Food Bubble

When it comes to spirits production in North America, there isn't anyone bigger than Windsor, Ontario's Hiram Walker. They make and bottle brands like JP Wisers, Malibu Rum, Polar Ice Vodka, McGuiness liquers & more. For their Master Blender Dr. Don Livermore, it was the career he dreamed of at first, but you can easily tell just how passionate he has become on whisky. What makes a good product? How do you know what consumers want 10 years from now? And how does Canada make an impact globally? It's all questions we get answers to.

Food waste is becoming a clear concern for millions of Canadians. Stories of bushels of apples being thrown out because they didn't look right or sour cream that was discarded because it was getting close to its best before date are all getting more attention as something that needs to change. But few have been doing more than Lori Nikkel at Second Harvest. Her team has worked hard to match food that might otherwise be thrown out, with people that need it. And now they are rolling out a new tool to help people match that need even more effectively all over Canada. Imagine a breakfast program finding apples from an orchard or community centre discovering cookies that need to be used up from a retailer. We talk how big of an issue it is and what we can all do about it in this episode.

The conversation around eating meat and the impact on the environment isn't going anywhere. Whether that be plant-based food companies touting their product as the saviour of climate change, or meat-based farmers and food companies touting their sustainability efforts as the way forward, it can be hard to find the middle ground. That's why we thought we better call a doctor. Dr. Jude Capper is a Livestock Sustainability Consultant based on the UK who looks at all kinds of data to piece together a clearer picture on what impact livestock farming has on the environment, both good & bad. In this episode we cover all kinds of questions like what is the real impact, does it matter where the milk or meat comes from, and can more be done to make raising food sustainable?

Michael Barrett may have wanted to stand in front of a classroom, but instead he is standing in front of Canada's dairy industry. The President & CEO of Gay Lea Foods Co-operative has had the job for 5 years, leading the company through the biggest partnerships, investments and purchases the company has ever seen. From a household name in Ontario, to adding in goat milk, members in another province and stretching into Alberta, Barrett is betting that a coast to coast company will fare far better than a small, regional player.

When it comes to beef, burgers and steaks are usually top of mind in North America. Maybe a pot roast or prime rib dinner. But that is far from all that a beef animal produces. There's lots of less popular cuts like tendons and belly, that have usually been sold internationally - but are now growing more popular here at home. Why is cow stomach and bone marrow demand growing? We find out from:

When we think about robots, most may think about their Roomba or something along the line of a car factory. But robots are also finding their way onto farms. In this episode, we find out how robots have been milking cows in Canada for over 20 years, and how another Canadian company hopes their robot revolutionizes how grain is grown.

If you look at what Google thinks a farmer is, you'll find plaid and men.

Things that many of us take for granted here in Canada are real-life struggles for millions in other parts of the world. Having enough food to eat, having a place to sell a product, having a safe place to sleep or wondering about the safety of your next meal. There are many projects that Canadians undertake globally to help those in need, but we wanted to focus on three of them that were helping farmers and helping feed & build up communities with some great success.

It's probably happened to you too. Thinking of what to have at a restaurant, wondering if you'd better have one thing over another because of what the other person might think of you. The same can be said for what you might get at the grocery store or put in your child's lunch. So we wanted to dig into whether that judgement was real or more our imagination. While trying to find it, we found a much bigger conversation. One that involves culture and morality, about guilt and grief, and about something that millions fight with every day.

I haven't found anyone that stocks their pantry with it yet, but cricket powder is now for sale at grocers as part of a growing trend to eat insects. Ants, grasshoppers or crickets, whole or ground, it's seen as a new way to get protein. We find out from an organizer of the event BugFeast as well as the CEO of a cricket farm just where this business is going and how long before we all think insects are a great afternoon snack.