Mexico clears Canadian poultry meat for import

Reading Time: < 1 minute Duck and other poultry from Canada may again be exported to Mexico, for the first time since 2004. Canada’s Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday announced Mexico had reopened its border to fresh poultry meat including chicken, turkey and, “most significant in terms of historical trade,” duck. Mexico had […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Major grocers pledge cage-free eggs by 2025

Reading Time: 3 minutes The grocery arm of the body for Canadian retailers has rolled out a 10-year plan to source the eggs its members sell from layer hens raised in “cage-free environments.” The grocer members of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), which include Loblaw, Sobeys/Safeway, Metro and Wal-Mart Canada, said Friday they are “voluntarily committing to the […] Read more


A+W, which sources eggs from this production facility, said it plans to source its eggs from hens in open-barn housing and raised without use of antibiotics. (CNW Group/A+W Restaurants)

A+W ups ante on layer hen housing

Reading Time: 3 minutes Having already pledged to source eggs from hens in enriched housing and raised without use of antibiotics, burger chain A+W now plans to get all its eggs from hens in open housing. The Vancouver-based income fund said Wednesday that despite having “no open-barn housing options available” today that meet its antibiotic-free requirement, it plans to […] Read more

A+W CEO Paul Hollands, shown here at right during the chain’s Cruisin’ to End MS promotion in August, said the chain’s “better ingredients” campaign is still having a “powerful impact” on consumers. (CNW Group/A+W Food Services of Canada)

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


Manitoba Egg Farmers, which in 2013 called a halt to installation of conventional cages, has publicly demonstrated enriched housing systems.  (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Shannon VanRaes)

Egg farmers to phase out cage housing over 20 years

Reading Time: 3 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s egg farmers plan to replace conventional hen cages with more humane conditions over the next 20 years, amid growing pressure from consumers, restaurants and food companies. The plan — announced Friday by Egg Farmers of Canada, an industry group that manages nearly all of the country’s egg supply — comes […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Tim Hortons, Burger King to move toward cage-free eggs

Reading Time: 3 minutes The owner of Canadian coffee-and-donut giant Tim Hortons and North America’s No. 2 burger chain, Burger King, has reset its goal to take the chains’ egg supplies “cage-free.” Restaurant Brands International, the parent firm for the two chains since their merger in late 2014, announced Monday it will move to 100 per cent cage-free eggs for […] Read more


(McDonalds.ca)

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

Mary Jean McFall. (LeedsGrenville.Liberal.ca)

Tories challenge ag minister on chief of staff

Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal Conservatives want the House of Commons’ agriculture committee to probe the hiring of a Canadian egg processing heiress as chief of staff to the ag minister. Tory ag critic Chris Warkentin on Wednesday called on both Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and his new chief of staff, Mary Jean McFall, to testify before the […] Read more