Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Thank You Famers - Government of Canada Celebrates Food Day and the Best Food on Earth - What Do You Think? Do You Celebrate....

Ottawa, Ontario, July 29, 2010 – Food Day, July 31, 2010 is a perfect opportunity to recognize Canadian farmers’ hard work and dedication to producing the best food in the world. This Saturday marks the 8th annual national celebration of Canada’s culinary excellence, from farm to fork.

"Canadian farmers produce the best food in the world and we're not shy to say it," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "What better day than Food Day to celebrate Canada’s hard working farm families and their important contribution to our economy, our country, and the health of consumers at home and around the world."

Agriculture is a vital part of Canada’s growing and modern economy as it drives eight percent of our Gross Domestic Product. The industry is responsible for one in eight of jobs and last year its contribution to trade was more than $40 billion.

The Government of Canada has played a proactive role in promoting the world-class agriculture products that come from Canadian farms. In addition to leading dozens of trade missions to expand international markets for Canadian farmers, Minister Ritz has broken down trade barriers in important markets such as Russia, Hong Kong, Colombia and most recently China.

At home, Minister Ritz has hosted a breakfast together with Canadian farm leaders and high profile chefs at the Calgary Stampede and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics where they spread the word about the delicious, healthy and quality Canadian foods to international and domestic media.

Paired with strategic international market development, these events help tell the great story of Canadian food and pave the way for increased international demand to boost the bottom line for Canadian farmers.

"On Food Day and every day of the year, everyone is encouraged to cook, grill and savour Canada's safe, high-quality food," said Minister Ritz. "Our Government will continue to maximize every opportunity to highlight Canadian agriculture because increased international trade delivers benefits to all Canadians."

For more information about Food Day 2010 visit www.foodday.ca.

Message from the Minister

On Food Day Canada – this Saturday, July 31 -- I encourage everyone to use the finest ingredients grown and raised by Canadian farmers and savour Canada!

Our Government takes every opportunity to highlight the top quality food that our farmers produce because we know consumers at home and around the world will enjoy it. We are always working to promote Canadian food and agriculture products, knowing that increased international trade stimulates economic growth and delivers benefits to all Canadians.

Chances are, no matter where you are in the world, a Canadian food product or one made with Canadian ingredients is close at hand. People around the globe are now starting to recognize Canada for producing world-class food and we are hard at work to bring those products to their doorstep.

What better day than Food Day to celebrate Canada’s hard working farm families and their important contribution to our economy, our country, and the health of consumers at home and around the world?

On Food Day and every day of the year, everyone is encouraged to cook, grill and enjoy Canada's safe, high-quality food.

Thank you farm families! Bon Appétit!

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz

Views: 86

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I have never heard of this initiative....Minister Ritz says this is the 8th year????

This is a terrible effort to encourage consumers to "cook, grill and enjoy Canada's safe, high-quality food."

Come on Minister Ritz, if you want to support Canadian Agriculture you will need to do a little better than a news release.

Joe
Well Gerry, if you are sincere in your words, it is high time to put your money where your mouth is or there will less of that "Canadian" content on that menu all the time.

"Celebration" of the Canadian farmer is a wonderful concept and gives me the warm fuzzies, but proper remuneration is actually essential for survival.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Ukraine-Russian Peace Deal Impact on Grain, Fertilizer and Energy Markets

A peace framework that reduces geo-political tensions in the Black Sea region would likely exert downward pressure on crude oil prices.

Ontario government invests $1.5 million in Morrisburg's Alinova Canada Inc. plant

Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli was in Morrisburg on Tuesday to announce a $1.5 million investment in Canada’s first non-GMO soy milk powder processing plant. Alinova Canada Inc. is a joint venture between Japan’s second largest soy milk producer, Marusan Ai, and Ontario-based David J Hendrick International Inc. (DJHII) valued at $23.9 million. The facility in Morrisburg, located at the former Homestead Organics site, is still being retrofitted and is expected to open early in 2026. Once it is fully operational, the plant will process food-grade soybeans from Eastern Ontario farms into powder for use in soy-based products. The operation is expecting to ramp up to eventually produce over 1,200 metric tonnes of soy milk powder per year. Putting South Dundas on the map for agri-food processing and innovation, DJHII founder Hendrick said he expects to eventually hire 15 staffers for the plant and has already started onboarding, sharing kind w

Ontario Secures $24-Million Agri-Food Investment with New Soymilk Powder Plant in Morrisburg

Ontario’s agri-food sector is set for a significant boost as Alinova Canada Inc. invests nearly $24 million to build the country’s first non-GMO soymilk powder processing plant, a project expected to create 15 jobs and strengthen the province’s export capacity. The provincial government announced the investment Monday, positioning it as a strategic move that will expand domestic processing capacity and reinforce Ontario’s reputation as a global supplier of soy-based ingredients. “Alinova Canada’s investment is a vote of confidence in our province’s manufacturing capabilities and in our world-class workers,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “With their new Morrisburg facility, Alinova is onshoring key processing capacity from Japan for Ontario’s agri-food supply chain, creating good-paying jobs, and driving long-term economic growth in Eastern Ontario.” Alinova is a joint venture between Japan’s second-largest soymilk producer, Marusan Ai, an

Advancing Sustainability Solutions Through Collection Audits

One of our duties and responsibilities as Recycling Ambassadors for Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC) was to travel around the province and spread the word about proper drop off for oil, antifreeze & diesel exhaust fluid containers. We have learned that a farm can produce dozens of these containers every year, as well as hundreds of other plastic containers, like pesticide and fertilizer jugs. We saw this first-hand when we joined Cleanfarms for two projects in June 2025: a Rinse Rate Study and a Seed, Pesticide & Inoculant (SPI) Bag Audit. We had the opportunity to meet Cleanfarms Program Advisors, Tammy Shields and Serena Klippenstein in Naicam, SK, at Curtis Ltd. We split into two teams for efficiency and got to work. One team examined the SPI bags, and the other examined the rinse rate for chemical jugs. In the SPI bag audit, we sorted, counted, and weighed different materials – multi-layered paper bags, low density polyethylene (LDPE) bags, and polypropylene (PP) totes.

Interesting Facts About Our Agriculture Industry

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is home to over 300 different farms. Farm Cash Receipts were $163.9 million in 2023, up 9.8% from 2022. The largest crop commodity is Greenhouse and Nursery, accounting for 6.1 per cent of total Farm Cash Receipts. Value of vegetable production remained unchanged at $7.0 million; the top two vegetable crops in 2023 were turnips and potatoes. The top five crops in 2023 accounted for 71 per cent of all vegetable sales; they are as follows: potato, turnip, carrot, cabbage and pumpkin. Farm Cash Receipts for fruit production rose 13.0 per cent in 2023 to $1.9 million; with strawberries being the highest valued crop at $0.9 million. In terms of berries, strawberries are the largest in terms of value, cranberries are largest by volume produced and blueberries are the largest by area of production. The province has ten commercial apiculture (beekeeping) operations producing a variety of honey and beeswax products plus providing pollination services fo

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service