Food

Planned changes to Canada's seed variety registration system are going ahead to make what the government calls a "more flexible" system, but what critics call a slippery slope to let seed companies ram unproven varieties through to market.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a release Thursday that the amended Seeds Regulations, published this week in the Canada Gazette, will cut red tape in the system "while continuing to maintain the integrity of seed certification and environmental, food, and feed safety."

In an article posted in the Expositor, Richard Beales writes: Look, smell, salivate -- but don't eat.

That will be the difficult task facing visitors to Paris Expo 2009, June 12-14, when the Great Canadian Pork BBQ Championship takes over the Paris Fairgrounds.

"There will be 50 or 60 barbecuers here," said Paris Agricultural Society general manager Russ Press. "Twenty are professionals and they'll compete Saturday, and about 35 or 40 amateurs will barbecue on Sunday."

The health benefits of flax seeds have been known for quite some time. The seeds, rich in omega-3 amino fatty acid, need to be ground in order to be digested by the body; eaten whole the outer shell of the seed passes through the body without being digested. A company from Winchester, Ont. has the worlds first patented equipment for shelling flax seeds, to reveal a seed disrobed of its protective covering and all its goodness ready to be absorbed by the body.

Local Food for Local Press

By Philippe Blais, Rural Affairs Contributer;

Cooking and eating go hand in hand with the Christmas season. Lynn Ogryzlo authored a cookbook tittled Niagara Cooks which inspires the use and consumption of local products. Because of the authors tenacity, the book was successfully printed here in Canada, rather then offshore.