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Keep up with the conversation here.

Are Retailers Driving Food Inflation Through Profiteering?

I often get questions from friends and media when issues emerge. The Toronto Star published a story last week saying that retailer...

Mike von Massow

Jul 24, 20224 min read

62 comments

Another Look at Food Inflation Numbers

Statistics Canada released the food price index for April 2022 and the news continues to be concerning. Year over year food prices have...

Mike von Massow

May 18, 20224 min read

1 comment

Can Governments Control Food Prices??

The rhetoric around inflation generally and food prices specifically is growing louder. It is a point of emphasis for politicians,...

Mike von Massow

Apr 20, 20224 min read

2 comments

Squeezing Processors Will Lead to Higher Prices and Less Choice

Food retailers are getting a lot of attention lately related to increases in supply chain fees imposed on their suppliers. These fees are...

Mike von Massow

Oct 28, 20203 min read

1 comment

Circumstances Creating Opportunities for Direct to Consumer

Our food system has adapted remarkably well to the pressures of the COVID pandemic. We have also seen some adaptation to the change in...

Mike von Massow

Oct 26, 20202 min read

0 comments

Ag System Labour Crisis is about Farm Security not Food Security

The COVID pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated long standing issues with respect to labour in the food system - both on farms and in...

Mike von Massow

Oct 16, 20203 min read

1 comment

Reflecting on Past Trends Reports

The Food Focus team generates an annual Food Trends Report to highlight key factors that will be front and center in the food discourse...

Mike von Massow

Dec 31, 20193 min read

0 comments

Protecting Farms not about Hiding Abuse

The Ontario government has introduced a bill to protect farms from harassment by animal activists. We’ve seen groups of animal activists...

Mike von Massow

Dec 6, 20193 min read

0 comments

Cook, Eat, Work, Thrive: A semi-regular home cook’s plea

I should start this post off by reassuring readers that this is not some sort of “get healthy quick scheme” offering 7 easy steps to...

Molly Gallant

Oct 3, 20196 min read

0 comments

Apocalypse Cow?

A recent report predicts that the North American beef and dairy cattle industry will be significantly disrupted by the development of...

Mike von Massow

Sep 26, 20193 min read

0 comments

Is Canada’s food policy biting off more than it can chew?

Last week, the Government of Canada released “Everyone at the Table”; a food policy for Canada. It has an ambitious agenda covering a...

Mike von Massow

Jun 24, 20192 min read

1 comment

Produce price trends: comparing current prices and historical averages

There is no doubt that food prices have been increasing on average in 2019, mostly driven by the cost of fruit and vegetables.

Mitchell Gingerich

May 15, 20193 min read

0 comments

Meat consumption is changing but it’s not because of vegans

A piece that my colleagues Alfons Weersink, Molly Gallant and I published in the conversation.com on March 11th, 2019. Meat consumption...

Mike von Massow

Mar 13, 20194 min read

0 comments

Vegan virtue signalling complicates trend interpretation

Vegans and vegetarians have been getting considerable attention. The move to increasingly plant-based diets was reinforced by the newly...

Mike von Massow

Mar 4, 20192 min read

0 comments

From cannabis edibles to plant proteins: 2019 food trends

A piece that my colleagues Alfons Weersink, Aaron De Laporte, Liam Kelly and I published on the Conversation on February 12th, 2019. Food...

Mike von Massow

Feb 13, 20195 min read

1 comment

RELATED PROJECTS

Considering the complexity of food, it is no surprise that conversations about it can be broad and diverse. In order to better understand how people think about food, Mike is involved in several projects. Learn more about each project below.

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT PROJECT

Our team is a group of students, faculty and community partners that are committed to working towards a more sustainable future for the restaurant industry. Every year we hold a forum, bringing prominent speakers to the University of Guelph to discuss issues in the Canadian Restaurant Industry.

Learn More

foodFOCUS

Discuss, Challenge, Learn.

BLOG

Keep up with the conversation here.

Are Retailers Driving Food Inflation Through Profiteering?

Another Look at Food Inflation Numbers

Can Governments Control Food Prices??

Squeezing Processors Will Lead to Higher Prices and Less Choice

Circumstances Creating Opportunities for Direct to Consumer

Ag System Labour Crisis is about Farm Security not Food Security

Reflecting on Past Trends Reports

Protecting Farms not about Hiding Abuse

Cook, Eat, Work, Thrive: A semi-regular home cook’s plea

Apocalypse Cow?

Is Canada’s food policy biting off more than it can chew?

Produce price trends: comparing current prices and historical averages

Meat consumption is changing but it’s not because of vegans

Vegan virtue signalling complicates trend interpretation

From cannabis edibles to plant proteins: 2019 food trends

RELATED PROJECTS

Considering the complexity of food, it is no surprise that conversations about it can be broad and diverse. In order to better understand how people think about food, Mike is involved in several projects. Learn more about each project below.

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT PROJECT