food
Friday FTW: American farmer sues Monsanto for gross negligence
GMO-giant Monsanto made headlines this week when genetically modified wheat was found in an Oregon crop. Genetically modified (GM) wheat is not approved for production or consumption, even in the U.S., though the company tested the strain in 10 states in the ’90s. Scientists speculate the plants found in Oregon may be the result of… More »
Friday FTW: 13-year-old girl calls for gender-neutral Easy Bake Ovens
When 13-year-old McKenna Pope went to buy an Easy Bake Oven for her little brother (who requested one from Santa), she was appalled to discover that the Hasbro toy only featured females on its packaging, and was only offered in the stereotypically female colours of pink and purple. But instead of settling for an unfairly… More »
A new generation farmer weighs in on beef
Ian McCormick is one of the new generation of Canadian farmers. Thanks to programs like FarmStart and CRAFT (Canadian Regional Alliance for Farmer Training), new farmers — young people and folks who often didn’t grow up farming — are trying their hand at small-scale production. FarmStart helps develop a new generation of farmers by leasing… More »
A rare treat: The perks of local beef
I haven’t had a reaction to animal rights as vivid as I did this weekend since I converted to vegetarianism on my 13th birthday. My family has never really done steak, so for my 13th birthday I asked if we could go to a steak house as a rare treat (no pun intended). My parents… More »
Climate change upsets the apple cart
Last fall, a local Ontario organic apple and pear farmer in my area let our community come and harvest apples for free. A whole bundle of folks trekked out to the orchard, loaded kids in wagons and wheelbarrows, and chose our implements of choice – ladders, milk crates, long sticks with burlap bags on the… More »
Urban Agriculture Roundup
This month marked the inaugural Urban Agriculture Summit in Toronto featuring Will Allen as keynote speaker, author of the Good Food Revolution and founder of Growing Power, Inc. On his website he says, “My vision is to have this world where everyone has access to good food … my work is to help to make… More »
Listening to Lisa Myers and Autumn Chacon cook at the AGO
Last night’s packed-out reception for Lisa Myers and Autumn Chacon’s Toronto Now exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario took on the air of a kitchen party, thanks to the chef’s table in the middle of room, covered in utensils and bowls of produce. But once the two artists started cooking, the chatter turned quiet… More »
Dry Spell: why local isn’t simple
Well, it’s nearly August and Margaret Wente’s abrasive views notwithstanding, I am still standing by my local Community Shared Agriculture program in this raging drought. (If you’re looking for a fight, check out her column from earlier this month where she says, “[locavorism is] the most wasteful, inefficient way to feed the human race you… More »
$18 Peanut Butter. What’s wrong with this picture?
On June 9, protesters gathered outside of Nunavut grocery stores and on Parliament Hill to decry Canada’s shoddy food security situation, highlighted in last month’s scathing UN report. At the helm of the June protests is Leesee Papatsie from Iqaluit. Papatsie started the facebook page Feeding My Family, which now boasts 21,500 members. The page… More »
Why mince words?
UN condemns Canada’s lack of food security. If I’d pursued political cartooning instead of sociology, I would be sketching a picture of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney with his mouth full of cheap imported bananas. He’d have one hand over the mouth of UN rapporteur Olivier De Schutter, and the other distributing food aid “to starving… More »
