Loblaw wants Canadian meat for key stores Thursday, January 12, 2012 by BETTER FARMING STAFFLoblaw Companies Limited, one of Canada’s largest grocers, wants to ensure 100 per cent of the beef and pork products it sells in most of its store banners is Canadian by the end of this year.That means Canadian only meat would be found in meat cases in stores such as Loblaws, Independent, Zehrs and Superstore. The “hard discount banners,” including No Frills, would be excluded, Brad Porter, Loblaw senior category director meat and seafood conventional banners, told producers attending the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association’s annual convention in London last week.Porter says the company is also exploring in 2012 how to introduce traceability for beef products “within the next year or so.” The ideal is that a customer could pick up a T-bone steak, scan its QR (quick response) code with a cell phone and find out the age, breed of cattle, the farm where it was raised and how old it is. “It’s a pretty ambitious target,” he admits. But “how cool would that be?” he asked delegates rhetorically.As well, the grocery chain is considering launching an ingredient traceability system for its proprietary brands. It has established a committee to look at the possibility and work is in the beginning stages, Porter told producers.There are no plans to pass any costs a traceability system might add to customers, he says.One of Loblaw’s goals is to become 100 per cent free from antibiotics and growth hormones in its meat products, but achieving that is farther down the line, Porter says. The approach would be phased in rather than introduced to all of the company’s 1,000 stores across Canada. Porter told producers that the company is keeping an eye on retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s decision last fall to introduce triple A or choice beef into the majority of its U.S. stores. That puts pressure on Loblaw to follow suit if the trend reaches Canada. “It puts a lot of strain on our target margins,” Porter says. BF University plans dairy research facility Property tax policy changes for green energy installations
Canada Post Strike Got you Down–Missing your Ag Buyer’s Guide? Tuesday, September 30, 2025 We know it’s not quite the same as holding a crisp new copy of the in your hands—but with postal workers on strike (yes, again), the digital edition will have to do for now! The Ag Buyer’s Guide Team is pleased to share the October Digital Edition of Ag Buyer's Guide, packed with... Read this article online
Save Time and Costs with the Portable MiniCombine Monday, September 29, 2025 MiniCombine Delivers Fast and Accurate Grain Sampling The MiniCombine is a portable, fully self-contained electric unit designed to simplify grain sampling with speed and precision. Suitable for a wide range of crops including wheat, barley, sorghum, oats, soybeans, peas, field beans,... Read this article online
Poll Reveals Mixed Public Sentiment on BC Ostrich Cull Decision Monday, September 29, 2025 Farms.com poll shows divided opinions among Canadian farmers on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull. A recent poll conducted on Farms.com's X account @OntAg aimed to capture Canadian farmers' views on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull in British... Read this article online
Cereals Canada Expands 2025 Wheat Quality Study to Ontario Monday, September 29, 2025 The 2025 crop year marks a significant milestone for Cereals Canada as it expands its wheat quality analysis to a national scale. Known for over 50 years as a trusted expert in Western Canadian wheat quality, the Winnipeg-based organization is partnering with Grain Farmers of Ontario to... Read this article online
Shell Rotella’s SuperTractors competition Friday, September 26, 2025 Farmers put in long hours and endless dedication to feed and support their communities, and Shell Rotella is proud to spotlight these farmers with the fifth annual competition. Coinciding with —Sunday, October 12, 2025—the virtual event invites farmers across North America to share... Read this article online