Fish, Ecolabels, McDonald’s, Beer, Fine Cheese and More…

Summer is underway and that means the start of various food and drink festivals in and around Montreal. So included in my weekly link round-up are some suggestions of things to do this weekend. You’ll also notice that most of my weekly roundup is related to fish and oceans. It was World Oceans Day on Wednesday, so there were a lot of news stories and media releases relating to sustainable seafood.

Events

Festival Mondiale de la Bière. Now in it’s 18th year, this one is a mainstay of Montreal festivals and one of the most important beer festivals in North America. It features hundreds of microbrews and big breweries from around the world. This year it is being held at Place Bonaventure. Admission is free and tasting coupons are $1 each. Most beers are between one to five coupons for a 3-4 oz serving. You can also get a 1-day VIP pass for $90 that includes all drinks and appetizers in the VIP area, as well as 20 tasting tickets and a souvenir glass. (June 8-12, Place Bonaventure, Montreal, Qc)

Festival des Fromages Fins de Victoriaville. If you’re a fan of fine local cheese, this festival may be for you. According to the organizers, it focuses exclusively on  specialty cheeses from Québec. In addition to a professionally judged cheese competition, there will also be some people’s choice awards that you can vote on during the festival. In addition to cheese, the festival also showcases local vineyards and cider producers. There are also workshops and demonstrations. The weekend pass is $35, which appears to include all tastings and events, including evening concerts.  (June 9-12, Victoriaville, Qc)

Link Roundup

Dog’s Breakfast. In his weekly column with NOW Magazine in Toronto, Wayne Roberts tells us how government regulates food in all the wrong ways. Vendor carts selling junk food, no problem. Vendor carts selling healthful food, big problem. No warnings or nutritional info on meat labels, no problem. “No GE ingredients” labeling, big problem. Foreign corporate purchase of farmland, no problem. Community urban garden, big problem.  It’s an eye-opener.

Chemicals Used in Salmon Farming. This informative video clip talks about the various chemicals and drugs used in salmon farming and the lack of research on how they may be impacting the ecology around salmon farms.

McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish get Sustainable. On World Ocean Day, McDonald’s announced that all the whitefish sold in their European outlets will be Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified.  As far as I can tell, it’s only European locations that will be serving up MSC-certified fish. Hopefully the USA and Canada won’t be far behind.

An ecolabel on a fishery that catches endangered sharks and turtles. The MSC certification is not without its opponents, and here is one of the reason’s why. It looks like they may certify an Atlantic longline fishery for swordfish, however there are some serious concerns about bycatch with longline fishing methods. The fishery seeking certification is no exception.

SeaChoice Makes a Splash Into Classrooms. If you are an educator, or simply want to learn more yourself or  teach your own kids about issues concerning the oceans, check out this new kindergarten through grade 6 educator’s guide from SeaChoice. It’s packed with great information and activities!

Have you seen any websites or links that caught your attention this week? Share them with us!