The Fairy Tale Cookbook by Carol Macgregor, published in 1983, may prove to have been ahead of its time.

When tracking food trends, you need to keep an eye on culture as a whole since influences from current events and entertainment often creep into the world of food in obvious and also unexpected ways. Consider books like the Soprano’s Family Cookbook or the myriad products that emerged during the hey days of the space age such as Tang, Rockets candy, and freeze dried Astronaut ice cream bars.

Most recently we’ve been inundated with movies, books and TV shows about vampires and despite the hard to imagine connection that subculture could have to everyday eating habits, products such as gruesomely gory Blood Energy Drink and foodservice novelties such as the Vampire Kiss Martini do exist.

So, what should we expect next?  If this year’s TV premier line up is any indication, it looks like Fairy Tale inspired shows will be the next new thing. Once Upon a Time and Grimm  are the most high profile shows with a connection to the Fairy Tale genre and if they do well, we could be seeing a whole new influence on product development. The good news is that fairy tales are filled with food that people actually want to eat which means that if these shows catch on we could see some interesting new products such as:

• Three Bears Porridge:  a triptych of three mini porridges in delicious bear approved flavours (berries, honey, etc…) that will add variety to breakfast.
• Miss Muffet Curds & Whey: a new cottage cheese based concoction for kids who like to eat outdoors (perfect for summer camps!).
• Gingerbread house kits: instead of being sequestered to the Christmas season, gingerbread houses will replace cupcakes as our favourite party time sweet treat.

What other fairy tale foods can you envision on the grocery store shelves two years from now? I’m sure a peek inside Little Red Riding Hood’s basket of goodies could yield some great ideas for the bakery department.

Tom Janes, Director of Sustainability, discussing sustainable fish with attendees of the Green Living Show (Toronto May 2011)

A Sustainable Fish on Every Table

By Dana McCauley

Since last spring when I started to work for a food manufacturer, I’ve received quite a bit of criticism from people who accuse me of selling out and abandoning the true and noble culinary path. Although I won’t say it doesn’t bother me, I can say that in the main I’m pretty proud of my decision. After all when I was a food writer, I was often preaching to the converted minority who already understood food sustainability, the importance of good nutrition and the joy of home cooking. Now that I work as an innovator for the manufacturer of Canada’s #1 selling frozen chicken product (Janes Pub Style chicken) I have greater opportunity to change the way Canadians eat than ever before. Instead of having thousands of readers, I have an audience of many millions of people who buy Janes products.

One of the factors that encouraged me join Janes over another food company was the commitment we share to the environment. In the early 1990s, long before other companies started exploring ways to add  ‘green’ elements to their brands, Janes launched recycled retail packaging. Today – just in time for World Ocean’s Day on June 8^th – Janes’ pioneering efforts continue as we commit to source only certified sustainable fish.

This move makes Janes not just the first Canadian company but the first North American company to have the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for all of their fish products. While this may not sound like such a big deal to city dwellers who dine regularly at great restaurants where the chefs source sustainable seafood, it’s very meaningful for many Canadians who haven’t had access to sustainable seafood products before. Now, no matter how remotely Canadians live, they can serve their families certified sustainable seafood without having to go to fancy restaurant or a specialty store to get it.

This is a big step. According to the Direct Link Menu Database that tracks the menu details of Canada’s most influential restaurants, fish accounts for 30% of the sustainable items noted on high-end Canadian menus. While these restaurants are off to a great start, their efforts just aren’t enough to make the impact necessary to turn around the situation in our oceans. Sources such as Ocean Wise note that “90% of all large, predatory fish are already gone from the world’s oceans” which means that the situation is dire. As a result, we hope that making sustainable seafood the norm on home dinner plates and fish and chip platters ordered at the pub, that we’re complimenting the efforts of gourmet chefs and taking steps toward making sustainable seafood an everyday part of Canadian life.

So, while I might not get to toss around truffles at work any longer and I may spend the odd afternoon evaluating the sensory profiles of various chicken nugget formulations instead of discussing the terroir of pinot noir from Oregon versus Burgundy, I feel pretty good about being part of change on larger scale. A year after leaving my food writing career for the corporate food world, instead of just telling people to choose sustainable seafood, I’m actually part of the team giving them an affordable way to buy it and share it with their families whenever they like. And you know what? That’s a pretty satisfying!

Happy World Oceans Day!

Dana McCauley is the Culinary Director at Janes Family Foods where she leads new product innovation.

Grilling Canadians

Written by Barbara Barnes

May is National Barbecue Month, a month I have celebrated for decades. Being a media type, I anxiously await the results of the annual Weber Canadian Grill Watch Survey and sharing the stats. The results of the 22nd annual Canadian survey are hot off the grill. This year, of the more than 1000 people surveyed, two out of five Canadians grill year round — even when the temperature drops below 0°C.

Cooking With Gas

Although it was a tough winter for Alberta grillers, I am one of these dedicated backyard chefs. Lifestyle changes have put the brakes on my annual Barbecue Month festivities this year. I am a dedicated gas griller. Of the Canadians surveyed this year, 93% own a gas grill. Like 16% of Canadian grillers, my gas grill is “wired” for natural gas. At double the national average, 32% of dedicated grillers in Alberta are connected to natural gas.

After 33 years at the  same address, my husband, the “Admiral”, and I have moved to a new location. While I love my indoor kitchen (it will be even more perfect when the appliance company delivers my fridge and microwave) there are no sidewalks, no grading and no deck. This means there is no place for my outdoor kitchen, aka my wired for natural gas grill.

Where’s the Beef?

My husband has experienced grill withdrawal symptoms. You know how when you can’t have something you want it even more? Well, despite vegetarian tendencies, every second day he requests a steak. He wants it blue rare and he wants it grilled. Not wanting to be cruel, but my new yard backs onto a golf course and I yearn to tease the golfers with the aroma of burgers made from Canadian beef. While 52% of Canadian grillers pick steak as their second choice, burgers are number one with 90% of our grilling nation — with those formed from beef the first choice, turkey following in second place and vegetarian varieties ranking third. As for me, I miss grilling chicken pieces, second to burgers (82%) in popularity. When my grandsons come for lunch, I wish I could offer their favourite, hot dogs, number three in the hit parade (81%).

Vegetable Options

In the vegetable category, 62% of respondents grilled potatoes. Onions ranked number two at 56%. You can bet that the golfers on the neighbouring course will go wild when I can finally grill skewers of sweet onions in my special marinade consisting of equal parts of, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, canola oil and a dash of freshly ground pepper.

Clean Start? Not so much.

For all of the frequent grillers out there, have you checked your grill lately? Prior to moving I gave my gas grill a good going over. According to the Weber survey, although Canadians are avid grillers, with 84% grilling once a week or more during barbecue season, only one-third clean their grills once or twice a year.

Recipe Inspirations

When it comes to the internet, women are the most likely to surf the net for new grilling ideas and recipes (52% vs. 46% for men). As for me, as each new grilling season rolls around I add a few new grilling cookbooks to my repertoire. This year, The New Vegetarian Grill by Andrea Chesman and Weber’s Time to Grill by Jamie Purviance are on my roster. Vegetarian grilling is increasing in popularity and Chesman has innovative and practical recipes in her book.  Her recipe for grilled tortellini is one of my favourites. As for Time to Grill what can I say? Books by Jamie Purviance are well known for their step by step “how to” style and easy to follow recipes.

How I am going to sample new recipes from these books? Well, western Canadians like portable grills: Alberta (21%) and BC (19%). Perhaps on Canada Day or a birthday dinner, which by the way tied in this year’s survey as the most popular grilling occasion (67%), this Alberta gal will  grill a celebratory dinner on a portable grill attached to the stern of a sailing sloop named Dancing Bear on Canada’s west coast!

Photo © mccun934. Published under a Creative Commons License.

Barb Barnes is an Edmonton home economist. Currently, she presents food segments for Sobeys on the CTV Edmonton Noon News.

The Trend Toward Human Breast Milk for Adult Food

By Dana McCauley

I’m sorry. I have to do it. As much as I’m squicked out by this topic myself and as much as I know it may squick many of you out, today we are going to talk about the strange and perplexing emerging trend toward using human breast milk as an ingredient in food for adults.

I get local. I get homemade. But, I don’t get this impulse at all. I have no aversion to babies drinking their mother’s milk but I have no interest in sharing their lunch. Likewise, as a feminist, I find it rather offensive that women could be turned into commercial milk factories, valued for their body fluids.

Human breast milk cheese first popped onto my radar screen a couple of years ago when a short-lived  blog devoted to all things cheese mentioned that cheese made from breast milk existed. Although it was the first I’d heard of such a thing, a Google search revealed that it wasn’t completely original.

Fast forward a couple of years to January 17^th of this year to find me too grossed out by a CBC Radio interview to finish my dinner. The dinner time show As it Happens featured an interview with Miriam Simun, a cheese maker from NYC who makes cheese from breast milk. In the interview she claimed that depending on the diet of the woman sharing the milk, the taste of the cheese varied widely. (My Cheddar filled omelet didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.)

And now this spring there is a case in New York City where a chef has been ordered to remove breast milk cheese from his menu. He defended his artisan cheese on his blog:

While not an insane response, I can’t help but wonder why he and his wife didn’t follow through on her plan to donate this overflow to a milk bank that serves needy babies? Surely that’s easier than turning the stuff into cheese?

Before you start to think that this fad is confined to the five boroughs of New York City, I’ll tell you about the breast milk ice cream that was recently banned in London, England. The Icecreamists, a fashion-forward, adult concept malt shop that at one time had a pop up store in swish and fashionable Selfridges department store, launched a vanilla flavoured breast milk ice cream they sold under the name Baby Gaga (apparently Lady Gaga, the singer, has taken legal action to have them change the name).

This week, there is new news  in the breast milk trend that is disturbing in its own way. Australian scientists have developed genetically modified cows that can produce milk that duplicates very closely the nutritional and digestibility qualities of human milk. Their accomplishment comes after introducing human genes into a herd of 300 dairy cattle. While I can see the commercial possibilities for the baby food industry, I can’t help but imagine the ethical argument against eating beef containing human genes (not to mention the standard GMO arguments) that will ensue.

What do you make of all this industrious use of breast milk?  Is it worthy of a boobie prize for being 100% wacky or am I the crazy person here?

The Lesson We Can Learn from Fat Vegans

By Dana McCauley

I’ve recently added a part time job to my roster of responsibilities; during the month of February, my role as a judge on the new Global and Food Network TV show Recipe To Riches took me, my co-judges Laura Calder and  Tony Chapman, and a crew of 30 or so people necessary to keep us in line to four Canadian cities. In each town we met dozens of home cooks vying for a spot on the show. It was fascinating! Not only did I meet some wonderful people and try some incredible homemade foods, I also returned home with fresh insights about the lifestyles and personalities of the cities of Halifax, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.

Meeting so many people in such a condensed period of time also reminded me that stereotypes about food and the people who make and eat particular foods are often pretty far from reality. For instance, some of the best bakers we met weren’t broad hipped grannies but thin, stylish young women who arrived on set in snazzy high heels and designer outfits. And, although we met many thin and healthy vegetarian and vegan home cooks, we met many  more  plump and an overflowing handful of very plump ones, too.

Now, I know there are plenty of excellent environmental and compassionate reasons to become a vegan besides wanting to avoid calorie-dense foods like butter and meat, but I can’t help but think that there’s a lesson to be learned by having met so very many chubby veggies and svelte bakers.

Could it be that even vegan foods eaten in excess can be fattening?  Is it possible to indulge regularly in cookies and cake without having to buy clothes in the plus sizes? I think so.

“Everything in moderation  — including moderation” is a phrase I first heard used by my former colleague  Adrian Doran and I now try to follow this direction myself. In fact, it’s the mantra I’ve been repeating silently for the last 12 weeks. Like many other people I made a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight. My goal was (and remains) to lose a pound a week until I can fit into my David Kahn jeans again.  Since I couldn’t face  counting  calories or commit to a diet plan that forced me to omit food groups, I decided to merely just eat and drink more moderate amounts of the same foods that led me to buy fat pants in the first place. Now, 12 weeks in, I’ve lost 10 lbs. (not a total success, but  a moderate success!). And, almost more importantly for me, I’ve still gone to restaurants, eaten the same foods as my family and friends, and maintained my lifestyle. I’m just more conscious of how much I eat and how often I indulge.

What do you think?  Are so called ‘bad’ foods unfairly being blamed for making Canadians fat?  Or, is our problem that we’re all just eating way too much?

Dana McCauley is the Culinary Director at Janes Family Foods and a lover all foods whether they be vegetarian, meaty or somewhere in between.

Photo © alancleaver_2000. Published under a Creative Commons License.

Public Confession: I’m Equal Parts Lone Nut & Follower

By Dana McCauley

As the head of new product innovation at Janes Family Foods, I spend a lot of time thinking about how creativity works and examining the creative process. My goal is two-fold: one, if I understand how I get from white board to packaged product, then I can repeat my success more easily. Two, if I understand how others follow an idea to fruition, I can inspire my colleagues to explore and develop their ideas, too.

It’s a difficult concept to communicate and I often see glazed-over eyes when I try to explain why instead of just being creative, I need to spend so much time trying to figure out how creativity works. That’s why I love this TED video featuring Derek Sivers. It whimsically and succinctly describes what I do for a living. Sometimes I’m that wacky lone dancer trying to rally my colleagues so that I can turn them on to what I see as the next big thing. Other days I’m that first follower who finds something in the marketplace that needs a champion.

Besides this video, I’ve found a slew of good resources that help me to understand creativity and use it more masterfully. Check out these books on my creativity bookshelf.

• Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond by Alex Axelrod (Wiley Press, 2008)
• Cracking Creativity: the Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko (Ten Speed Press, 2001)
• Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson (Riverhead, 2010)
• Spark: How Creativity Works by Julie Burstein (Harper 2011)
• Thinkertoys: a Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko (Ten Speed Press, 2006)
• Create: Eating, Design and the Future of Food by Nancy Wu for Foodists.ca

What books, tools or websites do you find inspiring?

Photo © c0t0s0d0 Published under a Creative Commons License.

Sodium.  It all depends on who you ask whether it is ranked among the most notorious of chemicals in our food, or one of the most essential.  Sodium has been implicated, study after study, in being one of the major causes of heart disease in Canada.  Reducing our sodium intake, on a whole, is a good thing.

But ask food processors to reduce sodium, and you are up for a challenge.  Sodium tastes good, and high sodium products sell well.  Whether in baked goods, canned soups, cereals, or snack foods, salt just makes everything taste good.  However, consumer awareness is increasing, and lower sodium products can receive approval for health claims on the package label.

It sounds like a simple answer, just reduce the amount of salt in the product, and everything will be fine.  For certain products, however, salt is key to food safety and quality. Manufacturers of cheese, cured meats, dried sausages, and charcuterie need sodium to prevent microbial spoilage, and to reduce pathogenic bacteria. It’s the artisanal producers who will be hardest hit.  Reformulating an artisanal or traditional product to accommodate new food regulations very well may take away from the traditional quality of the product itself, and undermine the markets that have been developed for the food.

Health Canada is currently running a food industry stakeholder consultation on reducing sodium levels in processed foods.  Whether you are for sodium reduction, or against sodium reduction, make your opinion heard.  The deadline is January 31, 2011.

Photo © larryjh1234. Published under a Creative Commons License.