Global National Serves Up 'Table Matters' Series Launch This Monday, March 8

    
             Exclusive Investigative Reports Examine Canadian and
                 International Food Politics and Production

       For additional information, please visit: www.canwesttvmedia.com
    

TORONTO, March 5 /CNW/ - It's one of life's three major necessities, but how much do we really know about what's happening with our food supply? Are we facing a crisis? Prices are not coming down, yet what we eat may not be safe, and it's possible that some of our favourite foods could disappear from store shelves. So it is only natural that each and every Canadian has a stake in the increasingly complex issues about the subject. Globalization, economics, health and environmental forces make food a complex and timely topic and Global National will dive headfirst into the politics of food in the five-part series Table Matters set to launch this Monday, March 8 and run through Friday, March 12, 2010.

"Food is a topic that certainly hits home for every Canadian," comments Global National anchor Kevin Newman. "In this series we take a look at some of the concerns that are impacting the food supply not only in Canada but abroad as well, because this is a subject that ultimately affects everyone."

Global National's 'Table Matters' will explore the following:

Monday, March 8

Food Safety

Just how safe is our food supply? After the listeriosis crisis of in 2008, three out of four consumers say they are more concerned about the safety of the food they eat now than they were five years ago. Reporter Mike Le Couteur looks at food safety issues from several angles and looks at whether free trade opens the door to unsafe food entering Canada.

Tuesday, March 9

California Water Shortage

California's vast and fertile Central Valley is the 'food basket' for the US and Canada. Now a water shortage has severely affected the area and that could result in higher fruit and vegetable prices. And it could worsen. Paul Johnson visits the area and talks to farmers and suppliers.

Wednesday, March 10 & Thursday, March 11

The 100 Mile Diet

'Eating locally' is the latest buzzword when it comes to food consumption. But is the '100 mile diet' a ruse? In this two part special, Christina Stevens finds that transportation is only a fraction of the environmental 'footprint' of food production.

Friday, March 12

The Canadian Beef Industry

Canada is producing more beef than it can use, but major markets abroad are closed to our beef exports due to bans and regulations. Cattle producers are hurting, and beef prices aren't going down. Francis Silvaggio reports from Calgary, the heartland of Canada's beef industry.

For more on this story, in depth coverage of all the days' events and breaking news, please visit www.globalnational.com

Global Television is a Canwest Broadcasting Network.

About Canwest Broadcasting

Canwest Broadcasting operates Global Television and eighteen of the country's most popular specialty channels, including HGTV, Mystery TV, National Geographic Channel, Showcase, History Television, Food Network and TVtropolis. Canwest Broadcasting is a division of Canwest Media Inc.

About Canwest Media Inc.

Canwest Media Inc. is a subsidiary of Canwest Global Communications Corp. (www.canwest.com), Canada's largest media company. In addition to owning the Global Television Network, operating 18 industry-leading specialty channels and having ownership in 5 specialty channels, Canwest is Canada's largest publisher of English language paid daily newspapers and owns and operates more than 80 online properties.

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: David McCaughna, Publicist, Canwest Broadcasting, [phone], [email protected]