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Where Crunch Meets Clean Label: Sunflower Kernels for the Next Generation of Better-for-You Snacks
Canada’s healthy snacks market is experiencing strong growth. According to Grand View Research, the market generated $3,713.6 million (USD) in 2025 and is projected to reach $7,282.5 million (USD) by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8% from 2026 to 2033.¹ The research also identifies Canada as the fastest-growing regional market in North America, highlighting significant opportunities for food manufacturers looking to innovate in the category. For food scientists and product developers, this growth presents a complex formulation challenge. Consumers increasingly seek snacks that deliver nutritional value, convenience and recognizable ingredients, without sacraficing the taste,texture and overall eating experience they expect. Success depends on balancing these priorities to create better-for-you products that satisfy both nutritional goals and consumer expectations. Why Texture Matters in Snack Innovation Texture is a powerful influence on how consumers experience food, shaping everything from first impressions to repeat purchases. Puratos’s Taste Tomorrow research found that nearly half of consumers prioritize texture over ingredients when purchasing food, while 68% of millennials say texture directly influences their choices.² Ingredion research further indicates that 70% of global consumers would switch to a different product or brand if they were dissatisfied with its texture.³ For snack food manufacturers, these findings underscore the importance of getting texture right from the outset. Crunch, crispness and contrast can help distinguish a product in a competitive market, while combinations of complementary textures can create a more engaging and premium eating experience. Innova Market Insights’ Global Texture Trends 2026 report highlights the appeal of combining textures such as creamy, crunchy, and soft. Its research also revealed that one in four consumers globally is interested in trying snacks in formats that are new to them.⁴ Together, these insights point to opportunities for food manufacturers to explore fresh ingredient combinations and textural experiences that make better-for-you snacks stand out. Where Sunflower Kernels Fit In U.S.-grown sunflower kernels give food manufacturers a practical way to build that contrast. Their mild flavour and satisfying crunch add dimension to both sweet and savoury product innovations without overpowering other ingredients. They also bring plant-based protein, fibre and healthy fats, along with vitamin E, zinc, folate, iron and magnesium, so the texture upgrade comes with a nutritional one. Available raw, roasted and ready-to-eat, sunflower kernels can be used across a wide range of applications, including: • Better-for-you snack bars • Granola and trail mixes • Crackers and savoury snacks • Bakery products and breakfast cereals • Plant-based snacks and bites Clean Label and Allergen-Friendly by Design Consumers worldwide are increasingly prioritizing clean-label products made with recognizable ingredients and greater transparency. Innova Market Insights reports that more than two in three consumers globally say they are at least somewhat influenced by clean ingredient decks, and that nearly one in three new products now carries some type of clean label claim.⁵ Innova also notes that non-GMO claims are most established in North America.⁵ Sunflower kernels are naturally non-GMO and sustainably grown, which supports the transparency and recognizable-ingredient positioning shoppers respond to. They are also an allergen-friendly alternative to tree nuts, delivering the crunch consumers expect from nuts and seeds. Unlike tree nuts, sunflower kernels are not considered a priority allergen in Canada, making them a versatile option for manufacturers developing new products or reformulating existing ones. Turning Texture Trends into Product Opportunities As Canada's healthy snacks market continues to expand, food manufacturers have an opportunity to differentiate their products through thoughtful ingredient choices and more engaging eating experiences. Texture is an important part of that equation, influencing consumer appeal while creating opportunities to innovate across familiar snack formats. U.S.-grown sunflower kernels bring together satisfying crunch, plant-based nutrition and application versatility, making them a valuable ingredient to consider for the next generation of healthy snacks. From bars and granola to crackers and savoury mixes, they can help product developers create food innovations that balance texture, taste and nutritional value. Explore how U.S.-grown sunflower kernels can add texture, nutrition and versatility to your next snack innovation. Connect with a supplier today > {link to lead to the NSA Kernel suppliers page} References: 1. Grand View Research, Canada Healthy Snacks Market Size & Outlook, 2026–2033. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/healthy-snacks-market/canada 2. Puratos, “Why texture is important in food,” February 19, 2025. https://www.puratos.com/blog/why-texture-is-important-in-food 3. Ingredion research, as reported in “New approaches to texture innovation,” Food Business News, May 7, 2026. https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/30275-new-approaches-to-texture-innovation
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)
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
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.
Other Articles
Roundtable: How should we view plant-based foods?
YODLers have had a lot to say when it comes to plant-based foods, and recent discussions on YODL have received record views and comments. We invited CFIN members to participate in a virtual roundtable to hear more on the issue. Participants Sophie Beauchemin , La Milanaise Lavina Gully , CFIN regional innovation director, BC/Yukon James Street , director, business development, Protein Industries Canada Q: Should plant-based foods be sold alongside vegan products, meat products, with fresh produce, or in a separate area? Sophie Beauchemin: The product needs to be where the customer will find them. So, depending on which customer you are looking to sell to, the product should be in that area. If it can, it should be in both areas. Personally, I wish to find all plant-based products in a plant-based section, which is much easier to find. James Street : I feel that the plant-based meat category needs its own area. Adjacent perhaps, but distinct. Retail has had success identifying space for gluten free and local. It is very dynamic – retailers would benefit from taking a longer view and recognize that consumer adoption needs some time – dedicate some space to help customers become familiar and then begin adjusting based on sales. I recognize space is limited (I built and ran my own grocery store) but expectations need to be realistic – we are still a ways from figuring this out, adoption rates are still low. Vegetarians and vegans are unlikely to explore the meat section to find a plant-based alternative – why force them to do it? Space is ultimately given to those brands and products that generate sales, which further compounds the risks with new, plant-based products. As we see overall adoption increase, stores will be happy to dedicate more space and effort. It’s a classic chicken and egg scenario which suggests an ebb and flow dynamic as stores/brands make an investment in space, contract a bit and reposition based on the learnings, then invest again, learn and adjust. Jumping to a predetermined “plan-o-gram” that instantly boosts sales is unrealistic. This is still a long game. We need to spend more time experimenting and analyzing consumer behavior before they get to the till. Q: How does the end user affect product development, distribution, retail location? Sophie Beauchemin: It affects everything. Lavina Gully: Understanding the need states of the end user will help to create a clear and strategic product brief that zeroes in on the right positioning. Prioritize what is most meaningful and what your research shows will drive purchase intent. Be mindful of building too many features into a product and over-engineering it – you can’t be everything to everyone. Consumers may initially be tempted by claims, but if the product doesn’t taste good, they won’t repurchase. James Street: The end user is a stage that is often explored last. The industries (manufacturing and retail) need to share intel more about how people shop. Asking someone at the door or in the aisle if they prefer this or that is a waste of time. Sales data and the mapping of shopping patterns tell a clearer story. Asking the end user how they use the product is also important. Is the plant-based Italian sausage being sliced on a pizza and subjected to dry 400-degree heat, or is it “crumbled” into a pasta sauce and simmered for a couple hours. The use of the product demands the attributes of the functionality and if the product doesn’t function and taste well during the end users cooking it doesn’t get purchased again. Q: Why should it (or shouldn’t it) matter what we name plant-based products? Do we need guidelines around marketing these products? Sophie Beauchemin: It is easier to sell fake bacon then selling tenderized smoky tofu because the buyer has a reference, and it speaks more to him. I also can understand if I sell milk that I want my product to be protected against those new competitors. For me, almond milk is not milk, and plant-based yogurt is not regular yogurt. James Street: It matters to dairy-based cheese producers if you use cheese – not the consumer. This applies to all categories. Consumers need clear definitions and names that help categorize foods. Nomenclature is important as it is one of the first stages in the consumer making the decision. Confusion does not translate into sales. The barrier is getting past the non-plant-based categories. Look at margarine’s history. Q: What innovations do you see in the plant-based industry within the next five years? Sophie Beauchemin: Less transformation, fewer ingredients. Lavina Gully: More multi-component meal concepts that offer a full flavour and texture experience. Incorporating plant proteins into meal kits, bowls or traditional classics like Shepherd’s pie allows developers to use sauces and other seasonings to deliver more than just a meaty taste. Also, with precision fermentation advancing at a rapid pace, perhaps we’ll see a return to using ingredients like egg albumin in meat analogue formulations. Some of the best analogue products I’ve ever had incorporated albumin for that juicy and bouncy texture. Egg proteins were largely reformulated out in order to veganize, but various companies are working on animal-free versions. James Street: Convergence of new technologies in the food space to solve for texture – layering of muscle and fat like tissues. New and novel fats, and new and novel solvents. Hopefully a better understanding of the relationship between plant-based ingredients and the human craving (dopamine response). Want to participate in a roundtable? Contact Jamil@cfin-rcia.ca
Company Spotlight – Cascadia Seaweed
This is one of a series of profiles of CFIN members that have successfully applied for and received funding through CFIN’s Innovation Booster program . Cascadia Seaweed is a vertically integrated company located in Sidney, BC. In partnership with coastal First Nations, we install low-impact farms in the ocean and cultivate a climate-positive seaweed crop. Seaweed does not require arable land or freshwater to grow and has a long list of product uses – seaweed can be used as a nutritional whole food or ingredient, as a biostimulant to enhance crop soil conditions to grow food and feed, and as a livestock feed supplement diversifying the supply of feed, improving animal health and reducing methane emissions. These are the avenues that Cascadia Seaweed is pursuing to develop and build a more resilient food system in Canada. The company received $71,911 in funding for a project to monitor the variance in beneficial and hazardous components of seaweed to optimize industrial processing for food applications. We sat down with Cascadia Seaweed CEO Mike Williamson to talk about the company. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: In partnership with coastal First Nations, Cascadia Seaweed is on a mission to become the largest producer of ocean-cultivated seaweed in North America to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a more resilient food system. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: Cultivating and processing seaweed at scale in Canada is still relatively unfamiliar. In order to maximize the value of this climate-positive crop we must understand the effects of various processing methods and learn to extend its shelf-life. Funding from CFIN will help Cascadia Seaweed complete this testing and analysis and therefore add to the growing body of knowledge to support the growth of the sector across Canada. Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: Public funding accelerates a company’s ability to provide information, adding value to the business and the sector. In our case, as we build revenue-generating streams, public funding allows us to conduct meaningful research in tandem with regular business activities. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: As Cascadia Seaweed continues to grow, we aim to improve our processes and drive costs down in an effort to provide a competitive, yet profitable, source of value-added seaweed products grown in the pristine waters of British Columbia. The more seaweed we cultivate, the more benefit we can provide to local communities, ocean ecosystems, and the Canadian food system. Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
Revisiting YODLs Top Videos
YODL regularly posts videos on issues affecting the food and beverage industry in Canada. Our videos have covered trade shows, plastic waste, digitization, innovation and more. In case you've missed them, here are links to some of the most popular videos of 2022. Algorithms and their use in food processes Auditing your operations and moving to a circular economy Innovation at SIAL Paris Collaboration in the food industry The Canada Plastics Pact Canada's Import Replacement Opportunity Is there an issue you'd like us to cover? Contact @JamilKarim to let us know!
The Tablesetter – December 5, 2022
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 – December 5, 2022 Tuesday: The Top Videos of 2022 Revisited Wednesday: Member profile – Cascadia Seaweed Thursday: Roundtable – Views on Plant-Based Products Friday: News File Something to Celebrate December 6, 2022 is National Microwave Oven Day! Based on radar technology developed during World War II, the microwave oven was invented in 1945 by Percy Spencer of Raytheon, who realized foods could be heated with microwaves through use of a magnetron. The first Raytheon Radarange microwave was released in 1947 was a six-ft. tall unit with a $5,000 price tag. While early machines were intended for restaurant and airline use, the first residential microwaves appeared on the market in 1955. But it wasn’t until the late 1990s that most Canadian homes had a microwave oven. Food Facts According to Nourish Food Marketing’s 2023 Trend Report: The Future is Transformative , younger consumers are prioritizing health and personalization more than other generations. Here’s a few examples: 52% of millennials say they are or plan to prioritize better health in the near future, compared to 47% of all consumers. 48% of millennials are prioritizing better nutrition, compared to 40% of all consumers. 31% of millennials strongly agree that they prefer personalized products, services and apps, compared to 25% of Gen Zs, 16% of Gen Xs, 10% of boomers, and 20% of all consumers. Happy YODLing!
News File – December 2, 2022
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: L' eau en canette : le marché du futur pour les microbrasseries? | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Les 25 plus grandes entreprises de transformation alimentaire au Québec | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) The Worlds Largest Food Companies Are Struggling with Carbon Targets | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World New guidelines for food and beverage manufacturers from Food Allergy Canada . Natasha Dhayagude , CEO and co-founder of Chinova Bioworks, and a member of CFIN’s Board of Directors receives the Innovation Award at the 2022 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. A new review by researchers at Stockholm University looks at the sustainability of plant-based alternatives compared to meat and dairy. Did you Know? Nourish Food Marketing’s 2023 Trend Report: The Future is Transformative lists nine trends transforming the agricultural and food and beverage industries. They are: 1. The rise of reducatarianism – trading “either/or” for “everything, but less” 2. Good eats, better sleeps – The role of food as a sleep aid to promote overall well-being 3. This one’s for the ladies – Female food is a missed opportunity we can no longer overlook 4. Food without borders – Social media unites us globally so we can shop and cook together 5. Robots, AI, and connected kitchens – The future of food automation finally arrives 6. Breaking the chains – Localized production offers an alternative to shaky global supply chains 7. Closing the loop – Self-contained food systems are the future 8. From science fiction to science farming – Ag innovation sees exponential growth to meet environmental and market needs 9. Solidarity for sustainability – The future of eco-conscious agriculture is co-operative
Company Spotlight – Radish Cooperative
This is one of a series of profiles of CFIN members that have successfully applied for and received funding through CFIN’s Innovation Booster program . Montreal, QC-based Radish Cooperative develops software to help restaurants meet their technical needs and make delivery more efficient. The company offers delivery service in Montreal, as well as products such as inventory management software to help restaurants reduce food waste and save money, and an eco-optimal dispatching and routing engine that helps reduce delivery fleet emissions. The company received $98,549 in funding to establish a lightweight digital twin platform for restaurant inventory management. We sat down with Radish’s executive director Mansib Rahman to talk about the company. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: Radish’s mission is to mutualize the technical needs of the restaurant industry. It is difficult for restaurants, workers, and consumers to effect change individually. A restaurant can’t afford their own data scientist, for example, and workers struggle to improve their working conditions without the collaboration of their peers. However, by pooling the resources, challenges, and innovations of the sector, the costs can be spread among the industry as a whole and the benefits can be reaped by everybody. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: The status quo for inventory management in small-and-medium restaurants is somewhere between paper and labels…and doing no tracking whatsoever. This is a major contributor to unprofitable unit costs. Ingredient prices can shift in the period of a week or two and catch an operator off-guard. Coming out of the pandemic and possibly into a recession, it’s clear that finding a way for restaurant operators to stay on top of their inventory will be paramount. The challenge with proper inventory tracking is that there are only so many hours in a day, and with a shrinking labour pool, owner-operators are finding it impossible to dedicate time to manage every single facet of their business. The current crop of SaaS-based inventory management software falls short of providing a true solution. Without detailed inputs, the systems simply don’t work. Our solution will be flexible and only require estimations, leveraging networked scales and sensors to track available stock and tie into aggregated sales data from our delivery network to give a more accurate view of inventory consumption trends and enhanced purchasing recommendations. Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry? A: The small-and-medium restaurant is the last frontier for technology adoption in the agri-food sector. Most people who go into the field do so out of passion or out of necessity. Rarely do they possess strong technical backgrounds. From experience, having owned and operated several restaurant businesses myself, most small restaurateur owners use little to no digital technology, save for delivery tablets and a basic POS. For those who do, there are simply too many disconnected software systems in an establishment, to the point of encumbering business operations more than helping. I’m excited to be part of the generation of restaurateurs that is going to bring this shift in ideology, making operations leaner through technology, and all the while making the industry more equitable and greener in the process. Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: While venture capital and commercial lending are an important part of the startup funding landscape in Canada, they are not sufficient to help bridge the gap between R&D and commercialization. Other ecosystems have a significant lead on us – they are better capitalized and are also more risk tolerant. Public funding is absolutely critical for the vast wealth of Canadian R&D and intellectual property to be successfully commercialized on the world stage by Canadians instead of being expropriated by foreign acquirers. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: The sky’s the limit. The beauty of a cooperative is that our primary mission is to serve the needs of our members, rather than purely seeking profit. There are many other areas of the restaurant business that can benefit from technical innovations. Whatever they are, we’ll collaborate with the industry to deliver new software and services to the best interest of our members. We’ve also had several discussions with communities across the country that are interested in expanding the cooperative to their region. No decisions have been confirmed, but we’re carefully evaluating each opportunity. Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work? A: Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone having grown up in a restaurant, cooking and baking are big ones. I also enjoy running, especially during the winter (with the Yaktrax on ice, feels grippier than pavement even!). Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose? A) Guy Fieri B) Martha Stewart C) Gordon Ramsey D) Dana McCauley E) Your Mom F) Other (if it’s other, tell us who it is!) A: I would have liked to have chosen my mom, but she’s already done enough for me (I should probably make her something). Instead I’ll go with Jacques Pépin. Very few people have done so much to make cooking so accessible for everybody and done so with so much humility and elegance. It would truly be an honour to enjoy even the simplest meal from someone who has practically been a mentor. It doesn’t hurt that he was good enough to be Charles de Gaulle’s personal chef (and turn down JFK!). Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
Revisiting YODLs Top Explainer Articles
YODL regularly posts Explainer articles designed to help CFIN members better understand complex issues affecting the food and beverage industry in Canada. We've written about automation, robotics, packaging solutions, plastic waste and more. In case you've missed them, here are links to some of the most popular Explainers of 2022. 5G and the Food Industry Artificial Intelligence Blockchain Technology The Canada Plastics Pact Canada's Plastic Problem Compostable and Biodegradable Plastic Machine Learning Packaging and Extended Producer Responsibility QR Codes Is there something you'd like us to write about? Contact @JamilKarim to let us know!
What YODLers are saying – November 2022
YODL was the place to be in November, and YODLers were posting up a snowstorm! In case you missed them, here are the top five discussions taking place in the past month. Number 5 Is honey plant based? | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) YODLers continue to weigh in with their views on how honey should be classified. Number 4 Food safety innovation | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Food safety is always top of mind with CFIN members. Number 3 Access $12K in non-equity funding for your food sustainability startup! | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) The Brampton Venture Zone is offering funding for sustainable start-up companies. Number 2 Are we ready for ROBOTS? | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Adding robotics and automation can be a complex issue. Find out if YODLers are really ready for robots! Number 1 Should plant-based products be sold alongside meat? | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) The location of plant-based products in grocery stores is one of the most hotly debated discussions on YODL right now. What’s your opinion? What’s been your favourite article or discussion post on YODL so far? And if you haven’t joined the discussion yet, why not? Happy YODLing!
The Tablesetter – November 28, 2022
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 – November 28, 2022 Tuesday: Top YODL discussions from the past month Wednesday: Explainers revisited Thursday: Member profile – Radish Cooperative Friday: News File Something to Celebrate November 28 is National French Toast Day! French toast makes a cheap and delicious meal at any time of the day, and can be customized with an endless number of toppings. Best of all, making French toast helps divert stale bread from becoming food waste. The recipe isn’t French, however, and instead dates as far back as the 5 th century BCE. Since then, unique versions of the egg and milk-based treat have continued to appear around the world. Food Facts Egg production in Canada has been rising steadily since 2004, sitting at 848.2 million dozen eggs produced in 2021 for a value of $1.8 billion. Per capita egg consumption in Canada hit a high of 15.5 kg in 2019, and has increased by a whopping 30% over the past 10 years. According to a poll on rvtravel.com , the top three most popular ways to eat eggs are: fried, scrambled, and in an omelette. Happy YODLing!
News File – November 25, 2022
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: Dynamic pricing for gourmet products | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Food truck's little sibling | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Precision Fermentation Capacity Increases in Canada with Cultivated B Launch | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World Researchers at the University of Johannesburg reveal that passion fruit peel has the potential to preserve fruit and help eliminate food waste. Upside Foods has received a “No Questions” letter from the US FDA for cultivated meat, poultry or seafood. A report from Vineland Research and Innovation Centre offers potential solutions to food waste in the greenhouse sector through new practices and value-added by-products. Did you Know? The quick-service food sector took a hit like all sectors of the food world during the pandemic, but things are already starting to improve. According to Statistics Canada’s latest figures , there were 39,470 limited-service food business locations in Canada in June 2022, up from 38,823 in June 2020. The sector also recorded more than $3.1 billion in sales on a seasonally adjusted basis in August 2022, 10.4% higher than in August 2021. The limited-service sector has outperformed the general foodservice and accommodation sector, which in July 2022 had 62,361 business locations, compared to 62,865 locations in February 2020.
CFIN Member Spotlight – Suppli
This is one of a series of profiles of CFIN members that have successfully applied for and received funding through CFIN’s Innovation Booster program . Toronto, ON-based Suppli is making it easy for food vendors to swap in high-quality reusable food containers for their single-use containers in a way that drives additional revenue for those food vendors. Suppli leverages technology to offer its reusable takeout container service across online food channels, currently in takeout and corporate catering, but with applicability across groceries, meal kits, and beyond. Suppli’s unique end-to-end solution allows consumers to order through order.mysuppli.ca, and for restaurants to receive and process the order in the same way they’re used to with other ordering platforms. Once used containers are returned to any of Suppli’s drop-off bins (located in restaurants, in mission-aligned grocers and coffee shops, and outdoor on private properties for 24/7 access), Suppli runs a daily route to restock restaurants with clean containers and pick up used containers to be centrally cleaned through a commercial dishwashing facility. Supply received $100,000 in funding to build circularity into food packaging through an innovative technology platform. CFIN sat down with Suppli founder and CEO Megan Takeda-Tully to talk about the company. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: Suppli’s mission is to create the tech-powered backbone for reusable packaging solutions that facilitates the transition to a circular economy worldwide. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: Suppli will be building out the technology needed to streamline management of circular (reusable) food packaging so that our platform is scalable to other geographies, and across other packaging verticals. In order to effectively operate a reusable packaging program at scale – and with little behaviour change required by consumers and vendors – technology is needed to deliver real-time data across the user journey. This means information is passed from an ordering site to a paired inventory management system that uses this information to: account for a consumer’s container balance; account for a vendor’s container balance; and power supply chain logistics to ensure vendors are re-stocked and used containers are collected when certain thresholds are met. During the project period, Suppli will be building out the inventory management system, and integrating two pre-built food ordering sites. Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry? A: We can make a real change in the footprint of the industry by leveraging business model innovation and building in the partnerships to grow out a solution that’s truly scalable. We’re empowering businesses and consumers to make individual changes that align with their values, and that contribute to a substantial, tangible impact. That’s very exciting for us! Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: Suppli is building out a completely new way of implementing a circular packaging solution, one that ditches the old deposit model and splits costs between the customer and food vendor. Developing a new market and building the technology to support our solution is one that takes time for private sector funders to get up to speed on and, most importantly, get comfortable funding. Public funding allows Suppli to de-risk our solution for private investors and demonstrate the scalability of Suppli’s offering for future support through private investment. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: We’re excited to be expanding across Toronto over the next year, growing our team on the sales, customer success and technical sides, and to get our platform (both technical and operational) in great shape with our partners to be able to expand into other Canadian cities! Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work? A: Building a start-up doesn’t afford a ton of extra time, so I try to spend most of it with my family (I have two young kids), and friends that make me smile. I’m also a big foodie and sports fan, so love anything I can do in those two realms as well. Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose? A) Guy Fieri B) Martha Stewart C) Gordon Ramsey D) Dana McCauley E) Your Mom F) Other (if it’s other, tell us who it is!) A: My grandmother – she was an incredible cook! Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
Cybersecurity in the food sector – Top 3 Takeaways
@Nestor Gomez , chief technology officer for CFIN, recently hosted a member-exclusive virtual event covering cybersecurity in the food and beverage industry, and featuring Rozita Dara, principal investigator of data management and privacy governance research program at the University of Guelph, and David Shipley, CEO and co-founder of Beauceron Security. The discussion covered why cybersecurity should be a priority for the industry, and how companies can protect their data. Here are the top three takeaways from the event: Cyber threats are real risks As recent events with Maple Leaf Foods and Empire Co. have shown, online attacks such as phishing and ransomware can have a significant impact on a company’s supply chain, operations, products, artificial intelligence (AI) and distribution system. The attacks can happen anywhere in the food supply chain, from farms to consumers, and can even impact the region. Unfortunately, many food and beverage companies have not invested in solutions to protect themselves from cyberattacks. Have a cybersecurity plan Analyze where your company has vulnerabilities, and then implement a plan for protecting your data. Follow critical control checks, and cybersecurity best practices such as multifactor authentication for employee sign-in to any connected system. Conduct a tabletop exercise with management so everyone understands what to do when facing a cybersecurity threat. Get staff involvement Properly training employees, including management, on cybersecurity risks and solutions is crucial. Staff need to comprehend the threats and how to report and/or handle them, and management needs to ensure all staff buys into the plan. Follow up with quizzes and continual training. Want to view the entire webinar? Click here ! Watch for part 2 of CFIN’s series on cybersecurity, appearing on YODL on December 14, 2022.