Unfounded fears of chemicals threaten modern society Chemicals are everywhere and all around us, they compose everything, including ourselves. As the basic elements of all matter, we have identified 118 chemical elements. Of those chemical elements, the human body is composed of oxygen (65%), carbon (18%), hydrogen (10%), and nitrogen Read more…
Canada’s food system working to gain trust In the food system, whether its farmers, retailers, or researchers, the public’s trust is vital and a precious gift to receive. Through hard work, the Canadian food system gains the trust of the public, despite the constant presence of negative and misleading media Read more…
Plant Protein: Part 2 Not a new source, and hopefully not a trend Seeking out plant protein is not a new concept, many cultures practice vegetarian diets, and for a large portion of the world, individuals cannot afford animal-sourced protein. While the majority of individuals in the developed world are Read more…
Kicking it off with plant protein When it comes to protein, meat might be the thing you think of after all meat is the “King of Protein”, or so I have been told my entire life. So you may think meat is the logical place to start a series of Read more…
Building proteins from amino acids I never thought I would be writing about the ‘building blocks’ of the human body, amino acids (AA) for a SAIFood blog. Being that SAIFood normally discusses the topics of sustainable agricultural innovations and food, covering what is new or pressing, who knew we’d be Read more…
Agricultural biotech may still be relatively small globally, but it is mighty Biotech, we hear about it frequently, but what really is it? The Webster Dictionary defines biotechnology as the manipulation of living organisms (or component one) to produce a new product (often for commercial uses). There are different streams Read more…
If you haven’t noticed vanilla is everywhere & in everything. Since the 19th century, vanilla transitioned from a rare and exotic flavour profile to a staple of modern food and fragrances. With our growing demand and limited production, the future of vanilla from vanilla is becoming more and more questionable. In the future, will we be able to continue our gluttonous use of vanilla?
Come rain or shine or snow, October is Ag. Month As many of you may be aware, October celebrates agriculture month in Saskatchewan. For us Saskatchewanians, it shouldn’t be hard to see why our government would dedicate a whole month to celebrating one industry. Agriculture and land was the original Read more…
Why growing farm sizes are normal Frequently when I tell someone I’ve just met that I’m an agricultural economist, the conversation almost always involves some version of ‘aren’t big farms bad?’ My answer is usually a sigh and a ‘No’. But why do people ask this question about farm size? Read more…
The need for organ transplants is growing at a rate that needs to be urgently addressed In 2016, 18 of every 100,000 Canadians needed an organ transplant. Of these 6,700 individuals, 260 died waiting for transplants, 409 withdrew from the list, 3,135 went into 2017 awaiting a transplant and 2,903 Read more…