Canadian Food Focus is a program that answers consumers’ questions about food and how it is grown and produced in Canada. Through our website and social media platforms, Canadian Food Focus is quickly becoming a place to tell our Canadian food and farming stories, explore how food is grown, share recipes, and provide useful advice from experts to help people make confident food choices. In short, Canadian Food Focus celebrates the great food grown here!
Launched in 2019, Canadian Food Focus has reached over 100 million Canadians and achieved engagements of over 25 million ( June 2024). Engagement is an important metric as it indicates that consumers not only saw but processed and then acted in some way to like, share, comment or click through to our content. Further, we are reaching beyond the usual farm and influencer echo chambers to engage our target audience in urban areas. Over the past several years, Canadian Food Focus has shared over 1000 articles; more than 10,000 posts through English and French social media channels; almost 500 videos on YouTube; and 20 learning courses with more than 50 published lessons!
Starting the Conversation with Food
The Canadian Food Focus website leverages Canadians’ intrinsic interest in food as a gateway to broader discussions about agriculture. The largest drivers of organic traffic to the site are Google searches for classic Canadian recipes, followed closely by inquiries about seasonal produce and how various foods are grown and raised. This trend underscores the natural curiosity of Canadians about what they eat and how it is produced, making food an ideal entry point for conversations about farming.
Dorothy Long of Canadian Food Focus articulates this strategy perfectly: “Food is our common ground and the most intimate way consumers relate to agriculture. Food is where we need to begin our conversation with consumers. That will lead to the bigger picture of where food comes from and how it is grown and raised in Canada.”
Moreover, Canadian Food Focus has created a space for farmers to share their stories, making the information relatable and personal. These narratives bridge the gap between consumers and producers, humanizing the agricultural process and fostering a sense of community and trust.
In a world where the distance between farm and table often feels vast, Canadian Food Focus effectively narrows this gap. By starting the conversation with food, the platform not only satisfies the immediate curiosity of consumers but also leads them to a greater understanding and appreciation of Canadian agriculture. This approach not only enhances food literacy but also strengthens the bond between consumers and the agricultural community, ensuring more informed and connected Canadians.

Outreach Events
In addition to consumer engagement activities, Canadian Food Focus supports and participates in several outreach events to raise awareness of CFF and farming and food information generally. Our outreach projects have included: the Taste Canada culinary competition and awards, #FoodDayCanada, CanFit Pro National Conference, Dietitians of Canada National Conferences, Canadian Culinary Federation Conventions and numerous national webinars for students and consumers.
Our monthly newsletter, Great Food Grown Here, launched in 2022, now goes to over 7,000 contacts across Canada and beyond. Currently, it is growing at a rate of over 300 new subscribers each month. We’re pleased to see a very high level of interest, with an open rate of 57% and a click rate of 7.5%–well above the industry average for this type of newsletter (compared to the industry average of 27% overall open rate and 1.3% click rate).
We also introduced a new Ask A Farmer podcast in February 2023. Our collection of podcast discussions covers the gamut from farming practices to eating healthy to new scientific innovations to consumer buying trends. A new podcast is posted each month to a growing listener base.
A few of the cool resources on Canadian Food Focus:
- Almost 60 videos about different types of farms across Canada
- More than 240 recipes showcasing great Canadian-grown foods
- Cook-along videos of recipes using Canadian ingredients
- Ask a Farmer/Ask an Expert videos to common consumer questions
- YouTube Series that follows a Canadian rancher as she shares stories and information about their ranch
- Articles with timely and interesting information under the categories of Health, Recipes, In Your Kitchen, On the Farm and Canadian Food Stories
- What’s In Season chart of Canadian fruits and vegetables
- Ask A Farmer Podcast
Check us out:
canadianfoodfocus.org and @CDNFoodFocus on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or YouTube
Be proud of the food we produce. Share Canadian Food Focus content through your networks and work with us to help Canadian food and farm stories.
LoveCDNfood #LoveCDNfarms
For more information or a presentation on this project, contact Dorothy Long, Managing Director of Canadian Food Focus.

Angela Larson
Communications Manager, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan
Angela grew up on a mixed grain and beef cattle farm near Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. Throughout her career, she has worked with several agriculture groups such as CanolaInfo, SaskMustard, HealthyFlax, Sask Pork, and SaskTurkey on their social media and communications programming. Currently, she is our Communications Manager for Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan as well as for our national program, Canadian Food Focus.
Angela, her husband Andrew and their two daughters Molly and Claire, live and work on their multigenerational mixed grain farm near Lloydminster. They are also active in their local 4-H Beef Club.