Reading Time: 2 minutes Legislation to avoid a patchwork of state laws on labeling of genetically modified (GMO) foods should make such labels mandatory, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told farmers in New Orleans Friday. Vilsack’s remarks at the Commodity Classic, a U.S. farmers’ trade show and multi-group convention, come as the U.S. Senate agriculture committee sends its proposal […] Read more
U.S. ag secretary calls for mandatory GMO label
Maximum residue levels an issue that’s coming to a head
New trade agreements should be good for horticultural product exports, but fuzzy rules around MRLs could become non-tariff barriers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Mention maximum residue levels (MRLs) to a grower or a chemical company representative, and you’re likely to receive a frustrated response. In spite of trade deals between continental jurisdictions, the MRL issue continues to be a stick in the cogs of the smooth operation of trade agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or the Comprehensive Economic […] Read more
New potato protection products for 2016
Reading Time: 5 minutes Forum BASF’s Forum was expected to be registered in January 2016, says Scott Hodgins, manager for BASF Canada in Mississauga, Ont. Forum is composed of an active ingredient already used in the fungicide Zampro SC — dimethomorph, from the chemical Group 45. Forum’s mode of action makes it a highly systemic fungicide for the control […] Read more
Ritchie Bros. buys Mascus online equipment sites
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian operators of the world’s biggest equipment auctioneer have bought worldwide online equipment listing service Mascus. Burnaby, B.C.-based Ritchie Bros. announced Friday it has bought 100 per cent of the equity in Amsterdam-based Mascus for 24 million euros (C$36.8 million), plus up to 3.4 million euros (C$5.2 million) more, pending certain performance targets being […] Read more
DuPont, Dow set home towns for merged spinoff units
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — DuPont and Dow Chemical said two of the three units to be created and spun off following the companies’ mega-merger will be based in DuPont’s home town, and one in Dow’s home town. The two chemical companies agreed to combine in an all-stock merger in December, valued at US$130 billion at the time, […] Read more
Burger King, Tim’s owner says 2016 off to ‘great start’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Restaurant Brands International said it was off to a “great start” this year, after new product launches at its Burger King and Tim Hortons chains in 2015 helped boost sales in a highly competitive market. Shares of the Ontario-based company, which reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, rose as much as nine […] Read more
Year-over-year same-store sales climb for A+W
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian burger-and-root beer chain A+W’s recent moves to boost the profile of its ingredients in a crowded quick-service playing field has pushed its sales past the billion-dollar mark in 2015. The A+W Revenue Royalties Income Fund on Friday reported net income of $21.32 million on $1.061 billion in reported sales from the 814 restaurants in […] Read more
McDonald’s sales beat as all-day breakfast a hit
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. reported better-than-expected quarterly same-restaurant sales as the launch of all-day breakfasts proved to be a hit with diners in the U.S. and demand continued to recover in China. The world’s biggest restaurant chain’s shares jumped 3.4 per cent in premarket trading on Monday. McDonald’s introduced all-day breakfasts in October in the […] Read more
Campbell Soup to label U.S. products for GMOs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Campbell Soup said it will label all its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms, becoming the first major food company to respond to growing calls for more transparency about ingredients. The world’s largest soup maker also said it supports the enactment of federal legislation for a single […] Read more
McCain french fry plant gets public funds for upgrades
Reading Time: 2 minutes CORRECTED, Jan. 13, 2016: The Manitoba and federal governments are dipping into an agribusiness support fund to cover half the cost of equipment upgrades for McCain Foods’ french fry plant in the province’s southwest. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and provincial Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn on Wednesday announced $380,000 from the Growing Value program for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
