Approximately 3,000 seasonal workers from Mexico and the Caribbean began arriving in January to help in Leamington, Ontario and Niagara peninsula greenhouses. That’s the vanguard of what’s expected to be a total of 18,000 seasonal workers in Ontario. 

The fourth anniversary of Canada’s Agriculture Day aims to strengthen the consumer-producer relationship. 

Buy local. Buy Canadian. A new federal campaign will urge consumers to put their buying power behind locally-grown foods. Fresh, frozen, pickled – it all counts. 

American food safety authorities declared that as of January 15, 2020, the E. coli outbreak connected to romaine lettuce from Salinas, California is now over. A total of 165 people were sickened. No deaths were reported. 

Ottawa is hosting the 2020 Canadian Horticultural Council annual general meeting at the Westin Hotel, March 10-12. Get registered now for this educational and networking policy event. 

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association announces a Half Your Plate partnership with 2020 Olympic team qualifier Florence Maheu. The kayaker has qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has launched an online resource to its members that addresses waste and recurring procedural problems. 

January 15, 2020 is a milestone for new regulations that focus on prevention and allow for faster removal of unsafe food.  The rules apply to importers, exporters and all those engaged in interprovincial trade. 

Two projects have received funding for further research. One is identifying potato varieties that reduce environmental impact and cost. The other is turning haskap and Saskatoon berries into anti-oxidant-rich nutritional supplements.

Execulytics Consulting is launching the Produce Almanac, 2020 edition. One key asset is the retail price comparisons weekly 2019 vs 2018, weekly organic vs conventional, varieties within a category, size premiums and source differences.