In the past week, College of Business and Economics faculty members have made national and regional media headlines, offering their expertise on topics ranging from food waste to electricity prices.

On July 8, food waste expert Mike von Massow was interviewed by the Morning Edition on CBC Radio Kitchener-Waterloo [1] on new food waste legislation recently introduced by France that is being considered by the EU. The legislation bans grocery stores from destroying usable food and forces them to donate it to charity. Could this strategy help with Canada’s food waste problem? Listen to von Massow discuss this issue with CBC Radio.

On July 10, economics professor Ross McKitrick co-wrote a National Post article [2] with independent electricity system researcher, Tom Adams, about the effects of soaring electricity prices on Ontario business. McKitrick and Adams focus on the recent report released by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce that shows these costs could cause one in 20 Ontario businesses to shut their doors in the next five years. How did this happen? Read McKitrick and Adams’ article “Ontario’s job killer: Business sounds alarm over soaring electricity prices.”

On July 10 and 11, food policy expert Sylvain Charlebois, appeared in three articles on TVO’s “The Inside Agenda” blog, CBC News and the Ottawa Citizen. On “The Inside Agenda” blog [3], Charlebois comments on the need for rural areas, specifically farmers, to have reliable, high-speed internet access. He emphasizes the impact internet access can have on farmers by giving them quick access to information and the ability to connect with “folks outside of the community.”

In an online article featured on the CBC News website [4], Charlebois is quoted on rising beef prices, which he says are unlikely to drop due to the structure of worldwide demand. In the Ottawa Citizen [5], he writes about the prevalence of food fraud and calls for improved traceability, while noting that it will be challenging and costly. He adds that with advancing technology, the consumer might eventually become a central part of the traceability process.

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