It has been more than eight years since alpiste was approved by Health Canada for human food consumption in Canada—but we are now at the stage where the seed is being shopped around as an addition to existing food products.

Alpiste is the Spanish name for canary seed and Saskatchewan is one of the main growing regions in the world. The majority goes to the birdseed market—but growers are still looking to crack the more lucrative human food market.

Adele Buettner with Agribiz Communications in Saskatoon has been working on the file for years on behalf of the Saskatchewan Canary Seed Development Commission, which funds the process through producer checkoff dollars. She says alpiste is high in protein and would be a great addition to products such as pastries and pancake mixes.  She recently spoke to CJWW Radio Agriculture Director Neil Billinger. (above photo: courtesy Alpistecanada.ca)