Every Monday, TVO.org talks Food Chain — snack on these policy, nutrition and food safety nuggets from around the province and beyond
Their plan wasn’t so gouda after all
A Niagara regional police officer has been convicted for his role in a cheese-and-chicken-wing smuggling ring that brought more than $300,000 worth of product into Canada illegally. Const. Scott Heron, 42, will be sentenced on three counts of conspiracy to smuggle and violate the customs act. Another police officer – Const. Geoff Purdie, 42 – was arrested previously for smuggling steroids across the border and agreed to serve as a chief witness in the cheese case. The court heard that the two worked in cahoots – Heron would phone the order to Purdie, who would then cross the border with cheese and chicken wings. Poultry and cheese are far cheaper in the United States. Canada’s supply-managed industries impose high taxes at the border, meaning there’s big money to be saved by smugglers.
Changing food bank use and cost of groceries on the rise in Ontario
The shape of hunger in Ontario’s largest urban centre is changing. This year’s annual count from the Daily Bread Food Bank reported a 1.4 per cent increase in overall food bank usage. Use in the downtown core has dropped 16 per cent since 2008, while use in the inner suburbs (North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke) has risen 45 per cent over the same time period. Families are also paying more for groceries – a study out of London, Ont. reports that the average family of four in London is paying $56.03 more per month than it did a year ago.
Taking the fizz out of pharmacy pop sales – with surprising results
Researchers were surprised to find that after a Nova Scotia pharmacy took pop off its shelves, overall consumption of soft drinks in the surrounding area decreased. This was despite pop still being available at nearby grocery and convenience stores. They expected sales at those stores to go up, but the numbers remained flat. Over the course of eight months, researchers found sales in the area were between 11 and 21 per cent lower each week than when the pharmacy was still selling pop.
Remote First Nation searching for discontinued tea blend
Members of Ekuanitshit First Nation, a community about 850 km northeast of Quebec City, are scrambling after a favourite tea blend was discontinued. Salada Prior Park tea has been the drink of choice in the community of 700 Innu for decades. A Montreal businessman first started selling the blend in 1892. Chief Jean-Charles Pietacho told CBC that the blend uses strong teabags that stay together on hunting or fishing trips. He has been scouring shelves in Montreal grocery stores and is hoping the company will give him the recipe, though they have so far refused.
Fishermen freed from slavery
Thousands of fishermen are free after years captive aboard seafood fishing vessels in the oceans around Indonesia. The Associated Press conducted a year-long investigation into the source of fish and seafood, including shrimp and calamari, consumed in American restaurants and at dinner tables. They found rampant slave labour involved in the supply chain. Their investigation led to the shutdown of a major Thai-Indonesian fishing business and demands for change. Consumer awareness of the fishing industry's abysmal practices has driven demand for locally-sourced seafood, and in part led to demand for locally-produced alternatives.
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