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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
News File – November 4, 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: Access $12K in non-equity funding for your food sustainability startup! Food Safety Innovation Une journée sur le numérique présentée par le Carrefour de l'Industrie Bioalimentaire de l'île de Montréal (CIBÎM) Around the Food World CFIB’s latest Business Barometer shows that only 38% of small Canadian businesses believe they are in good financial shape. Bioengineering company The Cultivated B. has opened a 130,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Burlington, ON. Researchers in France are looking at banana DNA to help future-proof the sector. Did you Know? According to a recent Equifax Canada consumer survey , inflation and rising interest rates have led more Canadians to rely on credit to get by. Yet only 50% of those surveyed said they feel comfortable about their personal economic outlook. Other findings include: The average credit card balance was $2,121, a record high, at the end of September 2022. Average non-mortgage debt per consumer was $21,188. 59% of Canadians surveyed said they’re looking for deals at grocery stores more than last year, and 54% said they’re cutting back on groceries altogether. 52% of all respondents said they are worried about paying their bills, but 73% of consumers aged 65 and older say they are worried. 53% of respondents said they have a lot of anxiety about their personal debt levels. Although average credit card debt decreased during the pandemic, credit card usage has increased for six consecutive quarters and is reaching “historic highs.”
Company Spotlight - Forward Water Technologies Corporation
This is one in a series of profiles of CFIN members that have successfully applied for and received funding through CFIN's Innovation Booster program . Toronto, ON-based Forward Water Technologies can extract pure water from liquid streams with no energy input and without consuming any chemicals. The company can concentrate liquids to intensify flavours and aromas without damaging the tastes and fragrances using minimal energy, which also minimizes CO 2 emissions. Forward Water Technologies received $97,773 in funding to complete its forward osmosis foodstuff concentration system polymer study and production project. CFIN sat down with Forward Water Technologies’ president and CEO Howie Honeyman to talk about the company. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: Forward Water is working to eliminate wastewater and make water a circular part of manufacturing infrastructure, meaning it gets used indefinitely and never needs to be discarded. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: Concentrates are critical parts of the food industry, so making them better at lower costs without producing CO 2 is a huge advancement. This funding will allow us to accelerate by aiding the scaling up of an enabling and proprietary material needed for our process. Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry? A: Making current food products better and creating new ones, while reducing CO 2 emissions and at the same time lowering costs, is a win for everyone. So what motivates us is making products that can impact everyone in a positive way. Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: Public funding has been critical to supporting innovation especially in cleantech. Forward Water has been fortunate enough to greatly benefit from this type of funding and without it never would have been able to achieve lift off. The CFIN Booster funding is enabling for us. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: Specifically for this project the horizon goal is on building partnerships within the food and beverage industry to deliver a wealth of improved and new concentrates. Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work? A: Outdoors when we can. We all enjoy hiking, camping and canoeing – which touches on how much we see water as an important resource! Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose? A: Guy Fieri. We’re street food kind of people and he’s closer to that than the rest. Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
Preview of ADM Montreal 2022
Click here to see which CFIN members will be at the show. Registration to ADM is free for qualified attendees. Click here for more information about the show and to register.
What YODLers are Saying – YODL's Top 5 Discussions, October 2022
The weather may be getting colder, but YODL was hot in October! In case you missed them, here are the top five discussions taking place in the past month. Number 5 Consumer Eating Occasions | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Many YODLers are looking for more information on eating occasions for different consumer demographics. Number 4 Extended Shelf Life for Cold Brew Coffee | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Station Cold Brew is looking for partners who can offer shelf-stability solutions for food and beverages. Number 3 Nutritional Labelling Software/Translation Services - Reco's needed | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) It seems that everyone is looking for a good nutritional labelling software and/or service provider. Number 2 Sustainable Market Share Index Report | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Over the past six years, sustainability-marketed products were responsible for one third of all growth in the U.S. consumer packaged goods market. Number 1 Extended shelf life for fresh produce | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Not surprisingly, many YODLers are interested in the fact that BioShur Inc. is developing an alternative packaging material designed to extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables. 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 – October 31
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 Did you notice we added a YODL Menu widget to our homepage? Now you can easily access all of our articles and keep track of what’s coming up. Monday: The Tablesetter – October 31 Tuesday: Top YODL discussions from the past month Wednesday: Preview of ADM Montreal (video) Thursday: Member profile – Forward Water Technologies Friday: News File Something to Celebrate Today is Halloween! There are some candies that, like a ghost, only appear during Halloween season, never to be seen outside of October. That includes the highly divisive candy corn and, exclusive to Canada, molasses kisses. Both regularly make it onto the list of worst Halloween candies, and molasses kisses even appeared in a National Post video “explaining” the longevity of the sticky treat. Food Facts According to Halloween Alley , these are Canadians’ favourite Halloween snacks: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Skittles M&Ms Starburst Snickers Mars Kit Kat Sour Patch Kids Coffee Crisp Hershey’s Kisses What’s your favourite Halloween treat? Happy YODLing!
News File – October 28
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: Nutritional Labelling Software/Translation Services - Reco's needed | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Extended Shelf Life for Cold Brew Coffee | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Recap of our 2nd New Member Meetup! | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World Innova Market Insight recently released part one of its Top Ten Trends for 2023 , based on consumer surveys from around the world. Whole Foods Market also launched its forecast of the top 10 food trends for 2023 . Mercy for Animals has published its second annual Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard , ranking 55 brands on their animal welfare policies and performance. Did you Know? Deloitte’s 2022 holiday retail outlook suggests that Canadians will be limiting how much they spend during the holiday season this year, and are looking for more deals from brands and retailers. Here are a few of the findings: 37% of consumers polled plan to start their holiday shopping earlier this year to find the best deals. 41% of consumers say they’ll buy only what their family needs this year. 72% of shoppers will shift brands if their preferred brand is too expensive. 47% of shoppers say cost concerns would impact their willingness to buy more sustainable and ethical products or services, while 28% say they don’t think these purchases make much of a difference. 51% of consumers say they would prefer to shop instore rather than online this holiday season, and say 56% of the household holiday budget will be spent instore. 70% of shoppers say they will buy from retailers with the lowest price this year.
CFIN at One - Funding Innovation
After a full year of operations, CFIN has a lot to be proud of – from building a national organization in a virtual environment, to creating a community of food innovators, and funding innovative food projects across Canada. CEO @Joe Lake spoke with @CarolynCooper about some of CFIN’s accomplishments over the past 12 months. Here’s part three of the three-part series. In part one we discussed how CFIN has built an organization in the past year, and in p art two we looked at how CFIN has created a community. Funding Innovation One of CFIN’s mandates is to provide food and beverage companies access to funding for innovation. To date CFIN has invested more than $5M through multiple funding calls under three programs: Innovation Booster, Food Innovation Challenge, and FoodTech Next. In total, CFIN has received 141 applications from across Canada. “What I’m quite proud of for the team, is the speed with which we were able to launch calls for proposals,” says Lake. “And again, we’re learning from those, we’ve got room to improve. I think one of the stories that articulates the spirit of the organization, the culture that we’re developing, was our Innovation Booster, which is inherently designed to be much more at the speed of business. They’re really quick, they’re fairly small. People still sort of dropped their jaw when we say we’re turning them around in 40 days – that’s unusual in most grant programs.” “But I’d say that’s probably a common theme for almost everything we’ve been moving forward, it’s pretty rapid,” adds Lake, “you know, more people, more attention, we’re growing quicker. And we’re getting that feedback. Generally, people don’t seek us out to tell us bad things. I’m sure there are people that don’t like what we’re doing, and I’d be curious to hear that and more importantly why? But the ones that are coming to us are generally celebrating going, ‘Hey, we didn’t quite have a home, or we didn’t know where to turn, or this is more of the kind of group that we’re looking for, or this is needed.’ So, it does seem like we’re hitting the right buttons for a lot of people.”
Live interview from SIAL Paris on the major trends of the moment
Couldn’t make it to Paris over the past few days to attend the major SIAL trade show? @Isabelle Marquis spoke with Xavier Terlet, innovation expert and chair of the jury for the SIAL Innovation competition, to discuss the major trends observed at the show this year. Xavier also presents some of the winning products and finalists in the competition.
Revisiting YODL's Top Plastics and Packaging Stories
What is it? Canadians throw away a shocking 4.4 million tonnes of plastic waste annually , but only about eight per cent of that is recycled. Instead, roughly 91 per cent of plastic waste ends up as landfill, while about one per cent ends up as water and environmental pollution. Like other sectors, the food industry relies on plastic, in many different forms, for a variety of uses, from component parts in machinery, to single-use testing products, through to primary and secondary packaging, and end user products such as bags, straws and utensils. Now consumers and government are calling on food manufacturers, grocers and foodservice operators to help cut plastic waste by eliminating single-use plastics and unnecessary plastic packaging when safe to do so. Why you should care The federal government has committed to reaching a goal of zero plastic waste by 2030, beginning by banning single-use plastics. The Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations come into effect beginning in December 2022, with staggered deadlines until June 2024, and will prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of six single-use plastic items: plastic checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws (single-use plastic flexible straws can remain available, under certain conditions, for people who need them). Where to start For food industry operators unsure of how to begin the process of moving away from single-use plastic products, the federal government has developed Guidance for selecting alternatives to the single-use plastics in the proposed Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations . In addition, to help address concerns around recycling programs, the government has launched two consultations to develop rules for recyclability and compostability labelling, and to establish a federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products. This article originally appeared on YODL on August 3, 2022. Explained: The Canada Plastics Pact What is it? The Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) is an independent, not-for-profit organization working with Canadian businesses, policymakers, associations and NGOs to create a circular economy for plastic packaging by 2030. It’s part of The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastics Pact Network which connects initiatives around the world in an aligned response to plastic waste and pollution. By working with diverse companies and experts in the plastics value chain, the CPP hopes to help businesses rethink how plastic packaging is designed, used and reused. The CPP’s mandate is to: Focus on the root causes of plastics pollution; Work collaboratively across the supply value chain to ensure industries remove plastic waste system wide; Mobilize and align stakeholders at the local, national and global level to work toward a common vision; and Harness and amplify skills, expertise and leadership among stakeholders while fostering innovation and solutions. Why you should care Canada has committed to removing plastic waste and pollution from our landfills, water, and environment, while moving toward a circular economy for plastic. As well as drastically reducing plastic waste and pollution , the CPP estimates that a circular economy would save up to $500 million annually, create tens of thousands of jobs, and substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions. And with the ban on single-use plastics coming into effect beginning by December 2022, food industry operators should already be looking at how to eliminate plastic waste in their businesses. Moving away from plastic packaging To help companies adjust their packaging and work towards a circular economy for plastics, in April 2022 the CPP introduced the Golden Design Rules for plastics packaging and a microsite offering context-specific guidance tailored to Canadian businesses. The rules offer global standards aligned with guidelines and targets laid out in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment . In July 2022, the CPP published its 2020 Baseline Report outlining the organization’s targets and plans for the next three years. They include: Supporting innovation on plastic packaging that can be safety reused, recycled or composted; Ensuring at least 50 per cent of plastic packaging is recycled or composted by 2025; Creating a list of problematic packaging and taking measures to eliminate them by 2025; and Ensuring an average of at least 30 per cent recycled content in all plastic packaging by 2025. What is it? Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is an initiative that encourages manufacturers to consider a product’s entire life cycle, including end use, in its original design. This way the product can be designed to minimize its environmental impact. First introduced in Sweden in 1990, the policy shifts financial and operational responsibility for end-of-life management to the product manufacturer, who must pay for that product’s reuse, recycling or disposal. EPR programs involve government working with manufacturers, and vary according to the recycling and waste programs available, as well as set standards and performance agreements. While they can be industry-led and voluntary, governments may legislate programs when a waste stream is too costly for producers or recycling companies to voluntarily recover products. EPR programs can include consumer initiatives such as deposit returns, fees or other incentives, and voluntary initiatives like industry or company targets, and consumer education and awareness. Why you should care The Canada-wide Action Plan for Extended Producer Responsibility was introduced in 2009, and since then more provincial, territorial and municipal governments have moved towards EPR models. According to the Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance’s 2020 report Canada’s Extended Producer Responsibility Programs: An Overview , EPR is essential to creating a circular economy for waste. EPR programs vary across the country, from full producer responsibility in B.C. and Quebec, to producers paying 75 per cent of end-of-life management costs in Saskatchewan, 80 per cent in Manitoba and 50 per cent in Ontario (although Ontario recently announced a major expansion to its Blue Box recycling program, eventually making producers of products and packaging fully responsible for product life cycle by 2025). Next Steps The federal government offers a list of recycling programs for different consumer products, including beverage containers, plastic bags and packaging, as well as a list of programs by region. Industry associations such as PAC Global also offer resources and support for member companies working to design products with end of life planning in mind. This article originally appeared on YODL on October 5, 2022. When the federal government published the Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations in June 2022, some food retailers and producers were surprised to learn that the incoming ban on single-use plastic (SUP) products will extend to compostable plastic bags and those made with oxo-degradable plastic. Compostable and biodegradable plastic have been touted as an eco-friendly solution for food operators and grocers moving away from SUP bags and utensils. But there’s still confusion over the terms and how this type of plastic affects the environment. What is it? The terms compostable, oxo-biodegradable (which break down in the air) and biodegradable plastic refer to plastic products formed by combining bio-additives such as plant starch with polyethylene, so that it “breaks down.” While most are bio-based, some are still fossil-fuel based, for example oxo-biodegradable plastics are made from oil refining waste. Biodegradable products should eventually break down into their natural state, while products labelled as compostable should completely degrade in compost in a reasonable amount of time. However, the terms are misleading as these plastic products do not degrade the same way as natural materials. Instead, says Michelle Saunders, vice president of Sustainability for Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada, these products are designed to degrade to a set standard or speed, and they still leach chemicals into the environment. Bio-based products made from plants should also be accredited through third-party field tests showing that the product breaks down in the earth. Why you should care The Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations are intended to divert plastic waste from becoming pollution by banning the manufacture, import and sale of six types of SUPs. That includes checkout bags “made entirely or in part from plastic, that is formed in the shape of a bag that is designed to carry purchased goods from a business,” and whose fabric will break or tear if used to carry 10 kg over a distance of 53 m 100 times, or washed in accordance with the washing procedures specified for a single domestic wash in the International Organization for Standardization standard ISO 6330.” The Regulations also include single-use plastic cutlery made entirely or in part from plastic, that is formed in the shape of a fork, knife, spoon, spork or chopstick.” Utensils that “change their physical properties after being run through an electrically operated household dishwasher 100 times” will also be banned. The regulations banning SUP checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, stir sticks, and straws come into effect over the next three years: for manufacture and import on December 20, 2022, for sale on December 20, 2023, and for export on December 20, 2025. Click here for more about the technical requirements under the Regulations. This article originally appeared on YODL on October 6, 2022. Et si nous donnions une seconde chance au plastique? Nous en avons beaucoup parlé sur YODL dans les dernières semaines : les emballages en plastique sont un problème important pour l’environnement, notamment parce qu’ils sont presque éternels. Alors que de nombreuses entreprises travaillent d’arrache-pied à trouver des solutions de remplacement à ce matériau quasi parfait pour les aliments, d’autres recherchent plutôt des façons de le rendre plus durable. Interrogé récemment sur l’avenir du plastique dans les emballages alimentaires, Simon Chrétien, Directeur général d’ Alliance Polymères Québec est clair : Le plastique est une matière incontournable pour l’industrie alimentaire qui lui rend et lui rendra encore plus dans le futur de grands services. L’enjeu est d’assurer un approvisionnement intelligent basé sur une approche d’écoconception associée à une filière de récupération efficace, donc une bonne gestion de fin de vie des produits. Et cette filière de récupération et de revalorisation est justement en train de se mettre en place. L’exemple le plus connu est sans doute celui de Loop Industries , une entreprise fondée au Québec en 2014 ayant pour mission d’accélérer la transition vers une économie circulaire des plastiques. Les experts de Loop Industries ont mis au point une technologie novatrice permettant de décomposer le plastique PET et les fibres de polyester en leurs éléments de base pour ensuite recréer une matière vierge, et donc sans aucune perte de qualité. En septembre 2021, Evian annonçait le lancement d’un prototype de bouteille de plastique fabriqué à partir de la technologie de Loop Industries, et plus récemment Loop annonçait un contrat d’approvisionnement commercial avec Danone et la construction d’une usine en Europe. On peut donc s’attendre à voir apparaitre des emballages de plastique identifiés « Loop » prochainement! Un autre angle de recherche qui bouillonne d’innovations est celui de rendre les emballages plastiques plus faciles à recycler. De la création des résines à la conception des emballages, en passant par la gestion des étiquettes et le tri des matières usées, tous les aspects des emballages plastique sont à l’étude et font l’objet de projets de recherche partout dans le monde. Au Canada seulement, l’industrie du plastique est un contributeur important à l’économie locale avec des revenus annuels de près de 29 milliards de dollars. La division des plastiques de l’Association canadienne de l’industrie de la chimie est particulièrement active en recherche et développement d’innovations pour rendre les emballages plastiques durables. Nous nous entretiendrons avec leur Vice-présidente exécutive, Mme Isabelle Des Chênes, la semaine prochaine. Soyez des nôtres pour en apprendre plus sur l’avenir du plastique dans les emballages alimentaires!
The Tablesetter – October 24
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 Did you notice we added a YODL Menu widget to our homepage? Now you can easily access all of our articles and keep track of what’s coming up. Monday: The Tablesetter – October 24 Tuesday: Plastics and packaging revisited Wednesday: Innovation at SIAL Paris (video) Thursday: CFIN Celebrates its First Anniversary – Part 3 Friday: News File Something to Celebrate October 28 is Wild Foods Day! The day commemorates the edible fruits, vegetables, flowers, nuts and herbs that grow around the world without human intervention. Just a few of the wild foods that can be foraged in Canada include mushrooms, fiddleheads, leeks, berries, botanicals, and evergreen leaves and sap. Food Facts In 2019 Canada was the world’s second largest exporter of mushrooms, one of the most popular edible wild foods. Here are some other mushroom facts: There are roughly 14,000 species of mushroom grown around the world, in different sizes, shapes and colours. About 2,189 varieties are edible. Mushrooms are rich in vitamin D, B, potassium and antioxidants, are low in calories, and are fat, cholesterol and gluten free. Yartsa gunbu, the caterpillar fungus, is the world’s most rare and expensive edible mushroom, selling for around US$50,000 per pound. An armillaria ostoyae mushroom, also known as a honey mushroom, is the world’s oldest organism at about 8,650 years old. It covers almost 9 km 2 (mostly underground) in Malheur National Forest, Oregon. There are more than 50 mushroom varieties than can digest and break down plastics. Happy YODLing!
News File – October 21
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: Sustainable Market Share Index Report | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Canada's Clean 50 | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) 1e forum régional sur la bioéconomie au Québec- inscription en cours! | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World Kraft Heinz released its 2022 Environmental Social Governance Report showing how the company is moving towards its global sustainability goals. New biomarker technology from Wales may provide scientific links to diet and long-term health. Loblaw Companies announced it will freeze prices of more than 1,500 private-label No Name products until January 31, 2023 to help Canadians fight food price inflation. Did you Know? A June 2022 report from Food Banks Canada revealed that more Canadians are facing hunger and food insecurity due to rising food and housing costs. Here are some of the highlights: 23% of Canadians polled say they are eating less than they think they should because they don’t have enough money for food. One in five Canadians reported going hungry at least once in the past two years. One in three Canadians earning less than $50,000 a year reported not having enough money for food in the past two years. Food banks across Canada are seeing an increase, up to 25% in some regions, in Canadians visiting a food bank for the first time. 61% of Canadians see housing costs as the largest financial obstacle preventing consumers from affording food.
CFIN at One - Creating a Community
After a full year of operations, CFIN has a lot to be proud of – from building a national organization in a virtual environment, to creating a community of food innovators, and funding innovative food projects across Canada. CEO @Joe Lake spoke with @CarolynCooper about some of CFIN’s accomplishments over the past 12 months. Here’s part two of the three-part series. In part one we discussed how CFIN has built an organization in the past year, and in p art three we'll look at how CFIN has funded innovation. Creating a Community There are now more than 1,900 CFIN members representing all regions of the country and every sector of the food and beverage industry. That number has steadily grown over the past 12 months as the CFIN team connected with industry through social media, through articles in industry publications, attendance at countless industry events, and by presenting online experiences such as Robotics in Action and New Pathways to the Pantry. CFIN recently partnered with CIFST to present CIFST ALT, the team participated in several in-person events this year that focus on innovation, including SIAL Canada, and is contributing to the Toronto Global Forum on October 17 to 19, and the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Expo (ADM) from November 9 to 10. Lake will be speaking at Protein Industry Canada’s Plant Forward event on November 1, as well as on Carlisle Technology’s Farm to Fork podcast on November 3. In addition, RIDs are tasked with reaching out to the food industry to make connections, raise awareness of CFIN’s funding opportunities, and engaging in conversations with CFIN members. “We say boots on the ground a lot, which to me is more of a ranger mentality – you’re out there exploring and learning about the players, the influencers, but also what are the projects and priorities? What are the problems? What are the opportunities? And help bring all that information back into that national soup,” explains Lake. “And then we can help try and bridge and connect. Because we’re trying to create a community. To me, community is a little different than ecosystem, in the sense that you’re part of a community. You don’t have to necessarily be totally engaged all the time, but you’re still part of the community. And that’s the way we’re trying to design CFIN. We’re two-pronged: we fund and we build community. And we want people to come because they feel like they’re part of. We don’t want to just create a list of all these people that are accessible should you Google or phone them. That’s not quite the same to me.” A key part of creating a cross-country, cross-sector community has been YODL, an online platform designed exclusively for CFIN and designed to facilitate discussion and partnerships among members. With original daily content, collaboration opportunities, funding calls, and lively discussions, YODL is quickly becoming the place to look for potential business partners, network with other industry professionals, and learn about new innovations. “YODL was always designed as this digital hub, this centralized location that people could come to, but it was never designed or intended to be a database, just a listing of here’s the people who are members, browse this,” says Lake. “We always wanted it to be a place where there was a sense of members having control of their contributions, their engagement and activity.” The organization hired a third party to facilitate focus groups and needs assessment polling with industry stakeholders and put out a request for proposals from tech companies to design the platform. “And from there we ended up with the YODL platform that we have now. So, it’s one of those things where you kind of know where you’re going, but the path there is certainly windy. And the only thing that’s guaranteed is 12 months from now it’s going to be different. But we always wanted this to be a flexible kind of thing that even the community itself can help design and engage in.” Lake says the platform is also drawing companies on the periphery of food, which may have the technological solutions food operators are seeking. “We’re looking for innovation, and what’s cool and exciting from my perspective is it also expands beyond your typical players in food,” says Lake. “So, you can get companies who are doing data analytics and medicine, and they can pivot and turn their skill sets to food in a new way, or robotics from the automotive sector, or large manufacturing and apply it to food. There’s a lot of opportunity and ground to be gained in what I would say is collaboration. But we’re seeing it. And actually, it’s much easier and probably more efficient to get collaboration in the non-traditional manners, so a traditional food company with a non-traditional technology, because there’s no competition.”