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: QR Codes
Although Quick Response (QR) codes have been around for decades, their use during the pandemic on restaurant menus, retail displays, grocery shelves and even COVID vaccination passports, have made them more accepted by consumers. And as demand for a contactless economy grows, QR codes are an increasingly important step in connecting businesses and consumers. What are they? A QR code is a form of two-dimensional barcode invented in Japan as a means to store more data about a product and shorten scanning time. Many food and beverage companies began using the symbols on packaging in the early 2000s. But it wasn’t until smart phone technology evolved to the point that consumers could quickly and easily scan QR codes through their camera that companies began actively using them to provide information and engage customers. As consumers increasingly ask for contactless transactions, QR codes are a quick and inexpensive way to update menus, communicate with customers, and add traceability to the supply chain. What makes them unique? As opposed to one-dimensional barcodes which are only encoded with information horizontally, QR codes – which can be static or dynamic -- are encoded with information vertically and horizontally, meaning they can transmit more data at a faster speed. They can be embedded with banking and credit card information, and in many countries such as China and India, they’re often used as mobile payment method. As their use becomes more sophisticated, companies can add multimedia elements and create a more immersive experience for customers. Why you should care While QR codes are become more recognizable, it doesn’t mean Canadians have fully embraced them. In fact, a recent survey by Field Agent Canada showed that only about a third of Canadian consumers have used a QR code -- the majority of those millennial and younger shoppers. And although QR codes are everywhere, 48 per cent of respondents to its 2021 survey say they have scanned a QR code in a grocery store, by far the most often cited location. Barriers to use A lack of understanding seems to be a barrier to greater usage in Canada, and ultimately it may be up to businesses to highlight the benefits of QR Codes to their customers. In asking why they don’t use QR codes, Field Agent found, for example, that just three per cent of consumers said they didn’t know what they were, while nine per cent of admitted that they didn’t know how to use them. Instead, 62 per cent of respondents said they hadn’t seen QR codes in stores, 21 per cent said they didn’t understand the value of using them, and 15 per cent said they didn’t use them because of the information they contained. QR Codes will become more important to food and beverage supply chain distribution as additional companies invest in automation and traceability. New research from Cornell University suggests that best-before dates on dairy products could also be replaced by QR codes in order to give consumers the most accurate information possible and prevent food waste. QR codes in use Several payment apps are already using QR codes. Since 2020 PayPal has embraced QR codes to allow Canadians to scan and pay at retailers through the third-party payment platform in a fast, touchless transaction. Tim Hortons integrated QR codes into the awareness campaign leading up to its 31 st annual Camp Day on July 13, 2022 with the help of technology from Scanbuy, Inc. QR codes were added to marketing and point-of-purchase materials, allowing customers to scan them for information about Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, and how to donate funds. #FIC #digitization #apps #digitaltransformation
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Algorithms and their use in food processes
@Isabelle Marquis sat down with @Nestor Gomez , chief technology officer for CFIN, to talk about algorithms and the food supply chain.
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The Tablesetter – July 25
Happy Monday CFIN members! Every Monday, we’ll give you a heads up on what will be appearing on YODL this week and around the food world. The YODL Menu This week watch for articles and videos on: Monday: The Tablesetter – July 25 Tuesday: Algorithms explained Wednesday: QR codes and the food industry Thursday: Top YODL discussions Friday: News File Something to Celebrate July 30 is Food Day Canada! The day was created by Anita Stewart in 2003, and is intended to bring the country together to celebrate the delicious diversity of Canada’s ingredients, beverages and cuisine, while recognizing all the farmers, fishers, food companies, food researchers and restaurateurs that make it possible. Looking for inspiration on how to celebrate Food Day Canada? Later this week we’ll reveal how CFIN staff will be celebrating the day cooking up regional recipes, or check out Food Day Canada’s map on chefs, retailers, restaurants and events commemorating the day. Tag yourself online with #FoodDayCanada, and let us know how you’ll be celebrating! Food Facts Indigenous Canadian cuisine is as diverse as Canada’s ecosystem, and includes game, seafood, plants and berries. Destination Indigenous offers an interactive map showing were to find businesses and restaurants offering traditional and modern takes on Indigenous cuisine. Happy YODLing!
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News File – July 22
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: Podcast suggestion - Solve for X: We need to talk about our carbon problem Packaging recovery projects Upcycling – beer pants anyone? What’s happening at CFIN? CFIN’s Innovation Booster has announced the final 2022 intake, focusing on our Food Ecosystem Sustainability priority. The deadline is September 12, 2022. CFIN and the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology are hosting CIFST ALT on September 28, 2022 in Toronto. The event offers food innovators an opportunity to demonstrate alternative food products and ideas to the industry. Around the Food World BC retailer Save-on-Foods has teamed up with Ocean Wise to celebrate Plastic Free July and raise awareness of plastic pollution through the Plastic Challenge . Some retailers in the UK are removing best before dates from produce and dairy products to help prevent food waste. For those of you who didn’t make it to IFT First 2022, Foodnavigator-USA highlights the best of the annual event. Did you know? PwC’s June 2022 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey shows that Canadians’ food shopping habits have been forever changed by the pandemic. Here are some key findings: Canadians are adapting to supply chain disruptions and inflation by using technology to: use comparison sites to look for product availability (29%), to switch to buying online (25%), to shop at different retailers (35%), to switch to buying in-store (27%), and to change the location they usually shop in order to get the product they want (24%). One in three respondents have used a virtual reality (VR) channel to shop, with most buying retail products and luxury goods. 35% of Canadians say a company’s social policies and actions often or always influence their purchasing behaviour, while 34% sight their governance policies, and 28% sight their environmental policies and actions. 75% of Canadians say they’d be prepared to pay more for locally sourced products, and 66% say they’d pay more for made-in-Canada products. 51% of consumers shop online at least once a month on a personal computer, down from 56% in April 2021. Hate to cook in the summer heat? @Dana McCauley has you covered with her recipe for Curried Lentil Salad .
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Rethinking the restaurant experience through innovation
Before everything was brought to a standstill by the pandemic, the share of Canadians’ food budget spent in foodservice establishments was rising. By the end of 2019, it was approaching 40%, and several experts believed it would pass that threshold in 2020. People were cooking less and less, were busier than ever, and were looking for ways to combine convenience and pleasure: everything was aligned for restaurateurs. Despite increasing competition from retailers, restaurateurs retained one significant advantage: the customer experience. Then a virus came along and took that advantage away overnight. Once again in history, Canadian restaurateurs have demonstrated their incredible resilience through the strength of their passion and creativity. As a result, new models are emerging everywhere: Takeaway counters offering a simplified version of the menu served in the dining room Frozen dishes and grocery products prepared by the chef Pop-up restaurants A hybrid between a convenience store and a café Outdoor space equal to or larger than the indoor space Farm restaurant The difficult context, economically, logistically and in terms of human resources, has also pushed restaurateurs to simplify and optimise their operations. Gone are the ten-page menus full of dishes with no soul or personality! Not only did this no longer meet consumer expectations, but it is also almost impossible to read on a phone. But be careful not to oversimplify at the expense of the customer experience. With prices continuing to rise, consumers will not expect less from restaurateurs — quite the opposite. Innovative ideas and partnerships will be more useful than ever in supporting restaurateurs. Automation, ingredient upcycling, supply-chain simplification and a safe environment are some of the major innovation themes currently very active in the sector. How do you see the restaurant of tomorrow, and how could you help make that vision a reality?
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Coming to a kitchen near you: foodservice innovation to 2030
This story originally appeared on the Foodservice & Hospitality website , and will appear in the September issue of Foodservice & Hospitality magazine. By @Dana McCauley Changes in the way we work can sometimes happen so quickly that they become standard practice seemingly overnight – just consider how fast consumers and restaurants embraced online apps during the pandemic, forever changing how food is delivered. Other changes, such as those involving new technology and Internet-connected innovations, have had much slower adoption rates in the foodservice world, but have the potential to be just as transformative. Here are some things we see on the horizon for foodservice in Canada and the world. Robotics and Automation Many of the challenges facing foodservice operators today are common across the Canadian food world. Labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, climate change, higher raw material costs and rapidly changing consumer demands around food safety, transparency and delivery are just some of the issues shifting the food landscape. Much of these challenges can be addressed by digitizing and automating processes. While the food industry has been slower than other sectors to automate, food chains are already making incremental investments in elements of Industry 4.0 in order to create more transparent, agile and competitive operations . In coming years expect to see automation being added any area of foodservice with repetitive tasks or where consistency and food safety is crucial, such as in healthcare . At the same time, Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology embedded with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, including robots, will begin appearing in kitchens of all sizes. Robots won’t look like the ones you see in sci-fi movies. Instead, robotic systems in foodservice will do tasks that are repetitive but necessary, such as mis en place, or which can be dangerous or dirty, such as waste disposal. You’ll also see collaborative robotic systems which are designed to work side-by-side workers, who are then free to perform more skilled duties. Over the next decade costs of implementing automatic systems and robotics will continue to fall, while performance and consistency increases. “Food is the last great frontier of automation,” says Kristian Tazbazian, co-founder and COO of Oakville, Ont.-based Gastronomous Technologies , Canada’s leading food automation start-up. “The way that QSR food is prepared is much like a mini factory – you have to do the same steps in the most timely, efficient and reliable manner possible. But so many things have changed, the market, input costs, but the equipment and the way they’re cooking the food has not. Back of house, front of house, commissaries, high throughput, low throughput – it is all applicable for robotics and automation.” Gastronomous is designing a network of connected, automated cooking equipment, which tie together to create a fully autonomous commercial kitchen. Today, the Gastronomous team is working with some of North America’s largest restaurant brands to solve their deepest problems in terms of labour, consistency, food waste and energy usage. Other innovations changing QSR over the next decade are automated foodservice kiosks that are much more than vending machines. Quick-service kiosks designed to cook and dispense a wide range of hot and cold food choices like salad, pizza and cooked noodles, are already appearing on university campuses offering customized meals prepared in minutes. With a low carbon footprint and minimal labour needs, expect to see these kiosks pop up in locations such as malls, at sports events and in other public spots where traditional staffed QSR units would be too costly to operate. Cellular agriculture The affects of climate change, the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine have pushed food prices to new highs, straining already tight foodservice margins. Cellular agriculture may alleviate some of these sore points in coming years, while creating new foodservice opportunities and markets (think “cegan” or non-animal synthetic alternatives). Cellular agriculture – 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; and ingredients for hybrid foods such as proteins, enzymes, flavour molecules, vitamins, pigments and fats. Engineered plant proteins are already in the Canadian market, with precision fermented products expected to appear next, followed by cultured meat products within the next decade. Current Canadian regulations consider food produced through cellular agriculture as a novel food, and products are approved on a case-by-case basis. 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. 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 of that market. Inventory and traceability After several years of suffering from supply chain disruptions, food companies are beginning to invest in Supply Chain 4.0 solutions designed to make their food chains more traceable, transparent, resilient and sustainable. In coming years look for technology that provides operators with real-time data analytics to help manage supply chain and inventory, allowing them to optimize the use of raw materials and energy, reduce waste, and achieve higher margins. One example of this technology is Mississauga, Ont.-based Savormetrics ’ hand-held AI-driven units for analyzing biochemical and biophysical factors to determine food quality. The unit is designed to help chefs manage inventory and prevent shrinkage by identifying foods that should be used for specials or turned into sauces before they pass their best before date. The technology can also be used to provide ingredient and marketing information. “Our technology assesses the decay patterns and biochemical markers present in foods so that the best quality food gets used when it tastes and looks its best ,” says Harjeet Bajaj, p resident and CEO of Savormetrics. Virtual Menus Diners became comfortable with online ordering during the pandemic, usually for delivery through an app, but increasingly at the table. Expect to see virtual menus appearing alongside continued use of ordering apps during in-house dining. In fact, a report released in May 2022 by Givex revealed that 68 per cent of Canadians are comfortable using technology to see the menu and order in a restaurant. Thirty-six per cent said that the ability to see menu items before ordering was the best part of online ordering, while 30 per cent cited the ability to customize your order. And 27 per cent said they like being able to order through an app without having to call over a server. As a result, some restaurants are using virtual menus to take the pressure off of staff, while keeping customers entertained while they wait. Caterers and event planners are also using virtual menus as a tool to show customers what the food dishes really look like. The Metaverse The Metaverse virtual platform is going to be big marketing opportunity for restaurants in coming years as more customers explore the platform and businesses figure out how to best position themselves. While people play games and access entertainment in the Metaverse through virtual reality headsets they’ll be able to visit virtual restaurant chains, buy virtual food for their avatars, and purchase real food for delivery from local ghost kitchens. McDonalds has already established its virtual real estate in the Metaverse, but there’s room for everyone, with smaller chains like Montreal’s Famous Cosmos hoping to attract local customers. NFTs NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, are digital collectibles of art, audio, video other information that can be bought, traded or sold. Because they are based on blockchain technology they are traceable, and therefore their value can be authenticated. While NFTs are becoming increasingly popular, they’re currently no better than a regular loyalty program, a crowd sourcing platform or a good maître d’. But as NFTs become more prevalent, in real life and virtually on the Metaverse, they’ll offer additional opportunities for foodservice. For example, clubs may use them for exclusive patron access, and restaurants may ask customers to use NFTs to secure reservations, removing the risk of cancellations during busy periods. “Technologies like machine vision, data, robotics and automation are changing all aspects of the food industry,” says Joseph Lake, CEO of CFIN. “There are so many smart people in Canada who have great ideas for improving the food business, but we also know that entrepreneurs often struggle to find the partners, resources and funds they need to bring those ideas to market. CFIN is helping make those ideas a reality through innovation challenges, funding and mentorship opportunities, and through YODL, an interactive online platform designed to help food and beverage professionals from all sectors of the industry connect, learn, and grow their businesses.”
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Guest Blog: Health Canada's New Labelling Requirement: The Front-of-Package Nutrition Symbol
This article originally appeared on the G.S. Jameson & Company blog . By @Glenford Jameson Health Canada has released the details of its long-awaited framework for Front-of-Package Nutrition Symbol labelling on any prepackaged food that meets or exceeds 15 per cent sodium, sugar, or saturated fat (30 per cent for prepackaged meals). The new regulations come into force on July 20, 2022 but manufacturers have until January 1, 2026 to implement changes. All of this is part of Health Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy , which strives to encourage consumers to make healthier and more informed food choices in an effort to attack diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and other detrimental diseases. Certain exemptions apply to the labelling requirements, though, which manufacturers should note prior to production of their prepackaged foods and/or their labels. If you manufacture single-serving food products, for example, or single ingredient foods (such as granulated sugar, maple syrup, salt, butter, plain milk, plain yogurt, cheese, ground beef, or whole cuts of poultry or fish), you are exempt from declaring a Nutrition Symbol on the front of your prepackaged food. However, if you manufacture any prepackaged food that meets the definition found in either the Food and Drug Regulations or the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations chances are you will need to update your packaging or review your recipe within the next few years. While updating a package to include a new symbol is always tedious and expensive, we view the changes that Health Canada has implemented as encouraging a level playing field amongst affected manufacturers, some of whom have been portrayed negatively for producing foods with equivalent sugar, sodium, or saturated fat values to their more frequently praised counterparts. High fructose juices, for example, will now bear the same Nutrition Symbol as carbonated soda; most granola bars, including those chocolate-covered ones, will display the same symbol as chocolate bars; prepackaged popcorn, often touted as the diet-friendly alternative to potato chips, will now display a symbol suggesting its sodium content. We should not be surprised to also see high levels of sugar in most gluten-free baked goods, or high levels of sodium in most meat alternatives. Unlike Canada’s rules surrounding sugars-based ingredients , which can be applied in unintentional ways, for example, these rules seem clear and enforceable on a consistent basis. Yet, what happens if you are a manufacturer of guacamole? Assuming there are no fillers or additives, guacamole – at its core – is a combination of single ingredient vegetables and fruits. Maybe a bit of salt, and a splash of oil to help emulsify. And yet, its saturated fat content is high enough to warrant a Front-of-Package Nutrition Symbol. We could make a similar argument with apple sauce, which is ultimately puréed apples. And yet, its sugar content is high enough to warrant a Nutrition Symbol. Consumers are faced with tough choices: is apple sauce a better choice than pudding? Is guacamole a better choice than queso fundido? Either way, it appears that the effect of this new regulatory scheme is that Health Canada will attempt to curb the public’s consumption of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat by requiring all of these products to bear the same front-of-package warnings. This particular labelling requirement is clearly not perfect, but its intention is clear and similar mandates have been received as just and effective in a number of other comparable jurisdictions . More importantly, it cannot be viewed in isolation: the Front-of-Package Nutrition Symbol must be viewed in combination with any other labelling or packaging update that Health Canada has made recently, or provided a consultation for, in an effort to encourage healthy eating practices. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada continually review different tools to improve the dietary and nutritional choices that Canadians make. For example, the Nutrition Symbol must be read side-by-side with the updated Nutrition Facts table and the grouping of sugars now found in ingredient lists, all of which become enforceable by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as of December 2022. As always, the Nutrition Symbol must be implemented in the required format, including correct size and placement, and therefore it serves manufacturers to have their labels reviewed prior to production.
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The Tablesetter - July 18
Happy Monday CFIN members! Every Monday, we’ll give you a heads up on what will be appearing on YODL this week and around the food world. The YODL Menu This week watch for articles on: Monday: The YODL Menu, Something to Celebrate, Food Facts Tuesday: Health Canada's New Labelling Requirement: The Front-of-Package Nutrition Symbol Wednesday: Coming to a kitchen near you: Foodservice technology and trends to 2030 Thursday: Rethinking the Restaurant Experience Friday: News file Something to Celebrate July 19 is national d aiquiri day. The original Cuban cocktail made with rum, sugar, lemon or lime juice, and served over ice, was concocted in 1891 by an American engineer in the mining town of Daiquiri, Cuba. Today there are a multitude of popular variations on the classic cocktail, including the ubiquitous frozen daiquiri. Food Facts Taste Atlas lists the following made-in-Canada drinks as the top four most popular alcoholic beverages from Canada: The B-52, invented in Banff, AB in 1977, the layered cocktail features coffee liqueur, Irish cream liqueur and orange liqueur. Vidal blanc wine made from Vidal hybrid grapes grown in Ontario. Canadian whisky, which must be distilled from a mash of cereal grains and aged for a minimum of three years to officially bear the name. The Caesar, made with vodka, clam-infused tomato juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, served with a celery salt rim, and garnished with lime and celery, originated in Calgary in 1969. Caribou is a Quebec beverage made from a blend of red wine, maple syrup and whisky or vodka and served chilled. There are also ready-to-drink varieties of the beverage on the market. Happy YODLing!
Community Manager-
News File – July 15
Each Friday we’ll bring you a roundup of news from CFIN, YODL and around the food world. As seen on YODL Personalized Nutrition - the future is all abut you! New Report -- Nielsen IQ Canada / Q2 Inflation Creating circular economy from food waste streams (Post farm produce and food scraps) What’s happening at CFIN? CFIN is launching an open call for reviewers to support our funding programs . CFIN members will be at the C ultivate Sustainability Conference in Winnipeg, MB on September 7. Around the Food World Diageo has acquired Vivanda, the company behind the beverage maker’s What’s Your Whiskey digital platform, allowing it to expand the FlavorPrint technology to other categories. Puratos is hosting a Food Innovation Challenge for startups developing technologies to enhance gut health. SCiFi Foods has produced the first cultivated beef developed by single-cell suspension, something it says is an industry first. Check out this year’s listing of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants , numbers 100 to 51 at least. Sponsors S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna will reveal the Top 50 online on July 18, 2022 . Did you know? Consumers across Canada are returning to restaurants and bars. According to Statistics Canada , restaurant and bar sales have surged above pre-pandemic levels for the first time in two years. Year-over-year sales in March 2022 jumped 35 per cent compared to March 2021, 62.9 per cent compared to March 2020, and 4.9 per cent compared to March 2019. StatsCan points to pent-up demand for the rise in sales. While there’s clearly pent-up consumer demand, inflation and the increasing cost of raw materials and other inputs may dampen sales throughout the summer. If you’re not planning on visiting a restaurant this weekend, why not try @Dana’s recipe for Shrimp Toasty Naanwhich .
Community Manager-
The rise of food apps
Anyone with a smartphone knows that there are an infinite number of mobile food apps available. As well as the usual food apps that help people cook dishes, review restaurants, and order groceries, consumers are downloading apps that allow them to purchase discounted products that would otherwise become food waste or recover upcycled items destined for the dump. Here are a few cool food apps worth knowing about: Too Good to Go Described as the world’s top anti-food waste app, Too Good to Go launched in Canada in 2021, and has spread to about 2,000 food businesses in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Vancouver. The app allows restaurants and other foodservice businesses to offer surprise bags of surplus prepared food and ingredients at end of the day for up to a third off the price. Caddle This 100-per-cent Canadian app for couponing and surveys offers customers cash back on purchases (between $1 and $20), surveys (between five and 25 cents per 30 second survey), and for watching ads. Through the app, companies can access valuable customer reviews while increasing engagement with their customers. Foupon Canada’s number-one restaurant app isn’t connected to any one chain, but offers consumers digital coupons for more than 10,000 major fast-food restaurants that can be scanned instore. Flashfood Flashfood allows consumers to search for local grocers offering between 30 and 50 per cent discounts on perishable foods that may otherwise end up in landfills. Consumers order and pick up their products on the same day at the store, where grocers say customers typically add to their overall purchase. The Yuka App The concept behind the Yuka App isn’t necessarily unique, but it’s proven to have a direct influence on sales and consumer choices and is growing in popularity across the globe. Here’s what you need to know about the Yuka App. What it is An app developed in France that allows users to scan a barcode to access information about food and personal care products and lets consumers know if the product is worth purchasing. Why you should care It’s independent, free and the information is science-based Over 1.5 million food products have been analyzed so far Over 27 million people are using the app It was launched in Canada in 2020 and is also accessible in Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Germany, Great-Britain, Ireland, USA and Australia. According to a study conducted in France, 92% of consumers who read a negative review on a product put it back on the shelf The app has become so popular in Europe that some food companies are sending their new product recipe to Yuka to get their score before they even launch. Whether or not the app becomes as popular in Canada remains to be seen, but one thing we do know – the Yuka App can make the difference between securing a new customer or losing an existing one.
Community Manager-
Guest Blog: Time to say good-bye? When to exit a business
Roundtable: Should Start Ups Treat their Companies Like Products?
Dana McCauley recently began a lively discussion on YODL about merger and acquisition activity in the food industry, noting that for some time now larger food companies have chosen to expand into new categories and markets through acquisitions of innovative start ups and SMEs rather than through internal investment. As a result, some entrepreneurs are adopting an exit-strategy mindset as part of their initial start-up plans. If the trend continues, Dana believes it will result in great branding and marketing expertise being required to create new categories; and that more co-packers will be needed to provide plants and equipment for exit-minded entrepreneurs looking to keep their operations as simple as possible to make acquisition attractive. We wanted to know more about what YODLers thought about the topic, and how it will affect your businesses and the food industry in Canada. Here’s what some of you had to say. Participants: Gunjan Syal , founder and chief strategy officer, GoEmerald , ON Marc Wandler , co-founder/CEO, Susgrainable , Vancouver, BC Does having an exit-strategy mindset limit the company’s potential in terms of innovation and growth? @Gunjan : I do not believe having an exit strategy mindset always limits the innovation or growth. It is practical for companies to have the worst-case options identified, including practical exit strategies to ensure the business can survive. On the other hand, it is important to note where the connections are between the firm’s overall growth strategy, the leadership, values and the skillset on the team. These are ingredients to create a culture of innovation. Circularity ensures the innovation culture can be resilient during the desperate times. Some businesses may create products or services with the intent of exiting from the start; others may be committed to drive long-term growth by investing in, what I call a culture of circular innovation. @Marc : I would argue it often has the opposite effect. Having an exit-strategy makes you focus on creating something valuable enough for someone else to want to purchase what you have created. This ensures you constantly have an end customer in mind. Having an exit-strategy can also indicate that your company has thought of innovation and growth up to a certain point and through the exit, the mission could potential be advanced even further with the resources from the acquirer. Do difficult economic times push companies to become more efficient and innovative, or do they push more entrepreneurs to exit the industry? @Gunjan : T he uncertainty during difficult economic times may propel companies to reflect back on their underlying values and mission. When resources are dwindling, companies will need to strategically choose where to focus for the greatest impact and alignment towards the right consumers – these are the consumers who will benefit from the services/ products. The difference in the post-pandemic world is that the rapid changes in consumer behaviours are creating a new layer of uncertainty. Inflation is also impacting drastic changes in supply chain operations. This will propel companies to invest in innovation, when resources are available and investments appear to drive long-term value. At the same time, innovation will suffer because ROI cannot always be calculated in advance – it requires trial-and-error to some degree. Novel partnerships, simplifying business models and solutions that can be pivoted quickly, will thrive in the difficult economic times. @Marc : It does both in my opinion. Difficult economic times push customers to really evaluate where their dollars will go. For those companies who don’t panic and focus on their core offerings it will push them to become more focused and efficient. Any company that becomes spread too thin is at risk during these difficult times. At the same time, other entrepreneurs may get pushed out for several reasons – sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. For those entrepreneurs whose mission or vision is completely wiped out, exit may be the best strategy. Are M&As beneficial in the long run for the industry, or do they impede innovation? @Gunjan : M&As can be beneficial when there is alignment in product strategy as well as the end user impact among the firms. However, M&A strategy may also severely limit a company’s ability to innovate as the culture of circular innovation may dwindle over time, if not deliberately harnessed after M&A. It will be key to ensure special attention is allocated to developing and aligning a culture of circularity, human capital and profit along with the customer needs. @Marc : Again, it could be either. If the acquisition is between two values-aligned companies focused on growing the mission together, and they can leverage the skills and resources that each brings, then it will foster innovation. In other cases, it may be a strategic acquisition made by a bigger entity acquiring a smaller company that could be a threat in the future but isn’t quite there yet. Depending on how this acquisition is managed, especially when there are big differences in culture, this type of acquisition can impede innovation. @Dana’s take: I would say that if, as many predict, a recession comes and our interest rates climb, that we will absolutely see M&A decrease. In my opinion, it is the very low interest rates that have encouraged many high-net-worth individuals to become angels and venture capitalists. If they can invest in safer products that get them a good return, they will abandon M&A activity for savings products. Disruptive technology and products that solve truly unmet pain points are always marketable. Unfortunately, they are pretty few and far between! Have your say! Tell us what you think about merger and acquisition activity in the food industry. Add your comments here .
