Inside SIAL Canada 2026: Driving Food Innovation Through Connection and Collaboration
CFIN had the honour of taking a bite out of SIAL Canada 2026 in Montréal 🍎—connecting with partners, members, and industry leaders shaping the future of food innovation across Canada and beyond. Representing CFIN on site were CEO @Dana McCauley and @Julie Daigle , Regional Innovation Director (Quebec), who engaged with the ecosystem throughout the event. Their presence reflected CFIN’s ongoing commitment to strengthening Canada’s food innovation ecosystem and supporting high-potential foodtech ventures. Attendees could also catch Julie as a Foodtech Focus expert at the SIAL Canada Expert Hub, where she connected directly with innovators and shared insights with the community. Dana also took the stage as part of the Dairy Talks program, contributing to a forward-looking discussion on innovation as a driver of market leadership in the Canadian dairy sector. Her session explored the shift from incremental product development toward a broader innovation mindset—highlighting next-generation ingredients, value-added dairy formats, new go-to-market strategies, and the role of Industry 4.0 technologies like AI, robotics, automation, and digital supply chains in strengthening productivity and global competitiveness. A key highlight of the week was CFIN’s involvement in the 7th edition of the Startup Pitch Competition, held on April 30 on the Food & Bev Connect stage. Julie Daigle participated as the President of the Foodtech jury, joining a panel of industry experts evaluating promising entrepreneurs from the Startup Village. Beyond the competition, the Startup Pitch stage served as a strategic platform connecting entrepreneurs with buyers, investors, and key decision-makers across the agri-food ecosystem. A standout moment for the CFIN community was the recognition of Maia Farms, a CFIN member and funding recipient, which earned the Gold Prize in the foodtec h competition 🍄🏆 CFIN’s presence at SIAL Canada underscored the momentum of Canada’s food innovation sector and the value of convening the ecosystem to accelerate ideas from concept to commercialization. 📖 Explore more from SIAL Canada 2026 R elive the stories, innovations, and key moments captured throughout the show in the official SIAL Canada Daily: SIAL Canada Daily – 2026 Edition (Photos Courtesy of SIAL)
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Five Years of CFIN: A Letter to the Network
Thirty years ago, I worked as a chef in the kitchen of one of Canada’s top restaurants standing should er to shoulder with people who ca red about the sensory experience of food above all else . Our tech stack was al most all analog and , to be honest, we didn’t give our ordering system or the way we did inventory a lot of thought. My career broadened over time , and I ’ ve also held roles where I developed recipes at Canadian Living and wrote about food trends; built innovation strategies and products for national brands, founded a business incubator, and ran a venture creation office at a prestigious Canadian u niversity . Food was always the thread , and technology was always present but in most of the food focused businesses I’ve worked for, it was taken for granted, and creativity and hard work were what drove the businesses forward. While smart people with great ideas are essential to food business success, it’s not enough to be competitive in today’s world. Old ways of running restaurants, innovation labs and food and beverage processi ng businesses can’t compete internationally or absorb the trade shocks that have become commonpla ce in recent history. That’s why I feel l ik e CFIN is the perfect place for me to be today and why we’re adding dozens of new members per week. When CFIN was created in 2021, the mandate was intentionally broad : cata lyze Canadian food innovation with funding , build community, connect an ecosystem that had been operating in silos for decades. The funding programs took shape quickly. Since 2022, we’ve awar ded $23.3 million to 133 projects across six program s. For every $1 CFIN invested, our members committed $7.65 of their own capital toward innovation. This leverage ratio of nearly 8-to-1 has unlocked over $140 m illion in private sector spending on R&D and capital infrastructure. The other work was harder to define . What do "build community" and "connect an ecosystem" mean in practice for a sector span ning startups, processors, researchers, investors, policymakers, and operators spread across this vast country ? Th at question didn't have a tidy answer. As a result , fostering and serving this network was (and remains ) an exercise in innovation itself : something new to be built , and then tested, adjusted, and iterated upon , ad infinitum . I’m immensely proud of what we’ve built so far . A team of Regional Innovation Directors who've supported more than 2,200 organizations, brokering the introductions that became commercial partnerships, strategic investments, leadership hires, and research collaborations. A digital platform , YODL, connecting Canada's food sector across industry silos and bridging interprovincial barriers . The first comprehensive analysis of Canadian foodtech . A network of 8,500 members from every province, every part of the food value chain, every stage of business . On any given week, our community is discussing topics ranging from precision fermentation bioreactor designs and funding stacks to food packaging labeling regulations and export strategies, all in the same space. Members benefit from purpose-built tools and resources — like our Funding Finder that aggregates food and beverage funding opportunities across the country and a growing library of original sector research and analysis — alongside direct access to our Regional Innovation Directors. Canada has strong regional funders, accelerators, trade associations, and tech transfer offices, each doing necessary work in a defined lane. What this sector didn't have was a place where the conversation s , the tools, and the connections all showed up at once — where the range of problems and the range of capabilities were dense enough that the right solutions could emerge . That's what CFIN has built. That foundation is important because the next five years will be even more dynamic, and often more challenging, than the last five . To keep pace and flourish in an increasingly volatile world, Canada's food sector needs to modernize faster and more strategic ally than ever before . Trade disruption is dramaticall y reshaping supply chains . L abour constraints are compounding a productivity gap that was widening long before tariffs became front-page news. Climate pressures are intensifying. Food 4.0 — a tech-enabled food s ector that's more collaborative, productive, resilient, and competitive — is the framework CFIN is building toward, and the case for it gets more urgent by the quarter. I ’m confident that we’re up to the task . Five years ago, Canada's food innovation ecosystem was fragmented, underleveraged, and often invisible to the investors, operators, policymakers, and media who needed to see it. That's no longer true. The capacity to respond to the challenges ahead is here. Not in any single program or policy, but in the breadth of this network — the founders , processors , researchers , and investo rs who are hungry to innovate and build a better Canadian food sector . My own wide-ranging path through the food sector taught me that no single role ever showed me the full picture. It took working across kitchens, labs, newsrooms, boardrooms, and startups to understand how innovation really moves through this industry — and where it get s stuck. CFIN was built on the same insight. A sector this complex, facing challenges this urgent, needs more than funding or advice or connections in isolation. It needs all of them in the same room. That's what we've spent five years building, and I'm betting the next five will prove its value at a scale none of us can yet imagine. Thank you for being part of it. Dana McCauley, CEO, Canadian Food Innovation Network
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How BC is Becoming a National Foodtech Hub
Editor's Note: This article was o riginally published in the Vancouver Tech Journal on March 13, 2026 The province has a diverse food processing industry, world-class research facilities, and a deep bench of tech talent — everything a foodtech ecosystem needs to thrive. Foodtech builds the software, automation, and applied science for how food gets processed, manufactured, packaged, distributed, and sold. The industry behind it is enormous — food and beverage processing alone is Canada's largest manufacturing sub-sector , bigger than automotive, bigger than aerospace. It's a serious market, and in British Columbia, it's growing fast. But if you work in the province's broader tech ecosystem, you might not even know that. Foodtech hasn't traditionally drawn the same attention as sectors like cleantech or enterprise SaaS despite being a comparable market in scale and complexity — and one where demand for new technology is accelerating fast. What BC brings to the table BC's food processing sector is substantial — over 3,200 companies producing roughly $12.6 billion in value-added products annually. And it's being treated as a strategic priority. The province has funded a network of shared food processing hubs, UBC just opened a Food and Beverage Innovation Centre with pilot-scale production labs that processors and startups previously had to leave BC to access, and SFU's BC Centre for Agritech Innovation is partnering directly with SMEs on cost-shared R&D. At the same time, much of what the food industry needs is already being built in BC for other thriving tech sectors. Process automation, energy management, supply chain software, safety and traceability systems, data-driven quality control — these are cleantech and software problems applied to production floors and distribution networks. The talent, research base, and trade infrastructure to support a serious foodtech cluster are all here. A different kind of tech sector Foodtech doesn't work like enterprise SaaS or consumer tech. Processors and manufacturers adopt slowly and carefully, because failure is expensive in ways that go beyond lost revenue — a food safety issue, a botched line integration, a regulatory problem. Sales cycles run in quarters. The investor community that understands food is small and specialized. And the industry's own networks run through trade associations, existing supply relationships, and sector-specific events that sit well outside the broader tech community's orbit. None of this means foodtech is closed off. It means that if you want in — as a founder, investor, developer, or potential partner — you need a way to access the conversations, the deal flow, and the operating knowledge that don't surface through the usual channels. The Canadian Food Innovation Network The Canadian Food Innovation Network is a national not-for-profit, established in 2021 that functions as the operating infrastructure for Canada's foodtech sector. CFIN runs cost-shared funding programs that help companies de-risk R&D and move technology into commercial settings. Since launch , the organization has awarded over $22 million to 122 Canadian foodtech projects, matched by $25 million in industry co-investment. Those funded companies have generated $90 million in economic impact, created over 355 jobs and co-op placements, and attracted more than $82 million in follow-on investment. The network's 8,000-plus members include food processors, technology companies, ingredient suppliers, retailers, researchers, and investors — connected through YODL, CFIN's member platform, and supported by Regional Innovation Directors embedded across the country, who work directly with members to broker introductions, navigate funding, and connect emerging technology with the processors and buyers who need it. CFIN also produces the sector's most detailed intelligence . The Foodtech in Canada 2025 Ecosystem Report mapped investment flows, identified sector strengths, and gave both companies and investors a clearer picture of where the Canadian foodtech market stands. And then there's Foodtech Frontier , CFIN's annual program identifying the country's highest-potential foodtech companies. The inaugural cohort of 35 winners included eight BC companies. For investors, it works as curated, vetted deal flow in a sector where sourcing is otherwise hard. For the companies, it's structured national visibility. Plug into Canada’s foodtech ecosystem If you work in technology or investment and you've been curious about the food sector, then signing up for a free CFIN membership is the best place to start. Members get access to funding programs, sector intelligence, a national innovation community, and regional team members that know the BC landscape specifically.
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Other Articles
Explained: Precision Fermentation
Fermentation is an ancient process of preserving and creating food and beverages. Over the past four decades , p recision fermentation , or acellular cultivation, has emerged a s a specific kind of fermentation process to create lab-grown ingredients for use in a wide variety of products, including food. What Is It? Unlike cultivated products that are derived from cells harvested from live animals, precision fermentation uses cells from micro-organisms like yeast and bacteria to produce specific enzymes , fat, collagen, flavour molecules, vitamins or protein ingredients that are identical to animal proteins but which do not contain any living material in the final product. The process is being used to create : Casein O valbumi n Rennet Omega-3 fatty acids Vanillin Chocolate Coffee Why You Should Care As the cost of the p recision fermentation process falls , the possibilities for creating ingredients to replace animal - derived ingredients for use in the food industry will be endless. Consider that by using precision fermentation: E xpensive or imported ingredients like vanilla can be created and sourced in Canada , which will help build new, sustainable Canadian-based supply chains. Precision fermentation allows for greater product consistency and stability, meaning products can be more easily scaled for commercial markets . Once scaled, it ha s the capacity to meet the growing demand for novel and vegan protein s. It s use has the potential to help solve issues of food scarcity and insecurity , as well as food waste. Unlike synthetic or artificial ingredients, it i s derived from a natural source , and can offer food companies a “clean label.” Its use removes concerns about animal welfare and the environment that have been linked to conventional dairy and meat industries, including land and water use, carbon footprint , and greenhouse gas emissions. Opportunities in Canada While i nsulin made through p recision fermentation has been on the market in Canada since the 1980s , today there are a variety of products containing ingredients derived through the process. Some of the Canadian startups using the process to create novel proteins and other alternative products include: Mississauga, ON-based Liven Proteins , which creates animal-free functional protein s for use in plant-based food and beverages. Proveta Nutrition Ltd. based in Saskatoon, SK produces animal feed for farmers across the Prairies using precision fermentation. Toronto’s Ardra , is using the process to produce natural flavours and fragrances . Another Fish , based in Montreal, plans to use precision fermentation to create a sustainable whitefish fillet without animal ingredients. To learn more about the precision fermentation process, listen to Alex Barlow’s conversation with Yadira Tejada of New Harvest. #precisionfermentation #cellularagriculture #cellularfood #acellularfood #FoodInnovation
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Company Spotlight - BioShur Inc.
This is one in a series of interviews with CFIN member companies that have successfully applied for and received funding . Montreal, QC-based BioShur Inc. aims to replace petro-based flexible plastic packaging with soil-compostable, plant-based flexible films. This is ideal for situations in which the recycling of petro-based plastics is particularly difficult or unfeasible. The company aims to improve the food industry by helping environmentally conscious brands reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint and plastic pollution; and through plans to incorporate natural agents that help reduce food spoilage caused by pathogens, the company will reduce food waste. BioShur received $50,000 in funding from CFIN to scale up the fabrication of a bio-based and backyard compostable cling food wrap that can also extend the shelf life of fresh food. We talked to BioShur founder and CEO Roger Tambay to learn more about the company and its plans. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: Our mission is to help consumers and brands reduce plastic waste, reduce food waste, and reduce the emissions of GHG. Our near-term objective is to replace non-recyclable PVC cling food wrap with a plant-based and soil-compostable cling wrap. The film will also enhance the shelf life of fresh produce like strawberries and cauliflower. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: We applied to CFIN because it targets a great community of Canadian food industrials. The Innovation Booster will help us along the product development cycle, allowing us to make prototypes that potential buyers can touch, feel and try. Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry? A: GHG emissions and food waste are huge social problems. We are excited about helping brands and individual consumers contribute to address these problems. It’s an honour to collaborate with CFIN to achieve this goal. Q: Why is collaboration so important for accelerating innovation in the food industry? Is it difficult to find good collaborating partners, and what would make the process easier? A: Solving social problems like the ones we are addressing requires the collaboration of many stakeholders all along the chain. If we have any chance of solving this problem, it is through deep social collaboration, including with the food industry. Yes, it is difficult to find good collaborating partners. The CFIN network of innovators is a community and the YODL platform is a great tool to connect with other individuals that share the same passion we do. Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: Public funding is essential. The cost of development is getting higher and higher, and private investors are generally unwilling to fund research and development or scale-up risk. Thanks to CFIN, we’re able to leverage our internal funding and have better access to scale up facilities much faster than if we were to go it alone. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: We hope to bring a prototype to market by the end of 2023. We hope this prototype will be adopted by major food companies and retailers both here in Canada and internationally. We also really want to offer a product to individual consumers – we really believe that the average person wants to contribute to a cleaner economy. We want to give people access to a food wrap that has the same performance they’re used to, but with a better carbon footprint. Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work? A: I love running, biking, skiing, and playing piano. Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose? A: My girlfriend, Sarah! Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
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50 Canadian FoodTech Resources – BC Food Hub Network
Canada has an extensive range of research centres, food incubators, accelerators and labs supporting food and beverage innovation through the research they do and/or the services they offer. Each week throughout 2023, we’ll be highlighting an organization that’s supporting food innovation in Canada. Name: The BC Food Hub Network Location: Throughout BC Focus: The BC Food Hub Network aims to foster growth and innovation in the processing sector through improved industry access to facilities, equipment, technology, technical services, and business supports. The Network is developed in collaboration with industry, communities, and post-secondary institutions to build provincial food and beverage processing while serving the regional and sector diversity of the province. Mission: To help BC’s food and businesses grow, innovate, and commercialize. Services: The Network is made up of regional food processing and innovation hubs or food hubs, as well as an Endowed Food and Beverage Innovation Professorship at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver campus. Food hubs are shared-use food and beverage processing facilities that offer food and agriculture businesses access to commercial kitchen and production space, processing and packaging equipment, product development and testing services, storage and distribution facilities, mentorship training and support, and resources to support business development and growth. There are currently food hubs operating or under development in 12 BC communities . What you need to know: The Network supports the provincial government’s “Grow BC, Feed BC and Buy BC” programs to encourage greater food security and local business growth. Notable News: On its site the Network offers two free resources for entrepreneurs looking for practical business start up information: Shared-Use Food and Beverage Processing Facilities in BC, Part I: A Step-by-Step Guide, and Part II: Business Plan Template. Get Involved: Contact the BC Food Hub Network at Foodhubs@gov.bc.ca , or at 888-221-7141, or reach out to our Regional Innovation Director Lavina Gully.
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Visualizing Cellular Food: A Conversation with Yadira Tejeda Saldana of New Harvest.
CFIN's Alex Barlow sat down with Yadira Tejeda Saldana of New Harvest to discuss how cellular food is created. Illustrations by Nick Counter for New Harvest.
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The Tablesetter – February 6, 2023
Happy Monday CFIN members! Here’s your weekly heads up on what’s happening on YODL and around the food world this week. The YODL Menu Monday: The Tablesetter – February 6, 2023 Tuesday: Visualizing Cellular Food: A Conversation with Yadira Tejeda Saldana of New Harvest (Video) Wednesday: 50 Canadian FoodTech Resources – BC Food Hub Network Thursday: Company Spotlight – BioShur Inc. Friday: News File, and Explainer: Precision Fermentation Something to Celebrate February 6, 2023 is Oatmeal Monday! Also known as Meal Monday, the day is celebrated on the second Monday in February, and commemorates a Scottish tradition dating back to the 17 th century when food could be scarce. In those days, universities held a monthly Oatmeal Monday, when students had the chance to prepare a meal together and share supplies. The University of Edinburgh made Oatmeal Monday an annual celebration in 1896 to allow students to express gratitude for the availability of and access to food. Food Facts Canada is the largest exporter of high-quality oats in the world, producing approximately three million tonnes annually, with almost 90% going to the U.S. Oatmeal consumption in Canada has fluctuated in recent years, and in 2020/20221 Statista shows Canadians consumed 2.34 metric tonnes of oats, compared to 2.42 million metric tons in 2019/2020. Forecasts for 2021/2022 show that oat consumption has decreased to 1.7 million metric tons. Happy YODLing!
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News File – February 3, 2023
Each Friday we’ll bring you a roundup of news from CFIN, YODL and around the food world. As seen on YODL Check out this week’s most viewed discussions: SK Food Centre - Virtual Tours (facilities for contract processing, R&D, packaging and ingredients) | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Meal tray preparation challenges? | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) 2023 Top 4 Plant-based Food Trends | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World Research on fermented sea buckthorn shows that it has antimicrobial effects against bacteria including E.coli . Tim Hortons is offering a limited-edition Special Olympics Doughnut at participating restaurants from Feb. 3 to Feb. 5 in support of Special Olympics Canada. A team of chefs from Denmark has won the grand final of the Bocuse d’Or 2023 . Did you Know? The Trusted Brand survey conducted by Ipsos for Readers’ Digest and released in late January, shows that consumer loyalty to brands has shifted as Canadians balance rising food costs with concerns about health and safety. The survey looked at 35 product and service categories to reveal which brands Canadians now trust the most within each category. Here are the winning brands relating to food and beverage: Tea – Tetley Sparkling water – Perrier Plant-based beverage – Silk Cooler (alcoholic beverage) – Smirnoff Ice Hard Seltzer (alcoholic beverage) – White Claw Pet food – Purina Food delivery service platform – Uber Eats Meal kit delivery service – Hello Fresh
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Company Spotlight – Earthware Reusables Inc.
This is one in a series of interviews with CFIN member companies that have successfully applied for and received funding. Earthware Reusables Inc. is a return-for-reuse takeout container service located in Calgary, AB. Since launching in November 2021 the company has stopped approximately 15,000 single-use takeout containers from going into landfills. Earthware’s growth has been quite incredible and the company now needs to invest in facilities for Calgary and expansion to Edmonton. Earthware received $41,075 for the development of durable and UV-resistant hemp reinforced polypropylene composite for vacuum forming of reusable food containers. We spoke with John MacInnes, founder of Earthware, to learn more about the company and its plans. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: E arthware’s mission is to stop billions of single-use takeout containers from being garbage on our streets or entering our landfills. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: Our goal is to create a reusable takeout container that has never existed before. Key aspects are: Durability, the container must survive thousands of uses. During those thousands of uses the container will have many different types of foods and cannot stain. The container must be able to survive hot sun and freezing cold temperatures. The container must be able to endure thousands of washes in a commercial dishwasher. The container will travel from restaurants to customers to bottle depots. There will be very harsh conditions that the container must endure. The container must come out of commercial dishwashers clean and dry. The container should have some antimicrobial features to help with food safety. At the end of the container’s useful life it must be able to break down in existing recycling systems or be reused to create a new container. Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry? A: Our impact is very visible and easy to quantify. Every time we wash an Earthware container, a single-use container did not end up as garbage on our streets or in our landfills. Q: Why is collaboration so important for accelerating innovation in the food industry? Is it difficult to find good collaborating partners, and what would make the process easier? A: Our partner, SAIT University, has the know how and expertise to help us attain our goal of a better material for our containers. Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: Innovation is so tough for investors to get behind because they want a return. Public funding allows companies like Earthware to prove an innovation without the need for a proven return. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: We are very lucky to have raised operating funds from investors like Social Enterprise Fund and others. With that capital our incredible growth is set to multiply exponentially this year with a new business model made possible by an agreement with the Alberta Bottle Depot Association. Our partners will charge a small deposit on all Earthware containers and consumers can retrieve a portion of that deposit by returning Earthware containers with their bottles and cans. This is the big break that we needed to hit our vision of scaling to one million containers in circulation by 2025. Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work? A: Family, skiing, hiking and travel. Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose? A: My Mom. I miss her love and cooking, every day. Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
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50 Canadian FoodTech Resources – Venturepark Labs
Canada has an extensive range of research centres, food incubators, accelerators and labs supporting food and beverage innovation through the research they do and/or the services they offer. Each week throughout 2023, we’ll be highlighting an organization that’s supporting food innovation in Canada. Name: Venturepark Labs . Location: Calgary, AB (accelerator) and North York, ON (food incubator). Focus: Venturepark Labs is a non-profit organization supporting early-stage entrepreneurs in the food and wellness industries. It is part of Venturepark, a business growth ecosystem in Calgary, AB. Mission: To help aspiring food entrepreneurs develop their innovative ideas, grow their concepts, commercialize, and achieve accelerated growth. Services: The Food Incubator offers shared commercial kitchens and private production spaces for early-stage food companies to develop their products. Other services include live events, an online resource library, mentorship opportunities, and support through the business incubator program, which offers help with research and development, production, business fundamentals, and scaling distribution. The organization’s four-month accelerator program helps entrepreneurs scale their products, while receiving one-on-one guidance from industry advisors, sessions on market research, training in sales strategy and forecasting, and connections to investment capital opportunities. What you need to know: The Food Incubator features eight commercial kitchens of different sizes, refrigerated units, specialized food production equipment, onsite storage offering cold, frozen and/or ambient temperatures for ingredients and finished products, separate receiving and shipping areas, and access to meeting rooms. Notable news: Venturepark Labs was founded in 2015 as District Ventures Accelerator and District Ventures Kitchen by Arlene Dickinson, and was renamed in 2021. Since 2019 the Food Incubator has helped establish close to 100 food companies, including Firecracker Pepper Sauce, Easy Peasy Pancakes, BUZZD and Yumba. More than 200 brands have worked with the organization’s accelerator program since 2015, together representing $180 million in sales annually. Get involved: Contact Venturepark Labs at accelerator@districtventures.ca, or at (403) 237-2388, or reach out to our Regional Innovation Director for Western Canada, Hubba Khaton .
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Explained: Cellular Food in Canada
The past few years have proven how susceptible Canada’s food industry is to world events, supply chain disruptions and climate changes. New food production technology, such as cellular agriculture, has the potential to alleviate some of these challenges, while creating commercial opportunities and building a more sustainable, resilient food system. What is it? Cellular food – also known as engineering biology, synthetic biology or cell-cultivated products – is the production of food and textile products without using animals or land. Cell cultures harvested from animals, plants or micro-organisms are grown in the lab through tissue engineering or precision fermentation to produce: Cultivated proteins such as chicken, beef and seafood Fermented products like dairy, eggs, honey and chocolate Ingredients to add to products to create hybrid foods including proteins, enzymes, flavour molecules, vitamins, pigments and fats Textiles such as leather, silk and wool Why you should care As global population continues to grow, so does demand for protein, while access to land and other resource inputs become more scarce. Alternative agriculture could be an answer to food scarcity, concerns about animal and environmental welfare, cost inflation and resource challenges due to climate change. Compared to conventional agriculture, cellular agriculture production, is much less energy intensive, produces less greenhouse gas emissions, and has a much lower overall carbon footprint. With our strong food infrastructure, reputation for food safety, biotechnical expertise, and federal support for alternative protein production, Canada is well positioned to become a leader in cellular agriculture. The 2021 report Cellular Agriculture: Canada’s $12.5 Billion Opportunity in Food Innovation from Ontario Genomics and the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley found that the international cellular agriculture market will reach US$100 billion by 2032. Canada’s food industry has the potential to take $12.5 billion that market, while creating up to 142,000 high-paying jobs. Opportunities in Canada Engineered plant proteins are already in the Canadian market, and by all estimates, precision fermented products are expected to appear before cultured meat products. Current Canadian regulations consider food produced through cellular agriculture as a novel food, and products are approved on a case-by-case basis. Here are a few Canadian start-ups making headlines: Because Animals – This Toronto-based pet food company uses cultured ingredients such as probiotics and nutritional yeast to create nutrient-rich cat and dog food designed to help digestive issues. Future Fields – Edmonton, AB-based Future Fields is a R&D producing growth media products that can be used to create commercialized cultivated proteins in a safe and sustainable manner. Cell-Ag Tech – Toronto’s Cell-Ag Tech is doing R&D on cell-cultured fish and seafood. New Harvest International non-profit research institute New Harvest , which promotes the science behind cultured meat through research, funding and a conference , now has a Canadian branch.
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What YODLers are Saying and Reading – The TOP YODL Posts and Articles of January 2023
YODLers kicked off 2023 by chatting up a storm! In case you missed them, here are the top five discussions of January 2023, as well as the top five most read articles for the month. Top YODL Discussions in January Number 5 Upcycled food waste. | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Eliminating food waste is an ongoing issue for Canadian food and beverage companies. Luckily there are also innovative Canadian businesses actively developing solutions to this global challenge. Number 4 CFIN New Member Meet-Up reflections | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) CFIN regularly holds new member meet-ups to provide information on YODL, funding opportunities, events, and more. Number 3 National Food Days | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) National food days are a fun and creative way to celebrate the food industry. Watch for more national food day coverage each Monday in the Tablesetter. Number 2 HACCP grants needed | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Food companies and entrepreneurs are always looking for new sources of funding, and many of them are finding solutions through YODL. Number 1 B corp certification | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Canadian companies are curious about the benefits of becoming B Corp certified for their social and environmental performance. Most Read YODL Articles in January Number 5 News File – January 6, 2023 (cfin-rcia.ca) Each Friday we publish the News File, covering worldwide industry news, as well as the most viewed discussions of the week, and results from recent surveys and studies. Number 4 News File – January 13, 2023 (cfin-rcia.ca) In this issue of News File we looked at a new report from Second Harvest on food bank use. Number 3 The Tablesetter – January 16, 2023 (cfin-rcia.ca) Every Monday we publish the Tablesetter, a look at the articles appearing on YODL that week, as well as coverage of national food days, and food facts. Number 2 50 Canadian FoodTech Resources – The Verschuren Centre (cfin-rcia.ca) Each week this year we’re highlighting one of the many resource centres across Canada available to food and beverage companies. Number 1 Parlons d'innovation: Utilisation de légumineuses entières comme ingrédients fonctionnels (cfin-rcia.ca) This French-language video is part one in a series of videos looking at innovation and research in Canada. Happy YODLing!
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The Tablesetter – January 30, 2023
Happy Monday CFIN members! Here’s your weekly heads up on what’s happening on YODL and around the food world this week. The YODL Menu Monday: The Tablesetter – January 30, 2022 Tuesday: Top YODL discussions and articles for January, and Explainer: Cellular food in Canada Wednesday: 50 Canadian FoodTech Resources – Venture Park Labs Thursday: Company Spotlight – Earthware Reusables Friday: News File Something to Celebrate January 31 is Eat Brussel Sprouts Day! There’s a scientific reason why some of us hate the bitter flavour of brussel sprouts, while others love the little green veggies. We have an average of 25 types of bitter receptors on our tongues, but consumers with more tastebuds are known as “supertasters,” and can experience the bitter flavour up to 60 times more than others. Food Facts According to Statistics Canada, consumers in Quebec eat more fruit and vegetables than other Canadians. In Quebec, 34.5% of consumers say they eat fruit and vegetables at least five times a day each day, compared to just 18.3% of consumers in Newfoundland and Labrador. Respondents from all provinces reported eating fewer fruits and vegetables per day when they spent more time in front of a TV or computer screen. Happy YODLing!
Community Manager-
News File – January 27, 2023
Each Friday we’ll bring you a roundup of news from CFIN, YODL and around the food world. As seen on YODL Check out this week’s most viewed discussions: B corp certification | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) HACCP grants needed | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) CFIN New Member Meet-Up reflections | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World Debate continues around the use of the Eco-Score label, which outlines environmental footprint, in the EU. Kroger has released its 2023 Food Trends report predicting emerging food trends and consumer behaviour. Oliver Wyman and the Food Industry Association’s new report, Imperative Issues Identifying food industry challenges , outlines issues continuing to impact the retail grocery industry. Did you Know? Every year Mondelēz International releases its year-over-year insights into consumer snacking decisions. As well as discovering that 71% of consumers snack at least twice a day, the 2022 Global Consumer Snacking Trends Study reveals that: 55% of consumers say they make a meal out of snacks at least once a week. 67% of consumers say they would rather buy less of their favourite snack than a private-label brand alternative. 64% say they’d pay more for snacks that are better for the environment. 61% say they go out of their way to find their favourite snacks. 78% of consumers believe it’s important to have moments of indulgence in your day. 70% believe plant-based snacks are better for the environment and the planet. 70% of consumers say they prioritize snacks with less packaging, with 72% saying they typically recycle it.
