This year’s Food Day Canada (FDC) will commemorate Canada’s 150th birthday Aug. 5 with food-themed events across the country — and even around it.

Anita Stewart said Food Day Canada is an opportunity to bring attention to Canada’s farmers, producers and food companies

Canadian cuisine will be featured in select restaurants and farmer’s markets, and in a new list of 150 made-in-Canada ingredients, said Anita Stewart, University of Guelph food laureate and founder of the annual Food Day Canada.

The day will include a social media campaign with the hashtags #FoodDayCanada and #CanadaIsFood.

“We want people to go to a FDC restaurant or cook their own meal, and spread the word on social media,” said Stewart.

This year, FDC chefs are cooking aboard the Canada C3 – Polar Prince, a Canadian research ice-breaker sailing from Atlantic to Arctic to Pacific.

Paul Rogalski, chef and owner of Rouge Restaurant in Calgary, will cook on the boat Aug. 5.

Canada C3 is an incredible voyage skirting all three of Canada’s coasts,” said Stewart.

“It’s such an adventure that we felt the crew and the lucky people on board should be fed well.”

The largest FDC event will take place in Grand Falls, Nfld., Aug. 5, with chefs making a number of local dishes. The 600 tickets available are already sold out.

Stewart will be in Elora, Ont., at the farmer’s market Aug. 5, where guest chefs will cook with ingredients sold by vendors. She will also speak at the Prince Edward County farm of chef and local food proponent Jamie Kennedy.

She said FDC allows Canadians to celebrate the distinctive nature of the country’s cuisine, while bringing attention to the people who feed Canadians, including farmers, producers, processors and food companies.

“Celebrating Canada’s food can include eating at our Food Day Canada restaurants, but it is more than that.

“We want people to realize that supporting our farmers and producers is important, so we’ve again created our Shop Like a Canadian list, with 150 truly Canadian ingredients.”

A lentil beet salad

The list includes drinks (apple cider, craft beers, cherry juice and fruit wines), beans and alternative proteins (green lentils, white pea beans, chickpeas and quinoa) and meat products (beef, ranch-raised bison, wild game and Canadian pork).

Also included are sections for fish and shellfish, dairy, syrup, ice cream and vegetables.

“There truly is something for everyone, no matter your food preferences, so if you want to shop like a Canadian, this is the list for you.”