By Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) Relations between China and Canada have never been more uncertain. The SNC-Lavalin Affair has exposed the Trudeau government to attacks from Chinese authorities, who claim Canada has unfairly treated Huawei’s executive Meng Wanzhou. She was arrested in Vancouver in December, at the request of the U.S. due to allegations [...]
By Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) If some were still looking for signs that the powerplay between brands and consumers is shifting, they got what they were looking for last week. Kraft Heinz, the owner of major brands we all know and have been buying for years, like Oscar Mayer, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, and Kraft’s Mac [...]
By Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) Calgary Business, 24 January 2019 Net News Ledger, 25 January 2019 Say goodbye to the four food groups; they are now gone. Almost 12 years after the launch of the previous version, the new food guide celebrates food by displaying a plate filled with greens, fruits, plant proteins and [...]
By Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) The Guardian, 24 December 2018 So, we finally went from a slew of alerts on romaine lettuce to a series of clear-cut recalls affecting various produce items, including romaine lettuce and cauliflower. This is the worst time of year for Canadians as our economy is more vulnerable to outbreaks [...]
By Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) Apparently, Canada is going meatless, unless you are a white older male, that is. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, as many Canadians still need a regular meat fix. In fact, many see meat consumption as one of the pleasures in life, as well as a necessary part [...]
BY Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) Troy Media, 09 August 2018 Calgary's Business, 28 August 2018 We seem to be living in an era in which the pleasure of eating is quite simply overpowered by values-based narratives in food consumption. And this is happening at an astonishing pace. Vegetarianism and veganism are both coming into [...]
By SYLVAIN CHARLEBOIS (AIMS Senior Fellow) Troy Media,13 March 2018 Canadians love meat. Many of us have been dedicated to our favourite protein source for years. But other sources of protein are emerging as potent alternatives to animal protein. Demand is up for vegetable proteins like pulses, as well as for fish and seafood, Loblaw has [...]
By SYLVAIN CHARLEBOIS (AIMS Senior Fellow) There has been a lot of noise on cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin of late. While some suggest cryptocurrencies are a fraud, others believe them to be the next economic revolution the world has seen since the internet. Bitcoin has brought to light the interesting concept of blockchain technology which offers [...]
Keeping families and jobs in rural Canada is not easy. Proposed changes to capital gains rules would make it harder for a family member to keep the family farm, according to AIMS senior fellow Sylvain Charlebois. Many wonder how values embedded in everything the family business does can survive if the next [...]
By SYLVAIN CHARLESBOIS (AIMS Senior Fellow) Troy Media, 26 July 2017 Health Canada has recently released the set of principles it intends to adhere to for our next food guide. Health Canada’s message signals a complete revamp of our colourful rainbow of food groups. For example, it appears that a plant-based diet will be strongly [...]