The secret lives of Vancouver’s ‘invisible mammals’ — and the race to save them
The secret lives of Vancouver’s ‘invisible mammals’ — and the race to save them October 30, 2024 Dr.Siyun Wang, a professor of food safety engineering, underscores the risks of consuming raw vegetables, which can harbor harmful bacteria like E. coli. Contamination can occur through various channels, including polluted irrigation water, cross-contamination during handling, or contact […]
Introduced bumble bee species thrives, causing concern about native pollinators in Lower Mainland
Introduced bumble bee species thrives, causing concern about native pollinators in Lower Mainland October 8, 2024 Recent research from UBC’s Plant-Pollinator and Global Change (PPGC) Lab revealed notable decreases in the local western bumble bee population, with a non-native species dominating the area. The common eastern bumble bee — or Bombus impatiens — was first […]
‘So much mental load’: Mothers speak about school lunches
‘So much mental load’: Mothers speak about school lunches September 11, 2024 CSFS Associate and land and food systems professor Dr. Jennifer Black and alum Seri Niimi-Burch wrote about their study on mothers’ experiences with packing school lunches. “These mothers taught us about the complex physical, mental and emotional work needed to provide a “good” […]
Silk, Great Value plant-based beverages recalled across Canada
Silk, Great Value plant-based beverages recalled across Canada July 16, 2024 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has recalled a selection of plant-based drinks after discovering they could be contaminated with listeria. CSFS Associate and Land and food systems professor Dr. Siyun Wang said while listeria isn’t as common as other food-borne bacteria like salmonella […]
LFS Reach Out is out!
LFS Reach Out is out! June 11, 2024 Many of our CSFS Associates and the CSFS Strategic Plan are featured in this issue of the LFS Faculty magazine! Dean’s Message – Rickey’s last! Studying Pollinators on the Frontlines of Resiliency with Risa Sargent Drought Solutions for Producers Start Small with Thorsten Knipfer Building Resilience: The […]
How to save the world in five not so easy steps
How to save the world in five not so easy steps June 11, 2024 CSFS Associate Dr. Kai Chan wrote that individuals should demand that systems change towards sustainability, and not depend on governments in the fight against climate change. Chan outlines five essential steps for this transformation: Go Deep: Focus on long-term sustainability over […]
Federal tests find no signs of bird flu virus in Canadian retail milk
Federal tests find no signs of bird flu virus in Canadian retail milk June 3, 2024 Canadian monitoring is underway as the U.S. grapples with an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in dairy cattle. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) laboratories have tested 142 retail milk samples from across all 10 provinces, the agency said. […]
Business Climate: How drought is changing B.C.’s agriculture industry
Business Climate: How drought is changing B.C.’s agriculture industry May 29, 2024 B.C. cattle ranchers, hit hard by last summer’s severe drought, are facing unprecedented challenges. Sean Smukler, director of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the UBC Farm, discusses the urgent need for better water management. “If we’re really serious about building local […]
Global effort to end plastic pollution
Global effort to end plastic pollution April 26, 2024 CSFS Associate Dr. Kai Chan, professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, discussed the global effort to end plastic pollution. “Global effort to end plastic pollution” CTV Morning Live
Introduced bumble bee dominates Lower Mainland pollinator surveys
Introduced bumble bee dominates Lower Mainland pollinator surveys April 24, 2024 CSFS Associate Risa Sargent, who heads the Plant Pollinator and Global Change lab in LFS, and master’s student Sarah Knoerr are featured in a UBC News story to discuss raising concerns about the number of common eastern bumble bees—an introduced species—being found in the wild and […]