Seven teams representing the University of Manitoba’s Food Science Department completed this past weekend in the Great Manitoba Food Fight-Forks Edition held in conjunction with Discover Agriculture in the City in Winnipeg.

Teams were [...]]]> A fourth year food science student with the University of Manitoba says the key challenge in developing a new food product is flavor.

Seven teams representing the University of Manitoba’s Food Science Department completed this past weekend in the Great Manitoba Food Fight-Forks Edition held in conjunction with Discover Agriculture in the City in Winnipeg.

Teams were charged with developing a marketable food product, packaging and a marketing strategy.

The winning team made up of Sally Diep, Chantal Eusebio. Scott Sawa, Tian Tian and Brian Ji developed an avocado cream cheese spread.
Sally Diep says the team focused on creating a unique tasty healthy product.

U of M Food Fight Audio Clip

Transcript of  Sally Diep-University of Manitoba:
The key nutritional aspect of this product is, we all know cheese is very beneficial to us, it’s a healthy product and it was decided well let’s try to incorporate something that is also healthy but can mix with the flavors, not separate out on us and have that same consistency throughout.

The avocado is full of fat but good fat, healthy, full of antioxidants, full of vitamins, full of things that will benefit our health so why don’t we put the two together and make a good healthy product that people can use.

Challenges for us during the process was formulation and flavor.

Another challenge to us is to see how we can make this a marketable cost-effective product that’s not too expensive for us and not too expensive for the consumer but still attain the whole health concept and health benefits that will market to the people who are more aware of their dietary intakes so that they can choose a better healthier fat spread onto things that they like to enjoy.

Diep says the team tinkered quite a bit with flavor to come up with a taste people would want to put on their bread.

She’s hopeful the new spread can be taken to the next level and ultimately appear on grocery store shelves and in food processing.

We had a great time meeting thousands of visitors and sharing the exciting work that is happening in agriculture. We hope you learned something new, interesting and useful.

A BIG congratulations and thank you to Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba for [...]]]> A big, heartfelt thank you to everyone who came to this year’s Agriculture in the City.

We had a great time meeting thousands of visitors and sharing the exciting work that is happening in agriculture. We hope you learned something new, interesting and useful.

A BIG congratulations and thank you to Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba for a fabulous opening ceremonies and Made in Manitoba Breakfast.

Of course, a major pat on the back to AITC-M and Dr. Nancy Ames for their tremendous achievement in producing the world’s biggest bowl of oatmeal.

We our very grateful to see such enthusiasm and dedication from all of our exhibitors, listed here.

Thanks to our wonderful Masters of Ceremonies: Diane Wreford, Kelvin Heppner and Ace Burpee.

As well, to our sponsors and partners: the Forks Market — along with the phenomenal Forks Market staff! Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives, Winnipeg Free Press and Manitoba Homecoming 2010, many thanks.

We look forward to more great initiatives like this one in the future.

Check out our updated photo gallery!

Ace Burpee is the Program Director for HOT 103 and host of the Ace Burpee Show with Chrissy Troy in the morning.

“My first job was looking after 500 chickens when I was seven,” he says. “We only lasted one season of raising hogs but I [...]]]> Our host on Sunday, March 21st will be Mr. Awesome himself!

Ace Burpee is the Program Director for HOT 103 and host of the Ace Burpee Show with Chrissy Troy in the morning.

“My first job was looking after 500 chickens when I was seven,” he says. “We only lasted one season of raising hogs but I love pork.”

Ace was raised in Cooks Creek, Manitoba but now calls Winnipeg home. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and playing hockey, soccer and basketball. Ace loves dogs and has more recently, developed a passion for wolves as well.

Ace can drive a combine, a balewagon and is very good with a rototiller.

Over 75 million people play Farmville each month.  It’s one of Facebook’s most popular games.  But how much does this game reflect the reality of modern farming?

Find out at our Farmers’ Panel on Sunday, March 21st, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.

Using a  400 litre pot and over a hundred pounds of grown oats, volunteers working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Dr. Nancy Ames and Agriculture in the Classroom – [...]]]> Since you asked, yes, we did it!

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada along with Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba shattered the Guinness World Record for the BIGGEST BOWL of OATMEAL!

Using a  400 litre pot and over a hundred pounds of grown oats, volunteers working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Dr. Nancy Ames and Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba whipped up one terrific bowl of oatmeal!

On Friday morning at Agriculture in the City 327.5 kilograms of oatmeal were prepared, close to double the old record of 171.9 kilograms set in Salford, United Kingdom in 2009.

The oatmeal was served to about eighty highschool students attending Agriculture in the Classroom’s Made in Manitoba Breakfast as well as a few hundred members of the general public.

Leftover oatmeal was donated to Siloam Mission and Agape Table.

Evidence of the record attempt was carefully compiled and will be submitted to Guinness World Records for authentication.

More photos in our updated photo gallery.

Today, March 18th, we parked this combine in front of the Forks in preparation for this weekend’s event!  Come check it out!

This 16-tonne piece of farm equipment weighs about the same as 8 average automobiles.

Combines have become extremely powerful, efficient and sophisticated over the years. [...]]]> When we say agriculture in the city, we mean it.

Today, March 18th, we parked this combine in front of the Forks in preparation for this weekend’s event!  Come check it out!

This 16-tonne piece of farm equipment weighs about the same as 8 average automobiles.

Combines have become extremely powerful, efficient and sophisticated over the years.  In fact, the world record for most wheat harvested in 8 hours is held by New Holland.   Their biggest combine (the CR9090) harvested enough wheat in that period of time to make 1.1 million loaves of bread! That’s enough to give one loaf to each person in Manitoba.

Come get your picture taken beside this $500,000 machine… these don’t come into town every day!

Thank you to Mazergroup and Renolds Transport for helping to get it here!

Join us at noon on Friday, March 19, to watch the University of Manitoba Food Science students present their new food product concepts that they have taken from drawing board to test kitchen.

Student teams [...]]]>
Have you ever had a great idea for new food product? Maybe the next innovative snack food, sports drink or breakfast cereal?

Join us at noon on Friday, March 19, to watch the University of Manitoba Food Science students present their new food product concepts that they have taken from drawing board to test kitchen.

Student teams will “pitch” their product ideas and provide a product sample to a panel of judges. The winning team will get a great prize and you will get the chance to cheer on your favorites!  Who knows, maybe you’ll see their unique entries at a store near you one day.

We’re making a tradition of kicking off Agriculture in the City with a Made in Manitoba Breakfast.

This year, nearly 100 students will come to the Forks to be served a hot breakfast by local farmers.  How lucky can you get!?

The Made in Manitoba Breakfast program is just one of the many awesome programs delivered by [...]]]>

We’re making a tradition of kicking off Agriculture in the City with a Made in Manitoba Breakfast.

This year, nearly 100 students will come to the Forks to be served a hot breakfast by local farmers.  How lucky can you get!?

The Made in Manitoba Breakfast program is just one of the many awesome programs delivered by Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba.

More info here…