CHILLED FRUIT SOUP

Canada is a major producer, exporter, and importer of an immense variety of agricultural and food products ranging from processed foods with global value chains to local, farm-based value chains. In this section, I share 3 of my research insights and assess to what extent my recipe can be made from Canadian agricultural and food products.

It is likely the sugar in this recipe traditionally came from sugar beets, as they are grown in temperate climates common in Europe, and Poland is their 6^th leading producer (FAO, 2014). Canada’s one sugar beet processing plant is in Alberta, and it produces sugar for the prairies. The sugar in my version of this dish came from sugar cane, which is imported in its raw form to Canada, and then refined in either Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver (The Canadian Sugar Institute, 2017).

Poland is the 9^th leading strawberry producer in the world and Canada is the 31^st (FAO, 2014). The peak season for Ontario strawberries is in June and July. Because I prepared this soup in November, I purchased berries from Natureripe, which are grown in California and are available year-round in Canada.

I purchased NoName brand sour cream and Neilson brand buttermilk. Neither specified where they were produced, though they are both Canadian products. The dairy industry is Canada’s second largest agriculture sector following red meats: there are almost 12,000 dairy farms in Canada, 80% of which are in Ontario and Quebec (Government of Canada, 2017) 

In summary, 4 out of the 4 ingredients I needed are produced in Canada. None of the ingredients were not available, therefore I did not make any substitutions.