Rising costs of cocoa due to drought and disease affecting crop yields is proof of how global warming is hitting our pocketbooks, agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault, McGill Farm Management and Technology Program Director, told CBC.

The food system "relies on stability, and what climate change does is it creates situations where nothing is stable," he said.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault
Published on: 2 Apr 2024

Large retailers are reducing their formats to cut production costs in a period of high food inflation.

Shrinkflation is not sparing the private labels that consumers love to save money on, Radio-Canada reports. Already in the spotlight for their record profits, Canada's major food retailers are in turn reducing the formats of their new products.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault
Published on: 21 Mar 2024

With its burps and farts, a dairy cow emits as much methane every year as a car driven 20,000 kilometers. Ottawa has just authorized the marketing of a feed additive that could transform the fight against global warming on the farm. 3-NOP could reduce methane emissions from dairy cows by an average of 30%, and from beef cattle by an average of 45%.

How does it work?

Methane is formed in cows' rumen—the front compartment of their stomach—during digestion.

Classified as: Andréanne La Salle
Published on: 15 Mar 2024

The Ottawa Valley Farm Show, a cornerstone event for the agricultural industry, not only celebrates the achievements of local farmers but also showcases the latest agricultural products and technologies essential for sustaining industry growth.

Caitlin Allen, a recent graduate of McGill's Farm Management and Technology Program, aspires to one day own a dairy farm, but knows that passion and hard work are just part of the puzzle. Innovation is crucial.

Published on: 14 Mar 2024

Although bananas are not immune to price spikes, as seen recently due to poor harvests, the desire of retailers to keep them affordable and an efficient production chain largely explain why the popular fruit remains among the most accessible in the supermarket year round, agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault, McGill Farm Management and Technology Program Director, told La Presse.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault
Published on: 27 Feb 2024

A group of Montrealers, upon seeing a huge truck filled with unsold food from grocery stores each week in their neighbourhood, are raising the alarm about the extent of food waste.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault
Published on: 20 Feb 2024

On Canada's Agriculture Day on February 13, year 2 and 3 students in McGill's Farm Management and Technology (FMT) program attended the Future of Food conference in Ottawa, thanks to sponsors Farm Credit Canada and CropLife Canada. This one-day event features speakers and industry leaders in Canadian agriculture and food discussing innovation and how Canada can shape the food industry.

Published on: 14 Feb 2024

Times are tough in the ready-to-eat and boxed meal industries. In order to be able to continue in business, Cook it has taken steps to protect itself from creditors, and is planning to be bought out by British Columbia-based Fresh Prep Foods.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault
Published on: 5 Feb 2024

The spike in farmland prices has boosted the equity of farmers all across Canada. Are farmers leveraging this new-found equity to generate new business opportunities or farm wealth? To explore what farmland values mean for farms and farming across Canada, Country Guide sat down with Pascal Thériault, agricultural economist at Macdonald Campus, McGill University and vice-president of Quebec’s Ordre des agronomes.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault, Farm Management and Technology
Published on: 28 Nov 2023

In answer to a question posed by a reader, La Presse looked into the origins of the Metro group with expert commentary from agricultural economist Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill's Farm Management and Technology program and Senior Faculty Lecturer.

Among the five major players in the grocery field (Metro, IGA, Loblaw, Costco and Walmart), Metro is the only one to have its head office in Quebec. The big decisions are therefore made here, indicated Thériault.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault, Farm Management and Technology
Published on: 13 Nov 2023

After "shrinkflation," it's now de-qualification drawing criticism from consumers concerned about marketing ploys that give the impression of getting less for their money. The Trudeau government promises to investigate the practice, but experts say immediate action is needed.

In most cases, ingredient substitutions are virtually imperceptible. But recipe changes for certain foods can leave their mark.

Classified as: Pascal Thériault
Published on: 9 Nov 2023

The apple is constantly being reinvented, changing with the times and cultures. The Malus domestica species comes in some 7,500 varieties.

"Today, people want crisp, sweet apples. Quebec used to import a lot of Granny Smiths; they're now much less popular because they're very acidic," explains David Wees, a McGill Plant Science lecturer and Associate Director of the university's Farm Management and Technology Program.

Classified as: david wees, Horticulture Research Centre
Published on: 11 Oct 2023

Even though she grew up on a farm, Stéphanie Naud had never touched an axe or saw before studying at McGill's Mac campus. As a natural athlete who loved the outdoors and working with her hands, when she heard about our unique inter-university lumberjack club, she was intrigued, she recently told Le journal de Montréal. 

Classified as: Woodsmen
Published on: 2 Oct 2023

With fall officially here, it's time for Lennoxville, Quebec's annual Giant Pumpkin Festival, where people can see pumpkins that weigh as much as 680 kilograms.

The festival — which is taking place at the Amédée Beaudoin community centre Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — is a family event with bouncy castles, a petting zoo, a farmers' market, music and even horse-drawn carriages.

Alexandre Lemire started growing giant pumpkins three years ago after being inspired by festival founder Mike Macdonald's crops. Last year, his biggest pumpkin weighed 704 kilograms.

Classified as: david wees, Department of Plant Science, Farm Management and Technology Program
Published on: 27 Sep 2023

If you’ve noticed that certain products in the grocery store taste different from how you remember, it’s possible some of their ingredients have been swapped for cheaper alternatives. 

Experts say food producers are increasingly changing the ingredients in products to cut costs amid soaring food prices and labour shortages—a practice known as “skimpflation.” Could our health be at stake?

Classified as: Pascal Thériault
Published on: 5 Sep 2023

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