of slowing down.
Some items from quintessentially Canadian brands have jumped in price at a Loblaws in Toronto, CBC News reports.
According to CBC's analysis of grocery products labelled as Canadian, while most products remained the same price and about two per cent decreased in price, the regular price of hundreds of products have increased since governments put out the call to buy food made in Canada. Some are from iconic Canadian brands, including Tim Hortons, St-Hubert, Swiss Chalet, and Chapman's.
US President Donald Trump says Canada has been imposing sky-high tariffs on imported American dairy products. Agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault, Director of the Farm Management and Technology Program at McGill, spoke to CBC and Global News to give key context on this issue in their reporting:
Quebec supermarket chains say boycotts of American products are having a direct impact on US food sales, TVA reports.
Grocery stores have put new measures in place to indicate the origin of their products. Loblaw recently announced they will be adding a logo to identify products subject to customs tariffs.
Please join us in congratulating the 2025 winners of the Macdonald Campus Gold Key Awards, selected for their outstanding contributions, passion, and commitment to enriching student life on our campus. Read their stories below.
In a recent article, CBC News spoke to several experts who say U.S. tariffs on Canadian dairy products would have little effect on Canada's protectionist system.
The director of McGill University's Farm Management and Technology Program agrees that these tariffs would have a "somewhat limited" impact on industry.
Canadian grocery giant Loblaw is preparing to add labels to U.S. products affected by tariffs, allowing consumers to distinguish them from other products on shelves and understand why they cost more.
McGill University agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault told Radio-Canada that this measure will support consumers in their choices.
A Sanimax animal rendering plant in Montreal's east end has drawn complaints from residents for years, largely centering on odors coming from the facility. Recently, an agreement reached between the company and the City of Montreal to address the issue by retrofitting the factory seems to have fallen apart.
