Lab grown meat, cyber leaks, rising heat: 2022 in food

Dalhousie University’s Sylvain Charlebois takes a look back at an eventful year in the food industry

CITYnews halifax \ Adam Inniss

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This year, we watched grocery prices rise, saw food in our fridge change and lived through advancements in food science. As the year comes to a close, professor Sylvain Charlebois helps us look back on some of the major food events of 2022.

“People are going to be thinking differently about their food after this year,” said Charlebois in an interview with CityNews Halifax.

Charlebois is the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. The lab recently put together a list of the most pressing food issues of the year. CityNews spoke with Charlebois about some of those issues.

Avian flu and massive bird culls

More than 200 farms were impacted by avian flu in 2022, leading to the culling of over 4 million birds.

“We learned a great deal, it was handled better than past outbreaks,” said Charlebois.

A similar outbreak in 2004 lead to the culling of over 17 million birds in BC alone.

“We learned a great deal. In fact, I’ve been quite impressed with how provinces, and farmers most importantly, have handled risks.”

The turkey and chicken industries are now making steady recoveries, but duck is shakier.

This avian flu is one of the reasons poultry and eggs were more expensive at the grocery store this last year.

Cyberterrorism and ransom payments

A very mysterious crime changed the food industry in 2022—cyberterrorism.

Multiple food corporations fell victim to cyber attacks and threats for ransom, including Sobeys and Maple Leaf Foods.

JBS Canada paid a ransom last year worth $11 million. Sobeys and Maple Leaf Foods did not say if they paid anything.

“The fact that companies did not disclose whether or not they paid a ransom was actually a good thing, in my view, because when you start suggesting a ransom was paid. It would encourage pirates to continue,” said Charlebois.

Charlebois says cyberattacks are likely to become more common and he hopes the food industry is prepared.

Cultured meat coming to American shelves

In America, the FDA approved lab grown chicken for consumer consumption, once the USDA approves these products will be in American grocery carts.

“I’ve tried it,” said Charlebois, “it’s chicken, it’s actually meat, not fake meat. It’s just cultivated in a different way.”

Canada may follow close behind with this development.

“Cultured meat is not risk free, there is more to learn about it. But compared to what we’re seeing in livestock — we’ve seen food safety issues, recalls — all these things are less likely to happen with cultured meat.”

The meat industry is a big polluter of carbon. Cultured meats could be a game changer for the industries impact on the environment. But many are uncomfortable with the risk.

“I think it is important that these products are labelled accurately because consumers have a right to know. We will see what happens in the US.”

Climate change changes everything 

Charlebois says the most important issue of 2022 and the coming years is climate change.

“California’s drying up, and also we didn’t have any leafy greens in Canada for a while. So that’s only going to continue,” said Charlesbois.

Rising temperatures mean unstable supply chains, more product recalls, and more inflation. Charlebois says Canada needs to discuss food autonomy—relying less on global supply chains.

Russia’s war on Ukraine

“When Russia invaded, it changed everything very quickly, and it made it to the top of our list this year as the number one agri food story,” said Charlebois.

Agriculture from the Ukraine normally feeds 4 million people a year. Russia’s invasion has severely slowed production and led to extreme inflation around the world.

“I think it’s clear to a lot of people that food was weaponized. Russia attacked a very fertile agri food player. They brought the entire planet into a whirlwind of uncertainty.”

For 2023, Charlebois hopes for an end to the war in Ukraine, better climate policy, more discussion between government and farmers and more independence from global supply chains.