March 30, 2007

Canola Council releases Growing Great 2015 strategy - Canola Council president Barb Isman unveiled the Canadian canola industry's plan to grow 15 million tonnes of production and demand by 2015 to a crowd of almost 200 during the Council's annual convention March 22.
The new strategy goes beyond numbers to identify a new attitude in the canola industry, says Isman. Along with targets for export, crushing and oil content, it features a new mission statement for the industry: The Canadian canola industry ... Innovative. Resilient. Determined to create superior value and a healthier world.

The document, titled Canola Growing Great 2015, will be available in its entirety on the Council website next week. Go to www.canola-council.org to see the full strategy. Isman's presentation, along with those of most other convention speakers will also be available on the website. Beginning April 2, check out http://www.canola-council.org/ccc_proceed.html

Canola Supply Report - The Canola Council has also prepared a companion document addressing the issue of supply. It shows how the canola industry will increase production through more acreage, higher yields and increased oil content to assure a consistent supply for the North American food and fuel industries over the coming years. You can find the report on the CCC website www.canola-council.org.

Corn oil receives qualified health claim - It is a D level claim, but a claim nonetheless. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced this week that corn oil has received a qualified health claim due to its unsaturated fat content. The wording of the claim is as follows: "Very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 tablespoon (16 grams) of corn oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in corn oil. FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim. To achieve this possible benefit, corn oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains [x] grams of corn oil."

Canola oil received a C level claim in October 2006 due to its unsaturated fat content. Canola oil contains 93% unsaturated fat, while corn oil contains 87% unsaturated fat. ACH Food Companies, a division of Associated British Foods, applied last year for the qualified health claim for corn oil and related products. Its products include Mazola corn oil, Karo light corn syrup and Argo corn starch. To see the full FDA letter, go to http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qhccorno.html

Calgary pushes for trans fat ban - The Calgary Health Region is pushing ahead with a plan to ban trans fat in city restaurants by October 2008. Calgary would be the first city in Canada to make such a move. Dr. Brent Friesen, the region's chief medical officer of health, says a total ban is a realistic prospect for Calgary.

"The major approach that we're looking at right now is attaching conditions to the food permits that the health region issues to all the food establishments in our region. And those conditions would restrict the use of trans fats," he says. At the health region's board meeting March 27, board members voted to meet with the public, restaurant owners and different levels of government to discuss the proposed ban.

Global Canola Cooperation Alliance formed - Canola industries in Canada, the U.S. and Australia have formed the Global Canola Cooperation Alliance, a partnership to enhance global competitiveness of canola. The alliance will promote canola in areas of common interest for the partners and for the benefit of canola industry customers globally, explains Dave Hickling, Canola Council vice president of utilization.

Following talks held during the Canola Council of Canada's March convention in Victoria, B.C., the GCCA agreed to undertake joint projects where these have mutual benefit for the partners and activities will be funded in accordance with the relative benefits of partners.
The three countries will cooperate in the following areas:

  • Branding canola globally to build on the positive association of canola with best and enhance the positioning of canola in minds of customers and consumers. This includes encouraging the use of the canola name, use of consistent messages and information for consumers and possibly development of a global canola brand.
  • Research and development to improve canola oil and meal. First, the alliance will investigate joint funding of a canola meal improvement project.
  • Cooperation on trade and regulatory issues that create improved access for canola in global markets.
  • Cooperation on market development in areas of new opportunities such as market acceptance of juncea canola.

For more information on the GCCA, check out presentations by Canadian, American and Australian representatives from the Canola Council's annual convention at: http://www.canola-council.org/ccc_proceed.html

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