Benchmark for success - Food In CanadaLtd., Maple Leaf Foods, Metro Inc., Save-On-Foods, Sobeys Inc., Unilever Canada and Walmart Canada — have committed to take measurable action

HYGIENE AND COOLING 26FOOD GUIDE ANOTHER

PUZZLE PIECE 13 14 TMAL PROCESS COMPLICATED

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Cookie CrumblesHow Terra Cotta Cookie Co. reduced crumbling PG. 22

THE 2019 RESOURCE

GUIDE BOOK PG. 29

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VOLUME 79, NUMBER 1 • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Published by Glacier Media Inc. 225 Duncan Mills Rd, Suite 300 • North York, Ontario • M3B 3K9

Food In Canada is published 9 times per year by Glacier Media Inc. To subscribe, renew or change your address or information, please send a fax to (204) 954-1422 or call 1-800-665-1362.

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PRODUCTION/CIRCULATIONCIRCULATION MANAGER | Heather Anderson (204) 954-1456 [email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGER | Shawna Gibson (204) 944-5763 [email protected]

ADVERTISING SERVICES CO-ORDINATOR | Arlene Bomback (204) 944-5765 [email protected]

EDITORIALEDITOR | Kristy Nudds (226) 231-8254 [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR | Andrew Joseph (416) 510-6868 x86232 [email protected]

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR | Laura Rance-Unger (204) 792-4382 [email protected]

ART DIRECTOR | Jenelle Jensen (204) 944-5767

ADVERTISING SALESPUBLISHER | Jim Petsis (416) 510-6776 [email protected]

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Meet the BestIFFA. One world-leading trade fair, one focus: meat. From hand-crafted to high-tech, this innovation platform presents the industry trends of the next 3 years. It is the meeting place for experts from industry, retail and the butchers’ trade – for the fi rst time also in the new Hall 12!

www.iffa.com

[email protected]

4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

contents 5 Editorial

6 News File

12 Rethinking innovation Health and climate change – how to keep them in mind for the product mix

13 Regulatory Affairs The new Food Guide is one more piece to the regulatory puzzle

14 Food Law The TMAL process: Death by a thousand cuts

15 Focus on Food Safety Highlights from the CFIA webinars on SFCR

28 Recipe to retail How a SWOT analysis can benefit your company

features

departments

Sign up for our enewsletters at www.foodincanada.com

16

in this issue

The heart of terroir How Bench Brewing is creating a craft beer with a sense of time and place

19

19 A game-changer? Imaging technology has potential to reduce food waste

22 Weighing the options Terra Cotta Cookie Co. tackles crumbling with new automatic weigher and chute

26 Keeping it light and airy Maintaining hygiene levels while keeping plants cool

22

2019 Resource guidebook Listings for Canadian food and beverage industry associations and councils, research centres and educational institutions

29

Cover: Bench Brewing founder Matt Giffen • Photo by Cole Garside

EDITORIALLaura Rance-Unger

In naming organic foods as one of its “Tops of 2018,” global analytics company Nielsen ends any debate over whether the industry now worth US$90-billion worldwide is a fad or a trend.

“Organic appears to be an age-old growth driver that’s here to stay,” the company says in a recent online article.

In the U.S., one of the largest organic markets, sales increased last year by nine per cent in value and eight per cent by volume. “At a time when the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry overall has experienced flat volume consumption, this growth is huge,” it says.

Statistics released by the Canadian Organic Trade Association last year indicate the total Canadian organic market is worth $5.4 billion, up more than 50 per cent since 2012.

“Today, organics have hit the mainstream,” Nielsen says. “Not only are organic products boosting our industry’s top-line, they are being purchased more by all generational and age cohorts.” Purchases by the millennial demographic are leading that growth, with an increase of 14 per cent year over year.

The report affirms what industry insiders have known for years. Demand for organic products continues to exceed the available supply, due in part to the sector’s adherence to a regulatory standard.

So it’s not surprising to see major food processors developing their own product lines, or buying into the organic value chain by picking up a smaller competitor

to get in on the action. Maple Leaf ’s acquisition of Cericola Farms last year is a case in point.

However, it is worth noting that it has taken the organic sector decades to come into its own in a food marketplace that is increasingly cluttered with dietary fads and a few good trends.

How does a food and beverage processor know the difference?

Do you chase the latest in consumer whimsy with either products or labels that target the flavour of the day?

My favourite label-reading exercise recently was a box of crackers that told me four different ways that the contents are gluten-free. They are also super-slim, GMO-free, oven-baked, whole grain, 86 per cent organic, kid-friendly, and free-from cholesterol and trans fat. Plus, they are “tasty” and “guilt-free.”

Guilt-free? That’s better than going to church. It’s a pretty heavy load for a little ol’ rice cracker to carry, even if it does contain brown rice and black sesame.

Or should food companies try to get ahead of the curve with long-term investments, backed up, of course, with savvy marketing?

Towards that end, a common thread emerging from the research these days is a linkage between how people eat, their health and the state of the environment.

The climate-change imperative is pushing consumers towards different choices — for the sake of their health and for the planet’s. This isn’t about gluten-free

versus low-fat. Nor is it about organics versus other farming systems, or any other ‘either-or’ trade off.

This is about eating less of some foods such as meat and sugar, and seeking out more plant-based sources of nutrition. This is about reducing the amount of food or ingredients that are wasted, focusing more on renewable resources, and about supporting farming systems that look after soil and water.

Consumers are taking note and many are voting with their dollars to support products that embrace these values.

It’s an opportunity for food processors to tap into something real and lasting — whether it is through more environmentally friendly packaging, different ingredients or healthier products.

Innovate, invest, and don’t forget to tell your story.

Laura Rance-Unger Editorial Director

[email protected]

Fads and trends

Sign up for our enewsletters at www.foodincanada.com

FOODINCANADA.COM 5

New approach for Canada’s Food Guide On January 22, 2019, Canada debuted its new Food Guide. The Food Guide that many of us grew up with focused on choosing from specific food groups, but this latest edition focuses on making healthy food choices and developing healthy eating habits. It also places greater emphasis on plant-based proteins, and de-emphasizes meat and dairy. The new Guide also encourages Canadians to limit processed foods and beverages, limit saturated fat and make water the drink of choice. Eating recommendations are displayed visually as a dinner plate with half the plate filled with vegetables and fruit, and the other half divided equally with whole grain foods and protein foods, with protein foods coming from plant-based sources more often.

New research shows 58 per cent of food produced in Canada is wastedNearly 60 per cent of food produced in Canada — amounting to 35.5 million metric tonnes — is lost and wasted annually, according to the Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste Report, which conveys the results of a year-long research project undertaken by Second Harvest and Value Chain Management International.

More than half of the wasted or lost food (32 per cent) is avoidable

and is edible food that could be redirected to support people in communities. The total financial value of this potentially rescuable lost and wasted food is $49.46 billion.

The report, funded by the Walmart Foundation, is the first to use front-line, primary data from the entire food supply chain. It is also the first to create a standardized system of measurement that can be used by any food business — in Canada and globally — to track and reduce their food loss and waste.

Based on responses from more than 700 food industry leaders across Canada, The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste identifies approximately 30 root causes of food loss and waste, including:• The acceptance of waste by the

food industry as the cost of doing business, a belief sustained by low tipping and landfill fees;

• Conservative best-before dates that lead

to industry and consumers throwing away food that is still safe and edible;

• Pressure on producers to provide 100 per cent on-shelf availability and aesthetic perfection, particularly with fruits and vegetables, leading to over-production, and;

• Reluctance in the food industry to donate safe, edible surplus food despite Good Samaritan legislation that already exists to facilitate donation.The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste

also provides more than 100 actions for industry, industry organizations and government to begin to quantify food loss and waste, address the negative economic and environmental impacts, and support community food programs. The report is available at www.SecondHarvest.ca/Research.

Food industry leaders commit to tackle food waste in CanadaEight Canadian companies — Kraft Heinz Canada, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Maple Leaf Foods, Metro Inc., Save-On-Foods, Sobeys Inc., Unilever Canada and Walmart Canada — have committed to take measurable action to prevent and reduce food waste in their own operations by 50 per cent by 2025. The companies will measure individual progress using the globally recognized Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard and will each report on their progress annually.

The National Zero Waste Council and Provision Coalition have been selected as key collaborators in this endeavor due to their own leadership on food loss and waste.

While the participating companies have already taken significant action

Kristy Nudds new editor of Food in Canada Food in Canada is pleased to introduce Kristy Nudds as editor. Kristy first joined the magazine in August 2018 as acting managing editor.

Prior to joining Food in Canada, Kristy served as editor of Canadian Poultry magazine for 10 years and as an account manager for a marketing communications agency.

She holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in animal science from the University of Guelph and lives in South-western Ontario with her husband and daughter.

News> file


within their own organizations to reduce food waste — such as diverting surplus food to those in need, or reusing food that isn’t appropriate for human consumption as livestock feed, compost, or alternative energy — they recognize that more can and must be done. A shared commitment to food waste prevention and reduction can speed up change and achieve greater results.

The Commitment will be highlighted at Provision Coalition’s upcoming The Power of Data for Making Food Sustainably conference in Vaughan, Ont. February 26-27, 2019.

Governments contribute to fish and seafood sectorThe Government of Canada has launched the Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities Fund, a new cost-shared fund (70 per cent federal and 30 per cent provincial

territorial) to promote market access and development for the fish and seafood industry. The fund will enable provinces and territories to support their industries’ priority projects. The $42.85 million program will support the fish and seafood sectors in all participating provinces and territories by encouraging industry collaboration to promote high quality products. The Government of Canada will continue to work with its provincial and territorial partners to develop industry partnerships, and will engage stakeholders to help shape the program and identify ongoing priority areas for

investments in Canada over the life of the program. The Fund

is accepting Expressions of Interest from potential project proponents. Further details on the Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities

Fund are available at: www.canadafisheriesfunds.ca

FOODINCANADA.COM 7

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SUPPLIER NEWS > Kerry has signed a licensing agreement

with Renaissance BioScience Corp to

supply the latter’s Acryleast, a non-GMO

acrylamide-reducing yeast enzyme,

to food and beverage manufacturers.

Acryleast is a natural, non-GMO yeast

enzyme that reduces acrylamide by up

to 90 per cent in a range of food and

beverage products, including biscuits,

crackers, French fries, potato crisps,

coffee, infant food and more. > Jet Marking Systems (JMS) has formed partnerships with three labelling equipment manufacturers to provide enhanced, expedited solutions for its customer base. The new partners span three countries. The new partners are: Australia-based labeling machinery manufacturer Great Engineering (GE); British Columbia’s Accent Label and EPSON Colorworks, based in California.

NEWS FILENEW PRODUCTS

> Beyond Burger 2.0 is the latest product

innovation from plant-based protein

company Beyond Meat. The company says

the new, meatier patty is the “next step

forward toward the perfect build of meat

from plants.” Peas, brown rice and mung

beans provide the protein in the Beyond

Burger 2.0, and coconut oil has been used

to ensure “mouth-watering juiciness”.

Beyond Meat says the Beyond Burger 2.0 is

different than the original Beyond Burger in

the following four ways: 1) it has a meatier

taste and texture; 2) it’s a complete source of

protein; 3) it has less saturated fat; and 4) it’s

OK Kosher-certified.

> EyeVision 3D software,

in combination with

different 3D sensors, such

as Automation Technology

or Wenglor MEL, is particularly suitable for

the inspection of fruits and vegetables. The

software from EVT Eye Vision Technology

GmbH can generate a point cloud out of

the 3D scan and detect flaws in the pattern,

texture or on the surface, almost like a pattern

match tool. For this task the user

can choose between a large

number of commands such as 3D

object detection, several 3D filters

or 3D probes. With the graphical

user interface and the drag-and-

drop function the programming of

inspection programs according to

the needs of the customer is easily

obtained. For more information, contact EVT

Eye Vision Technology via e-mail at info@evt-

web.com or visit www.evt-web.com.

> Signode Industrial Group is offering greater

pallet load stability and product protection

for corrugated box plants with its line of

Octopus stretchwrappers and Lachenmeier stretch hood equipment.

The Octopus line of rotary ring stretch

wrappers offers proper pallet load

containment for a variety of applications

and load sizes. Equipped with the

company’s patented which enables

simple film loading, maximizes pre-stretch

performance and minimizes wear. Compared

to traditional “W” wrap systems, the

positive contact of the “S” wrap pattern

improves pre-stretch levels, can better

handle a variety of films, and significantly

lowers the overall cost of ownership.

Versatile, modular, cost effective,

operator-friendly and high speed are

all applicable descriptions of Octopus

stretch wrapper machine systems.

Lachenmeier’s Multi FleXL stretch hood

machine provides the necessary protection

and force to stabilize even the most

challenging loads. Flexible enough to handle

varying load sizes automatically, the machine

can be configured with up to four different

sizes to ensure a perfect fit and can wrap up

to 180 loads an hour. For general information

about Lachenmeier contact directly via

email: sales-americas@lachenmeier.

com, or by phone: 1-877-859-7205.

> For companies looking to make hazards

known in their facility, the new

tabletop DuraLabel Kodiak

printer from Graphic Products

is a good way to start.

The DuraLabel Kodiak

can print large format signs

and labels instantly using

its easy-to-use touchscreen

and wireless keyboard. The printer offers

generic signs in its database that are

easily customizable to effectively get

the message across. Create signage that

best suits your company’s needs that can

help improve the flow of operations

with messages from four to 10-inches

wide, and up to eight-feet long.

You can also improve visual

communication in no time with

LabelForge PRO labelling pre-installed

software. Create custom signs with a

library of over 1,500+ safety symbols

or pick from one of the standardized

formats to create code-compliant labels

such as GHS, arc flash, or pipe labels.

More information on DuraLabel industrial

label and sign printers and supplies can

be found at www.graphicproducts.com.


Edmonton start-up hopes to serve lab-produced chicken The Edmonton Journal reports that Future Fields, a three-person company that launched in 2017 hopes to break into the cultured meat industry by producing chicken products in a lab. Lead scientist and co-founder Matt Anderson-Baron, a PhD student in cell biology at the University of Alberta, became interested in the idea after reading about research on cell-cultured meat that was being conducted in the U.S., and realized there was potential for lab-grown meat products in Canada. The U of A Health Accelerator program provided funding for the company to have space in the TEC in Edmonton, however Anderson-Baron says the biggest challenge the company faces is gaining funding necessary to support the “massive” costs of production. He said if this funding goal is achieved, Future Fields hopes to have its first chicken product on the market within five years.

Health Canada launches public consultation on cannabis edibles Health Canada has launched a public consultation on draft regulations governing the production and sale of additional cannabis products, namely edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and cannabis topicals. Interested stakeholders are invited to share their views on the proposed regulations until February 20, 2019. Health Canada welcomes written submissions or input provided online.

The draft regulations for edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and cannabis topicals were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on December 22, 2018. In addition to the online consultation, Health Canada will convene regional roundtable discussions and webinars to explain and seek input on the proposed regulatory controls across the country.

Food additive could be linked to Celiac disease New research suggests that celiac disease could be caused by a bacterial enzyme used to manufacture sausages, cheese, bread and other processed foods. A review in Frontiers in Pediatrics says a common food additive, microbial transglutaminase, could both cause and trigger autoimmune reactions to gluten, and calls for warnings on food labels pending further testing.

Exactly what causes this autoimmune reaction to gluten is uncertain, but what is known is that a specific mutation in an immunity-related gene called HLA-DQ seems to be necessary for developing celiac disease, with one of two HLA-DQ variants present in virtually every sufferer. However, these variants are also present in about 30 per cent of the general population, leading the focus of recent research to examine a myriad of environmental factors, including food additives, and how these factors interact with genetic risk to cause Celiac disease.

The review says that microbial transglutaminase has emerged as a likely culprit. The enzyme is used to improve food texture, palatability and shelf-life and functions like the transglutaminase produced by the human body and is known to be the target of autoimmunity in celiac disease.

There is a direct positive correlation between rising use of industrial enzymes in bakery products and rising incidence of celiac disease in the past four decades, according to the authors of the review. However, to test whether or not the enzyme causes or triggers immune damage in celiac disease requires further experimentation using animal models, intestinal cell lines or biopsies.

The authors recommend that until such testing is complete, foods processed using microbial transglutaminase should be labelled. The food additive is required on food product labels in Switzerland as being unsuitable for persons with celiac disease.

FOODINCANADA.COM 9

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McDonald’s announces policy to eliminate overuse of antibiotics in beefMcDonald’s has become the first major fast food chain to establish a comprehensive policy to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in its beef supply chain. McDonald’s is the world’s largest burger chain and the single largest purchaser of beef in the U.S. The burger chain said it will commit to reducing antibiotic use in 85 per cent of the beef it purchases.

It is expected that other fast food chains will follow suit and the announcement has implications for the beef industry, as McDonald’s is the biggest buyer of beef to tackle the issue of antibiotic use in cattle. McDonald’s and other fast food chains have already set policies in place for the use of medically important antibiotics in chicken.

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New method developed for Listeria detection offers 100 per cent specificityA new method for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes that provides 100 per cent specificity and sensibility has been developed by researchers from several institutes in Portugal.

The researchers have developed a novel Peptide Nucleic Acid Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (PNA-FISH) method for the specific detection of L. monocytogenes.

The method was based on an already existing PNA probe, LmPNA1253, coupled with a novel blocker probe in a 1:2 ratio. The method is able to detect L. monocytogenes in concentrations of 0.5 CFU/25 g or mL of food sample.

The method was optimized for the detection of L. monocytogenes in food samples through an evaluation of several rich and selective enrichment broths. The best outcome was achieved using One Broth Listeria in a two-step enrichment of 24 h plus 18 h.

Ground beef, ground pork, milk, lettuce and cooked shrimp were artificially contaminated with two ranges of inoculum to validate the detection method in food samples. The PNA-FISH method performed well in all types of food matrices, presenting an overall accuracy of ≈99 per cent and a detection limit of 0.5 CFU/25 g or mL of food sample.

Health Canada upholds Glysophate decision Health Canada announced that its final decision on glysophate will stand following a review the agency began in 2017.

Following the release of the Department’s final re-evaluation decision on glyphosate in 2017, Health Canada received eight notices of objection. There have also been concerns raised publicly about the validity of some of the science around glyphosate in what is being referred to as the Monsanto Papers.

Health Canada scientists reviewed the information provided in these notices, and assessed the validity of any studies in question, to determine whether any of the issues raised would influence the results of the assessment and the associated regulatory decision.

After a thorough scientific review, Health Canada said in a release “we have concluded that the concerns raised by the objectors could not be scientifically supported when considering the entire body of relevant data. The objections raised did not create doubt or concern regarding the scientific basis for the 2017 re-evaluation decision for glyphosate. Therefore, the Department’s final decision will stand.”

In the release Health Canada said “our scientists left no stone unturned in conducting this review.” The agency said its scientists had access to all relevant data and information from federal and provincial governments, international regulatory agencies, published scientific reports and multiple pesticide manufacturers. This includes the reviews referred to in the Monsanto Papers. Health Canada said it also had access to numerous individual studies and raw scientific data during its assessment of glyphosate, including additional cancer and genotoxicity studies. To help ensure an unbiased assessment of the information, Health Canada selected a group of 20 of its own scientists who were not involved in the 2017 re-evaluation to evaluate the notices of objection.

NEWS FILE


> Prof. Lawrence Goodridge, a three-time

University of Guelph grad, has joined his

alma mater from a faculty position at McGill

University to take up the new Leung Family

Professorship in Food Safety based in the

Department of Food Science. His position

will be funded by $750,000 from Tony and Connie Leung, both

1977 grads of U of G and now semi-retired founders of Tampa,

Fl.-based Sanwa Growers Inc. Goodridge’s research at Guelph

will integrate genomics with other fields like social media and

artificial intelligence to develop models to potentially predict

food-borne outbreaks before they occur. Since 2013, he has been

a professor in McGill University’s Department of Food Science

and Agricultural Chemistry, where he held the Ian and Jayne

Munro Chair in Food Safety.

> Dr. Martin Scanlon has been named the new

Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food

Sciences at the University of Manitoba (U of M),

effective January 1, 2019. Dr. Scanlon earned his

doctorate in Food Science from the University

of Leeds, and joined the U of M faculty in

1991. An innovative researcher, he is keenly interested in how

food processing changes the properties of food materials. He

has worked with the food and bioprocessing sector to develop

research capacity and explore new technologies and products.

His commitment to teaching excellence has inspired students

to think creatively and critically, and he was recognized with a

U of M Graduate Students’ Association Teaching Award in 2014.

Dr. Scanlon has twice served as acting head of the department

of food science, the Faculty’s associate dean (research), and

as the chair of U of M’s National Centre for Livestock and the

Environment.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Goodridge

Scanlon

FOODINCANADA.COM 11

IN BRIEF> Agropur Cooperative’s Lucerne milk,

a 100 per cent brand of Canadian milk

processed, packaged and distributed in

Canada, is now available at Walmart Canada stores in Western

Canada and will be Walmart’s official brand of milk for this

region (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia).

> TC Transcontinental Packaging announced its

Transcontinental Flexstar Richmond, B.C. plant has installed a

Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO), a high-calibre pollution

abatement system. The 50,000 standard cubic feet per minute

RTO will capture the plant’s volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

and air pollutants emitted from the facility’s various exhaust

streams, including from the printing presses, laminators, as well

as ink room operations.

> Olymel L.P. has closed the transaction for the acquisition of all

the shares of Pinty’s Delicious Foods Inc. Both companies will

continue their activities independently. Pinty’s will continue to

serve its current customers and honour its supply agreements

according to the prevailing poultry market conventions in

Ontario. Olymel has also been working closely with the Chicken

Farmers of Ontario (CFO) to ensure a smooth transition.

> British Columbia-based World Choice Bottling Inc. has

entered into a co-packing agreement with the Alkaline Water

Company Inc. to produce Alkaline88 in early 2019. The Alkaline

Water Company Inc. said the partnership will allow the company

to supply its Alkaline88 product line across Canada and into the

fast-growing Asian markets.

> Bühler has created a new segment of its business,

Consumer Foods, to address the global food market. It has

combined its chocolate, nuts, bakery and coffee business

with the Haas business it acquired last year to form this new

segment. In the recent past, the company has operated two

business segments, Advanced Materials, and Grains & Food.

> The Allergen Control Group (a BRC Global Standards

company), owners of the Gluten-Free Certification Program,

have announced the formation of two food-industry stakeholder

working groups to support the development and launch of

the first internationally-recognized and voluntary Plant-Based

Certification Program (PBCP). The first face-to-face sessions will

be hosted in both North America and Europe, towards the end

of February 2019.

RETHINKING INNOVATION

Re-balancing product mix and enhancing data management, with health and climate change in mindPeter Henderson

Numerous multi-billion-dollar businesses have taken steps to alter their product mix to enhance

data management capabilities, while offering a greater percentage of healthier products and providing a reduction in the company’s overall life-cycle emissions.

It’s quite possible this process will accelerate over both the short- and long-term, impacting many more food and beverage manufacturers (of all sizes), due to the following interconnected macro-trends, which feed off one another:

i) Shifting consumption; ii) Institutional investment persuasion;iii) On-line ordering and eco-digital

platforms.

Shifting Consumption: In addition to being more aware of their health, consumers are becoming more conscious of the role of agriculture and food in relation to climate change. A few statistics: » Reported in August, 2018: 51 per cent of U.S. restaurant chefs offer vegan options, which is a 31 per cent increase over the prior year. In addition, the same restaurants increased traffic by 13 per cent. (Source: Foodable Labs);

» Within U.S. supermarkets, sales of animal meat alternatives are up 19.2 per cent (year-over-year) to US$878 million for the period ending January 5, 2019. Plant-based burgers repre-sent about 24 per cent of that market (source: Nielsen);

» Sainsbury’s reported in January 2019 that sales of animal meat alternatives are up 20 per cent. In response, in 20 of its stores, 26 plant-based products are now next to the meat counters.

» This diet/consumption trend is being further influenced by media coverage and government policy (i.e. the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide).

Institutional investment persuasion: Globally, investors are putting pressure on publicly-traded multi-nationals (retailers, foodservice chains and food manufactur-ers) to set GHG emission reduction goals and report on their progress. An example is the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR), which is backed by 180 fund managers with assets of US$10.5 trillion. FAIRR has targeted 13 retailers around the world, and have also targeted six fast food companies.

This may have a ripple effect, impact-ing small and medium-size food and beverage manufactures.

On-line ordering & Eco-digital platforms: There has been explosive growth of on-line food ordering over the past two years. A few statistics:

» U.S. on-line grocery sales reached US$17.5 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach a remarkable $30 billion US by 2021. (Source: statista.com);

» Canada’s on-line pre-orders in food-service are almost CDN$5-billion, up from close to zero two years ago. Mobile ordering has jumped from two per cent to 35 per cent (Source: IPSOS Canada, Nov. 2018).An eco-digital e-grocery platform to

watch is Western Canada’s SPUD.ca, which showcases carbon footprint savings for each order. This approach could lead to mainstream grocers and restaurant chains doing the same.

The sum total of the above points is that a company can benefit by re-balancing its product mix, and enhancing its data gathering, goals and reporting capabilities relating to sustainability (Scopes 1, 2 and 3).

For those unsure where to start, collaborate with like-minded suppliers and key customers to develop a renewal innovation strategy, which complements everyone’s business. For data manage-ment tools and best practices, Canada’s Provision Coalition is a good source.

Comments and further discussion are always welcome.

Peter Henderson is a director on the board of

the Agri-food Management Institute (AMI).

He is also founder and managing director

of Ideovation, a Toronto-based growth

strategy services company. Contact him at:

[email protected]

Globally, investors are putting pressure on publicly-traded multi-nationals to set GHG

emission reduction goals and report on their progress


Happy New Year! 2019 got off to a quick start with coming into effect of the Safe Food for Canadians

Act and Regulations. If you have been following the regulatory articles in Food in Canada over the past several years, you will know this is an epic transition in how foods are governed federally in Canada.

And there are more changes still to come. In early 2019, the Canadian Food Inspec-tion Agency (CFIA) is expected to publish proposed food labelling modernization regulations that will, when finalized, amend the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). In early 2018, Health Canada had proposed mandatory front of packaging nutrition symbol labelling (FOP), and these are also expected to be finalized sometime in early 2019. And finally, Health Canada formally unveiled its new Canada’s Food Guide on January 22, 2019. It’s like we have been working on a complex jigsaw puzzle for the past few years and now all the pieces are starting to be laid out in way where the final image of food moderniza-tion is taking shape.

The new Canada’s Food Guide has been in the works for some time. The focus has shifted from the classic model of food groups with accompanying serving size and number of servings suggestions, to one that emphasizes having plenty of vegetables and fruit, eat protein foods, choose whole grain foods and make water your drink of choice. An immediate comparison between the former and new guide clearly shows off the new guide’s leaner approach. The new guide still includes dairy, eggs and meat as healthy eating options, but with less of a spotlight than the former guide. The new focus on protein foods does place greater emphasis on plant-based sources.

The latest revision has a more balanced approach than the former guide. This should not be taken that the former guide was bad. If Canadians had followed the former guide, our overall health outcomes would today be better than they are. It was more regimentally complex, difficult to follow and communicate. It had become a hard “sell” amid more contemporary dietary guidance, and thus lost its appeal among Canadians. The new guide is less “charty” and more visually impactful. It encour-ages food skills in selecting food, preparing foods and reading labels. Its food labelling guidance is linked to the new nutrition and ingredient labelling regulations, for which a transition period permitting the former format to be used ends December 14, 2021. That transition period might be extended until December 14, 2022, when FOP regulations are finalized. New ingredient labelling rules have introduced sugar-based ingredient labelling. The new nutrition labelling rules have introduced a simple daily value footnote, “five per cent or less is a little, 15 per cent or more is a lot”. The five per cent and 15 per cent rule are paired with the new CFG dietary rec-ommendations. Health Canada’s proposed front of packaging nutrition symbols (FOP) regulations focusing on limiting foods high in sugar, sodium and saturated fat, would also be consistent with the new CFG. A more contemporary format and simple design of the new CFG will make it easier to communicate the federal government’s dietary guidance.

Over the decades, the variety of foods available in Canada has blossomed. Although the former food guide did speak on selecting a variety of foods as part of healthy eating, the new food guide speaks to this in a more appealing way. It recog-nizes that culture and traditions can be part

of healthy eating. It also speaks about tradi-tional food of indigenous people within the guide. At the core of this is a robust food industry in Canada making it possible for such a grand selection of healthy foods.

The new Canada’s Dietary Guidelines outlines Health Canada’s guidelines and considerations on healthy eating. There is a Health Professionals and Policy Mak-ers edition that elaborates on the new dietary guidelines. This too is simpler and lends itself to possibly more consistent and focused messaging. It incorporates “Convincing findings* and Supporting Guidelines” along with the cited source of evidence and references. Aside from pro-viding greater transparency, it is presented in a way that reaches a broader spectrum of literacy. It affords an easy opportu-nity to look back at the evidence in the coming years to better gauge how the evidence supporting the guidelines may or may not be affected by new research.

Food labels were able to reference the former food guide in its healthy eating mes-saging. The former guide included guidance on serving sizes and number of servings of foods from within food groups. As the new CFG has moved away from this model, food labelling and advertising messaging that were based on the former guide will need to be revised to ensure they are consis-tent with current guidelines. The chal-lenge will be that new simpler guidelines are aimed more towards “education” and less towards “promoting” a single type of food. Health Canada is expected to release Canada’s Healthy Eating Pattern for Health Professionals and Policy Makers which will provide guidance on amounts and types of foods, as well as life stage guidance. So, a few more pieces of this puzzle are left to discover sometime in 2019.

Gary Gnirss is a partner and president

of Legal Suites Inc., specializing in

regulatory software and services. Contact

him at: [email protected]

Canada’s new Food Guide By Gary Gnirrs

REGULATORY AFFAIRS

FOODINCANADA.COM 13

If you want to sell a supplemented food in Canada, be prepared to get in line. A long line where you can’t see the finish line, there is no guarantee

of admittance, and you must wait months for updates or answers.

After almost seven years since Health Canada stopped accepting natural health product (NHP) applications for products that are represented, packaged and sold as food, we reflect on the state of affairs for food manufacturers who want to sell foods containing non-permitted uses of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, or novel herbal or bioactive ingredients (i.e. Supplemented Foods).

Manufacturers or distributors wishing to sell a Supplemented Food must apply to Health Canada’s Food Directorate for a Temporary Marketing Authorization Letter (TMAL), which is essentially a permission slip from the Government to temporarily sell a food that does not com-ply with the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR). Health Canada acknowledges that there is a need to update the FDR and is using TMALs as its tool of choice to allow the sale of these Supplemented Foods as an interim measure while regula-tory amendments are being considered. The first TMALs were granted to caffein-ated energy drinks, with other product categories following thereafter.

Since this policy shift, Health Canada has been flooded with applications and is struggling to keep pace with the growing industry demand. Recent data provided in September 2018 indicates that Health Canada has now received approximately 772 submissions for caffeinated energy drinks and 1075 submissions for other Supplemented Foods. With respect to the

latter category, less than half (499) have actually been issued TMALs.

The process is cumbersome. Each submission passes through many different Bureaus within Health Canada, before, if successful, being issued a TMAL. This means that there is generally multiple rounds of questions, spaced months apart, often dealing with the same subject matter. Further, the Food Directorate’s questioning is not solely related to those ingredients for which an exemption is requested from the FDR. Manufactur-ers and distributors must be prepared to hand over detailed formula information, including specification sheets and manu-facturing flow charts for even traditional food ingredients within the formula.

Industry was hopeful that relief was coming with Health Canada’s publica-tion of its Category Specific Guidance of Temporary Marketing Authoriza-tion: Supplemented Food in February 2016. This Guidance Document sets out maximum levels of vitamin and mineral addition, mandatory warning language that may be applicable, and labelling guidance. Unfortunately, the Document has done little to nothing to alleviate the long delays and seemingly endless series of questions.

Given that regulatory amendments are being targeted for December 2021, and that there is no pre-market approval pro-cess for other categories of food (including those that are supplemented in accordance with the FDR, such as milk and flour), many people are left questioning the util-ity of Health Canada’s protracted review process. Particularly for those Supple-mented Foods that have levels of fortifica-tion in line with the levels provided under

the Guidance Document, it is unclear what value Canadians are getting from the regulator taking such a pedantic approach to the review of these foods.

One possible solution to alleviate both Health Canada’s burden and the barriers to market would be to allow industry to formally attest that their products are for-mulated and labelled in compliance with the levels and warnings outlined under the Guidance Document and are other-wise in compliance with the FDR. Health Canada could simply do a cursory review to ensure that the levels and warnings are, as indicated, as acceptable under the Guidance Document and issue a TMAL on that basis. This would facilitate market access for industry and would allow the regulator to focus on those applications that warrant a more thorough review and safety assessment. This would allow Health Canada to at least partially clear some of its onerous workload and focus on its important mandate of protecting the health and safety Canadians.

Given the ever-growing delays, lack of certainty regarding the ultimate outcome, and the fact that the TMALs are, as the name indicates, only temporary, we recommend that manufacturers only con-sider this avenue after carefully weighing the pros and cons of pursuing a TMAL. For many there are no possible alterna-tives for getting innovative and nutritious products on market. Unfortunately, until the system is fixed or regulatory amend-ments are made, it may feel like death by a thousand cuts.

Colleen McMullin is an associate at Gowling

WLG. Contact her at colleen.mcmullin@

gowlingwlg.com, or (403) 298-1921

FOOD LAW

Death by a Thousand Cuts: The TMAL application process in CanadaColleen McMullin


The publication of the Safe Food For Canadians Regula-tions (SFCR) in the Canada Gazette II in June, 2018,

provided some detail as to how we would have to operate as of January 15, 2019 but left many questions unanswered. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) started having webinars in the Fall of 2018 to provide some answers. This article is a very brief summary of highlights from the CFIA’s webinars of October 19 and November 27, 2018.

One For AllThe SFCA and SFCR consolidates 14 sets of regulations into one set for all foods. Being outcome-based, it opens up the opportunity for food safety innovation.

TimelinesThe SFCRs begin coming into force on January 15, 2019 and will be phased in over 12 to 30 months based on the food commodity, activity and the size of your business. This link provides all the details: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/sfcr/timelines/eng/1528199762125/1528199763186

Key RequirementsLicensing: The SFCRs apply to food importers, firms manufacturing, slaughtering, processing, treating, preserving, grading, packaging, storing and/or labelling food that will be exported or moved between provinces. Foods made and sold within a province are exempt as are the following activities:

transportation, growing and harvesting of fresh fruits or vegetables, handling fish on a vessel and retail grocery stores.

Current license holders will fully transition to a SFCR license at some point. However, if you are not currently a license holder and need to apply for a license, one has a choice of two distinctly different business models, establish-ment and corporate. I believe that the establishment model is the better of the two. One also must decide on whether to have all facilities under one license or have a license for each facility. The process is not simple and straight forward as one would hope. The CFIA’s website contains all the details. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/my-cfia/eng/1482204298243/1482204318353

Preventative Controls: The SFCRs require all licensed food processors to have preventative control plan(s) (PCP) in place. A food processor’s PCP now must include consumer protection and market fairness measures to prevent misleading labelling and food fraud. Proof of a vali-dated PCP is not required at the time one applies for a license.

The CFIA has a number of resources available on its website to help compa-nies develop a PCP. Go to http://inspec-tion.gc.ca/safefood, on the left of your screen select “General food requirements and guidance” which will lead you to following topics: Licensing, Preventative Controls for Food Businesses, Preventa-tive Control Plan, Traceability for Food, Labelling Standards of Identity and Grades, Organic Products, Packing Food

in Containers and Food Safety Standards and Guidelines.

A written PCP is not required for firms with gross annual food sales of $100,000 or less. Nevertheless, these firms are still required to demonstrate that preventative controls are in place. How a company, however small, could have preventative controls in place without documentation to confirm the effectiveness of the plan and for training purpose is beyond me.

All PCPs must include traceability plans which require licensed holders to be able to trace foods and ingredients one step forward and one step back. Grocery stores must be able to trace one step back. Food service operations including hospitals and care homes are not required to have trace-ability plans. In my opinion, this exemp-tion is a serious flaw in the SFCRs.

ImportingAll food importers must be licensed as of January 15, 2019 and must also have a traceability plan in place as of this date. However, importers will have until January 15, 2020 to complete a written PCP for their operations. This phased-in approach will give importers the much needed time they will need to acquire and subsequently validate their foreign suppliers’ PCPs. I can tell you from experience that this will be a daunting task.

Wrapping UpThe SFCA and SFCRs are complex pieces of legislation. It is in the best interest of anyone affected by the SFCA and the SFCRs to conduct their own due diligence to understand what they must do to be compliant. Consult the CFIA website and the many resources now available there.

Dr. R.J. (Ron) Wasik, PhD, MBA, CFS, is president

of RJW Consulting Canada Ltd. Contact him at:

[email protected]

Highlights of the Safe Foods for Canadians Regulations Ron Wasik

FOODINCANADA.COM 15

FOCUS ON FOOD SAFETY


From its location, to its size, to its place in the commu-nity, and even the style of beers it produces, Bench Brewing Company is unlike any other craft brewer in the Ontario market.

Inspired by Belgian brew-ing traditions and the farmhouse-style of beers, Bench Brewing — which only opened its doors in the summer of 2018 — is a proud tribute to its loca-tion at the base of the Beamsville and Twenty Mile Bench sub-appellations of the Niagara wine-growing region, surrounded by some of Ontario’s finest vine-yards, orchards and farms.

Beer in a wine-growing region? Sure. That’s part of the whole farmhouse-style of beers that Bench Brew-ing is producing.

“The farmhouse-style is actually a broad spectrum of beers, pioneered by European farmers who would use the ingredients from their land to produce beer,” said Bench Brewing founder Matt Giffen to Food in Canada during a recent visit to the facility.

“At Bench, we strive to use as many local ingre-dients as possible, working with local farmers in the

BEVERAGE PROCESSOR

THE Heart OF TERROIR

Bench Brewing Company is not your typical start-up craft brewer

— By Andrew Joseph, Associate Editor —

Bench Brewing uses both cans and bottles for its product. Cans help beer destined for travel stay fresher longer. The company uses bottles for beers that are meant to be cellared or bottle-conditioned as would be done with a fine wine.

The Bench Brewing facility includes a tap and tasting

room, as well as a restaurant in the retrofitted historic

Maple Grove School house in Lincoln, Ont.

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Twenty Valley to source their tender fruit and grapes to brew our beers with.”

When the weather gets cooler in the autumn, Giffen said the company looks forward to beginning the cultivation of wild yeast and then brewing with it koel-schip — a table-like fermentation ves-sel. Giffen said Bench Brewing is also growing three acres of hops onsite, and are utilizing barrels and foeders sourced directly from wineries in the Twenty Val-ley region to age its beers.

The Bench Brewing facility was built new from the ground up and encompasses over 16,000 square feet for the production of beer, while its joined tap and tasting room — and restaurant — is in the retro-fitted historic Maple Grove School house, spread out over two floors and over 6,000 square feet, and features, in total, 25 full-time and 40 part-time Bench employees.

The company is a completely indepen-dent brewery, owned by Giffen, his wife Erin and a small group of investors who are extremely passionate about craft beer.

“Our over-arching goal is to create great craft beer with a sense of time and place,” said Giffen adding that Bench produces over 25 different beers on-tap, and in bottles, cans and kegs. “Some of our most popular beers are our Community Range that pay homage to important landmarks in an around the Twenty Valley.”

This series features: Ball’s Falls Session IPA (4.5% abv), Jordan Harbour Belgian Pale Ale (5.4% abv), Short Hills IPA (6.5% abv), Stone Road White Ale (4.2% abv), and Twenty Mile Farmhouse Ale (5.3% abv). The GROVE Dry Hopped Sour series beer range — a Bench Brew-ing study on the variances of hops and local fruit with a different fruit or hop aroma for each beer — includes the 6% abv Citra Grove Dry Hopped Sour and 6.2% abv Peach Grove Sour Ale, which Giffen says is a nod to the Maple Grove School now used as the taproom.

“For these beers, we used the same

FOODINCANADA.COM 17

mixed fermentation base, and involved experimentation with different hops or local fruits to explore different fla-vour combinations,” said Giffen.

The Bench Brewing facility has what Giffen calls “several unique features. Our barrel cellar features wood sourced exclu-sively from our winery neighbours in the area, and holds 14 14-foot foeders — each with a capacity of 9,500 litres. The other part of our barrel cellar houses our oak bar-rels that allow our brewing team to create barrel blends from over 220 barrels.”

Its three-acre hops field grows four vari-eties of hops for its beer, but Giffen

Bench’s barrel cellar features wood sourced exclusively

from its winery neighbours in the area, and holds 14

14-foot foeders — each with a capacity of 9,500 litres.

The other part of our barrel cellar houses our oak barrels

that allow Bench’s brewing team to create barrel blends

from over 220 barrels.

Bench Brewing founder Matt Giffen says his inspiration for the company was to build a unique craft brewery that produces remarkable small batch beers in the heart of Ontario’s wine country.

Our over-arching goal is to create great craft beer with a sense of time and place

— Matt Giffen

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seemed most proud of the brewery’s koelschip, an open-top stainless steel vessel where 5,000 litres of wort is cooled and inoculated with wild yeast and bacteria from the surrounding environment creat-ing, said Giffen: “a beautiful terroir component to our beer, that will ensure that all beers made using it will be truly unique to our region and different from any other beer in the world.”

For Giffen, who was born and raised in London, Ont., building the Bench brewery in the Town of Lincoln after 25 years working the big city was the right move for his family.

“We are very happy and blessed to be a part of the Town of Lincoln,” he said. “We have received so much love and support from them.”

Already a feature of the Twenty Valley community as part of the local wine grape farming community for years, Giffen says he was also a big beer lover.

“I’ve always been fascinated with the influence cli-mate and soil have on growing wine grapes,” he said. “I wondered, however, why only a few beers were focusing on the concept of terroir in their brewing process. That was really my inspiration for Bench — I wanted to build a unique craft brewery that produces remarkable small batch beers in the heart of Ontario’s wine country.”

While Bench attempts to purchase ingredients from a variety of different local farmers and suppli-ers, Giffen says that when it comes to their beers, it’s all about sourcing the best ingredients. “Manitoba and Saskatchewan produce some of the best wheat and barley in the world, so we work with farmers and malters there.”

Despite its penchant for brewing beers in a Belgian style, Giffen noted that the brewery’s equipment is Canadian.

The control processes of the brewery is a bespoke 50 hectolitre system that Bench uses to produce 5,000 litres of beer per batch.

The brewhouse features four huge separate vessels for each of the four brewing stages—mashing the grain; lautering (separating wort from grain husks); boiling; and whirlpooling. The wort is then moved to a fermenting vessel—either steel or oak—where the yeast converts the wort into beer.

Now here’s where Bench Brewing shows off its unique side once again, as the steel and oak vessels come into play.

“On the clean or steel side, the fermenting process can take a few weeks before we package it in cans or kegs,” said Giffen. “However, on the funk or oak side, we may ferment and age the beer from six months to three years before blending it with other aged beers and bottling it. It all depends on the styles and flavours we’re going after with each particular beer.”

Giffen said Bench utilizes both cans and bottles for different reasons, and not merely for customer or consumer preference.

“Cans can help beer destined for travel stay fresher longer. The sealed cans help prevent light from striking and affecting the beer. With bottles, they are better served for beers meant to be cellared or bottle-conditioned just like you would with a fine wine. These beers still have a small amount of wild yeast cultures in them that continues to work away over time resulting in more complex and interesting flavours.”

Despite the relative youth of Bench Brewing, Giffen said it has already achieved success within the community and as a tourist destination.

Its beers can be found year-round at its taproom and bottle shop, but Giffen pointed out that Bench also recently launched an online bottle shop for those unable to visit. Beers such as Ball’s Falls Session IPA, Twenty Mile Farmhouse and Citra Grove Dry Hopped Sour are also available province-wide at the LCBO.

“We’ve been very happy with the way our beer has been received,” summed up Giffen. “But we’re having as much fun creating them, as people seem to have drinking them.”

BEVERAGE PROCESSOR

The brewhouse features four huge separate vessels for each of the four brewing stages—mashing the grain; lautering (separating wort from grain husks); boiling; and whirlpooling. The wort is then moved to a fermenting vessel—either steel or oak—where the yeast converts the wort into beer.

FOODINCANADA.COM 19

It could be a game-changer for reducing food waste

— By Jordan Whitehouse —

If you’re a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, you probably know Lieu-tenant Commander Geordi La Forge and his famous gold visor that allows him to see — not in typical human vision, rather it allows him to per-ceive electromagnetic phenomenon in such a precise manner, that he can

detect heart rate, temperature, and thus moods and even human lies.

In the real world, humankind is going boldly for-ward with new technology in the food processing segment, including a piece of technology similar to La Forge’ visor in that it can read the vitals of meats, fruits and vegetables. It can, in a way, even detect a few lies itself. The hope is that it will help proces-sors see how much food is unnecessarily wasted in their plants or even lead to the development of new products.

Called hyperspectral imaging, the technology is actually several decades old and is applied in a vari-ety of fields from molecular biology to surveillance. A typical phone camera takes photos with pixels made up of three colours, whereas a hyperspectral image could have pixels with 600 colours or more, which, when taken together, can reveal a whole lot about the chemistry of an object. In food analysis, for instance,

it can show a piece of plastic sitting on a unit of meat that couldn’t otherwise be seen with the human eye. Using the same technology, it could show that all of that spinach an analysis tool thought was bad, is actually good.

Food waste is no longer the dirty “little” secret. The United Nations esti-mates that roughly one-third of the food annually produced in the world for human consumption — about 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or is wasted. In Canada, it is thought that between 30 to 40 per cent of food produced here doesn’t end up in our bellies, and while some of that is due to consumer negligence, about 20 per cent of those losses happen at the processing level.

The social and environmental implications of such an amount of food loss are staggering, of course, as are the economic ones.

The financial costs are one of the reasons why, in 2015, Ippolito’s then-director of engineering Doug Alexander went looking for a solution. At the time, the Burlington, Ont.-based produce processing company threw away a “couple million bucks” a year on wasted food, according to Alexander.

“We had these traditional vision systems that really struggled with iden-tifying foreign material, identifying good and bad. The more complex the material coming into the vision system — different greens for salad kits, for instance — (there was) the higher the percentage of waste,” said Alexander.

“When you add that type of complexity, it almost renders the vision system incompetent because you are throwing too much at it.”

Hyperspectral imaging technology

Hyperspectral cameras acquire images based on how food products uniquely reflect light, which reveals their chemical composition. Photo: ImpactVision


said P&P’s chief executive officer Olga Pawluczyk, adding they noticed the food industry was — and still is — in need of technologies that can keep up with consumer demand for safer, better and different products, not just inexpensive ones.

Alexander wanted a better sorting system — instead of just looking for good and bad greens, he wanted one that could look for the best, good, medi-ocre and waste-worthy greens. And after a few iterations to get it working at line speed, P&P delivered a largescale pilot that can provide that differentia-tion, and more. The first commercial unit is now being built.

To picture one of these units, visualize a couple of large metal boxes hover-ing above a conveyor moving anywhere from 60 to 120 feet a minute. One box shines bright light on the food, another collects that reflected light. A third bigger box with a lot of computational power lets you to see, in real time, the chemical makeup of a piece of steak or spinach leaves. And like Geordi La Forge’s visor, the system learns by using randomized algorithms and artificial intelligence.

It is a complex piece of technology, and it’s only been very recently that

TECHNOLOGY

So, knowing about hyperspectral imaging, Alexan-der went on a global mission to find someone who could build a technology for Ippolito. But at the end of every phone call or meeting, the answer was similar: ‘No, we can’t, because the hardware needed to achieve that level of complexity won’t fit in your plant.’ But then he looked in his own backyard at Waterloo’s P&P Optica, one of the very few compa-nies in the world manufacturing hyperspectral sys-tems for food analysis.

Spectroscopy has been P&P Optica ‘s core technol-ogy since 2004, but it was only about five years ago when they had their “a-ha” moment, realizing that its systems had improved to a point where it could capture a lot of really good signal extremely quickly. Industrial applications were the next logical step.

It first dipped its toe in oil and gas around 2011, but bad timing with a downturn in the industry sty-mied those plans. A few years later P&P Optica piv-oted to food, and found it a surprisingly natural fit. “Looking at bitumen in the oil sand cores is very simi-lar to looking at fat content of sausages, for example,”

The food industry is starting to recognize that it needs to address waste and

the way food is processed

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food processors in Canada and elsewhere have perked up. There aren’t any official numbers, but it’s believed that hyperspec-tral systems are in a small fraction of food processing facilities.

The global hyperspectral imaging mar-ket — including non-food industries — was valued at US$61.9 million in 2017, with expectations to reach US$108.5 mil-lion by 2023, according to market research firm Mordor Intelligence.

In food, hyperspectral imaging is just starting to commercialize now, said ImpactVision chief executive officer Abi Ramanan, a San Francisco-based devel-oper of software for hyperspectral sen-sors. Better technology is one reason it’s being noticed now, she says, but so is a recent culture change. “The food industry has traditionally been conservative and resistant to adopting new technologies, but they are starting to recognize that in order to feed a rising population with less resources, we need to address waste, we need to address food, we need to address the way food is processed.”

There are barriers that come with the adoption of this technology, though, including how to build a hygienic machine that works at industrial speeds. Cost is also a major challenge, said Xiaonan Lu, an associate professor in the faculty of land and food systems at the University of Brit-ish Columbia. “The most expensive part is the camera,” he says. “Some are twenty or thirty thousand dollars, others a lot more. So the price may not be affordable for most Canadian food companies.”

Despite those challenges, Alexander, who is now vice-president and general manager at Leadbetter Meats, thinks hyperspectral imaging is “without a doubt a gamechanger.” So much so that he said Leadbetter will explore it.

He opined that its sorting and grading capabilities can make a significant impact on that food waste problem, and it’s by

far the best way to do foreign material detection. He said it can also be used as a management tool off the line to improve agricultural practices. “It allows you to take real chemical data of 100 per cent of what’s been produced back to the pro-ducer and say, ‘This product has this (type of ) chemical property, and this one’s a little different than the last 100. What did you do differently here, because I really like that?’”

In turn, all of that specificity will likely lead to the development of new products. P&P Optica’s pilot system at Ippolito, for instance, could identify nutraceuti-cal value. One day soon that could mean brand new, ultra healthy products like sal-ads high in lutein or polyphenol.

ImpactVision‘s Ramanan is more hesi-tant than Alexander. She said X-Ray and metal detectors will continue to play a significant role in the future, as will multi-spectral, but thinks that sensing technolo-gies will gain in prominence, with hyper-spectral imaging becoming a big player in that environ.

But to really curb the waste problem in particular, Abi said one needs more than technology. “You also need to have effective regulation; you need to have an effective policy environment; you need to have retailers relax their cosmetics stan-dards around procurement; you need to have civic society and campaigns around waste and how to influence consumer behaviour.”

And yet, that consumer behaviour may be influenced by hyperspectral imaging in a very direct way soon. ImpactVision is working on bringing hyperspectral imag-ing to smartphones within the next couple of years, and when that happens, con-sumers will be able to walk into a grocery store, snap a photo of an avocado and find out how many days until it’s ripe.

As for Star Trek fans — sorry, no word yet on a Geordi La Forge-like visor.

FOODINCANADA.COM 21

Weighing THE OPTIONS


When Jason Brass purchased Terra Cotta Cookies in 2012, he saw the potential to grow a company that only sold its baked cookies to schools and sports teams look-ing to raise funds, to one that could be-come a key player within the baked good processing industry.

Although the company had produced peanut- and nut-free products since it was founded in 1984, company presi-dent Brass made the push forward to gain HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), SQF (Safe Quality Food Institute)-certifications, and full-on gluten-free and Kosher-certified status.

Brass told Food in Canada during a recent visit to the bakery’s 20,000-square-foot facility, that only after gaining the certifications did he take the company’s high-quality cookies to retailers.

“I quickly learned, however, that smaller retailers were more interested in having Terra Cotta produce cookies for them via the private-label market instead of branded product,” said Brass.

Now re-named Terra Cotta Foods, the Georgetown-area baked goods processor has added co-packing and private-label capa-

bilities to its portfolio. According to Brass, Terra Cotta Foods experienced a 36

per cent growth in 2018 over 2017. In fact, the busi-ness has had 26 per cent compounded growth every year since he bought the company in 2012.

“Terra Cotta does more than just cookies nowadays,” said Brass, adding that it also bakes muffins, loaves and

brownie sheet cakes for the foodservice sector, and even corn bread for a customer’s chilli product.

“We started out growing just the domes-

PACKAGING TRENDS ~ Weighers & Checkweighers

Cookie crumble concerns canceled by new automatic

weigher and chute


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Jason Brass, President, Terra Cotta Foods

Creating small and medium production runs efficiently has been a key to Terra

Cotta’s success — Jason Brass

tic business, but we are now also getting calls from companies in the U.S. and China.”

Unfortunately, Brass notes, the facility is reaching capacity with its current production line equipment and space on two shifts. Fortunately, Brass said he has a solution.

“Later this year we are planning to integrate a $1-million expansion with a new production line, including knocking down a wall to add an additional 17,000 square feet of space to give us 37,000 in total by the end of 2019.”

Maintaining our same staff size, we’re going to invest heavily in automa-tion that will triple our output,” said Brass. “At the end of the day, it will allow us to maintain our larger contracts, as well as work with new ones.”

With the expansion, the company will add: bulk handling systems; a new Escher 600 kilogram mixer — much larger than what the bakery currently uses; more industrial depositors for larger batch sizes; more ovens and oven racks; automatic cartoners; and upgrades to all lines.

Recently, Terra Cotta installed a state-of-the-art 10-head PrimoCombi auto-matic weigher, a VerTek Junior vertical form-fill-seal bagging machine, and a vertical conveyor — all from WeighPack Systems, part of the Paxiom Group.

After the cookies are formed and baked, product is moved to the stain-less steel, sanitary-designed incline infeed conveyor to move it up to the PrimoCombi weigher and a short distance down into its 10 buckets. The PrimoCombi is designed to release product within one gram of tolerance.

Once the pre-determined product weight is reached, the buckets release the cookies down into the VerTek vertical form-fill-seal bagging machine creating rollstock film pillow pouches at a rate of up to 45 bags per minute, though the machine is rated for speeds up to 50/minute.

But, what makes this set-up unique is the solution WeighPack devised to ensure minimal cookie crumble.

One of the many products produced at Terra Cotta is a delectable short-bread cookie — and part of that cookie’s charm, is its brittle, crumbling texture when bitten into.

WeighPack’s challenge, said Brass, was to soften the impact of the short-bread cookie as it was released from the PrimoCombi weigher down into the VerTek bagger below.

To resolve the breakage issue, rather than simply dropping the cookies straight down from the PrimoCombi weigher into the VerTek bagger as is typical with the set-up, WeighPack added a stainless steel chute placed at a subtle angle to allow the cookies to slide down to the bagger now placed off-centre. To further reduce the speed of descent of the product, WeighPack added a plastic flap near the bottom of the chute.

The PrimoCombi multihead weigher is the first open-frame combination scale designed for sanitation, eliminating the risk of water penetration within the controls of the scale by separating the electronics as opposed to having

FOODINCANADA.COM 23

Right: To better prevent cookies from crumbling during the packaging process, WeighPack Systems designed a special chute for Terra Cotta Foods, gently angled from its PrimoCombi automatic weigher down to a VerTek Junior vertical form-fill-seal bagging machine where the cookies are deposited in a clear rollstock film pillow pouch.


to spray water directly over the electronics during clean-up. It uses the Primo 360 operating system that offers event logging, archiving of production results, yield analysis, and productivity reports.

“We are very happy with the work WeighPack did with us to ensure our cookies don’t break during the packaging process,” said Brass complimenting the gen-tle handling of the product. “Having the cookies slide down rather than dropped ensures the consumer gets a product that looks like a cookie rather than broken bits. As well, our retail customers are able maintain a reputation for offering high quality cookie products.”

Other equipment and suppliers to Terra Cotta include:

• ADM Milling supplies pastry and all-purpose flours;

• International Sugars Inc. for all sugars; • Alliston Creamery & Dairy Ltd. for bulk butter; • Reid’s Dairy Ltd. for cream; • Supreme Egg Products Inc. for bulk liquid egg;• Barry Callebaut Canada for chocolate chips and

all other chocolate. “No compounds, only the best chocolate,” Brass said;

• Kilotech Inc. weighers for weighing ingredient amounts;

• several Hobart Brittany 100 kg mixers;• a Sesotec Canada Ltd. Buddy metal detection

system;

• LBC Bakery Equipment ovens;• CHEP Canada pallets — “Most

of our customers demand it,” said Brass;

• Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd. for all corrugated needs.

“While our customers help determine what products we make — such as organic, clean label, or single-ingredient — when it comes to our ingredi-ent’s suppliers — it’s tight. There aren’t many out there who can provide us with both Kosher and nut-free,” said Brass. “We don’t dabble in nut ingre-dients — no exception. We wouldn’t do it even if we had a separate facility. I believe taking a stand like that helps maintain the client trust.”

According to Brass, what has helped make Terra Cotta successful — and will continue to make it successful — is its ability to efficiently create small to medium production runs. “It certainly helps us get our foot in the door with retailers of all sizes.”

While lauding the quality products his company produces, Brass said his employees are also a key factor in the company’s success. “We have many tenured employees who were here before I purchased the company. Most importantly, everyone here cares about the company and what they are pro-ducing. They are focused and engaged and have helped this company grow.

“We are on a mission and the whole team is aligned, engaged and we push forward on a daily basis.”

PACKAGING TRENDS ~ Weighers & Checkweighers

At its 20,000-square-foot facility in Georgetown, Ont., Terra Cotta uses a food-grade vertical conveyor, automatic weighing system, and bagging unit manufactured by Montreal-headquartered WeighPack Systems, part of the Paxiom Group.

Above: The easy-to-use Primo 360 operating system from WeighPack can provide up-to-the-minute reporting, complete remote operation, and use pre-stored Crystal Reports software for automation control and user collaboration.

Left: Shortbread cookies are gently deposited down from a vertical conveyor into a WeighPack 10-bucket PrimoCombi automatic weigher from WeighPack Systems designed to release product within one gram of tolerance.

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is an inline check-weigher that virtuallyeliminates off-weights and product-giveaway. Your product weights can beaffected by a number of variables, includingchanges in raw material,lean-to-fat ratios, producttemperature, density, andeven machine wear. TheProcessCheck

communicates directly with the Vemag Stuffer to compensate for those variables, continuously fine-tuning each portion to increase your on-weightpercentages. In fact, we’ve developed a spreadsheet that can calculate your annual cost savings with the Vemag Process Check and prove its ROI. Take back your giveway – contact Reiser and arrange a demonstration.

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Calculate your savings.Tell us the cost of your raw materials, your currentgiveaway, and your dailyoutput. We’ll quicklycalculate just how muchthe Vemag Process Checkcan save you and whatyour ROI would be.

VemagProcessCheck_Chubs_2019Jan_FIC_Reiser 1/10/19 5:22 PM Page 1


What started out as a nod to the good ol’ boys who marveled at the size of the industrial fans being installed in the barns and

processing facilities in the southern part of the U.S., the company with a name difficult to forget also made sure that its products were no laughing matter.

Headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, Big Ass Fans changed its name officially in 2003 after four years with the plain HVLS (High Volume Low Speed) Fan Co. moniker it held since its founding in 1999.

The HVLS fan is a mechanical fan greater than 2.1 meters (7-feet) in diameter, and while generally ceil-ing-mounted some are pole-mounted. As the name suggests, these fans move slowly and distribute vast amounts of air via a low rotational speed.

“It’s a true story about the company name. We changed it in 2003 because customers kept calling to ask if we were that company that made those big ass fans they saw in their friends’ barns and other loca-tions,” said BAF product manager John Gerhardt to Food in Canada during a recent interview.

Now owned by Lindsay Goldberg LLC, an Ameri-can private-equity firm, BAF got its start selling large ceiling fans that turned slowly but moved massive quantities of air, keeping large spaces such as factories and dairy barns lacking air-conditioning, cool and comfortable.

Hot air is lighter than cold air, and as such rises to a facility’s ceiling level — a process known as con-vection. In still air situations, this creates stratifica-tion with the coolest, most dense air at the bottom. However, HVLS-style fans employ air movement to eliminate the phenomenon to create a more even temperature grid along the worker and processing machine levels.

Because these fans produce large columns of air as they rotate — the col-umn of air is relative in size to the diameter of the fan — the air moves down and out along the floor. Called a horizontal jet, the air column moves along the floor until it reaches a sidewall or vertical surface keeping everyone and everything cool.

By 2003, when commercial fan applications were required, such as for churches looking to keep the flock comfortable, BAF developed the first silent fan to meet their needs.

“Even for home use, BAF created a residential Haiku fan that blew away ENERGY STAR ratings, and won awards worldwide,” said Gerhardt. “In fact, the Haiku model has won more than 75 awards to date.”

In 2014, a light bulb went off in the collective minds behind BAF, and the Big Ass Light division was born; creating an LED fixture made from heavy-duty anodized extruded aluminum. Other innovations include automating personal comfort with its SenseMe technology and, via its Haiku Home division BAF began adding cutting-edge technology, design and conserva-tion to residential homes in 2016.

One year earlier, BAF opened an office in Canada, just outside of Toronto in Mississauga, adding to its international businesses in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. Though Malaysia manufactures the company’s Haiku L fan, all other product manufacturing is done at its 160,000-square-foot (in total) Lexington manufacturing and R&D buildings.

The 700-employee business produces overhead and directional fans for industrial, commercial and residential use, and has its products installed in more than 170 countries.

“BAF is a growing company,” said Gerhardt. “We’ve achieved an aver-age annual growth of 40 per cent since founding. On top of that, we’re

KEEPING IT LIGHT & AIRY

MAINTENANCE & REPAIR ~ Clean-in-Place

Fan manufacturer helps processing plants keep cool while maintaining hygiene levels via unique washdown capabilities


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At its facility in Lexington, Kentucky, a BAF workers puts its products through a wet test to simulate real-life conditions in a food processing facility.

proud of the fact that more than 70 per cent of Fortune 500 companies use BAF products.”

Not merely a manufacturer, BAF has a research and engineering depart-ment that continues to innovate and improve the product line.

According to Gerhardt, the BAF research and development facility is the world’s only purpose-built complex for studying HVLS fans.

After working with a major U.S. meat processor to create a fan that was not just cleanable with a hose and water, BAF used that same technology to launch its Powerfoil washdown fan.

“Washdown features are important for many reasons,” said Gerhardt. “Some fans can be sprayed by low pressure water, like from a garden hose, but customers involved in the meat and beverage industry where health and food safety are concerned, require a washable component that can handle high-pressure jets, such as a power washer, and stand up to cleaning agents.”

Gerhardt noted that BAF’s IP56 and Washdown fans can withstand the rigours of pressure washing, without electronic components or motors failing.

“The Powerfoil X3.0 washdown fan is constructed from stainless steel, aluminum and plastic components that are corrosion-resistant,” Gerhardt

said. “It was specifically-designed and purpose-built with food processing and drug manufacturing in mind.”

The components used to build the Powerfoil X3.0 washdown are resis-tant to soap, water and cleaning agents, and won’t rust. It is also resistant to mold and bacteria growth. “We had to think about not only the elec-tronics and the motor, but all components in the manufacturing process,” he said.

The washdown fan also features food-duty epoxy, a resin used in many industries, including food packaging materials, that is resistant to mois-ture, cleaning agents and heat. The epoxy is applied over the painted product ensuring that nothing chips or flakes to fall into a food process-ing area thereby preventing product contamination.

The Powerfoil X3.0 washdown comes with a BAF-constructed NitroSeal

gearbox, that Gerhardt says is more than just a phrase utilizing big scientific words. “The PFX line-up of fans is truly ‘set it and forget’, ideal for manufactur-ing operations with production lines below.

“We know the cost for a production line being shut down, and the bind that can put a company in. We have assembly lines too.

“In the washdown version, the NitroSeal gearbox is sealed completely and uses food grade oil,” said Ger-hardt. “It means that if it were to ever rupture due to say a forklift hitting the fan and the oil leaked out, it wouldn’t be a complete disaster. The oil is truly food grade — think vegetable oil or olive oil dripping out, not a petroleum-based product.”

BAF has worked extensively with numerous name brand food processing companies in the design of the washdown fan and other products.

“Flat surfaces can cause water or cleaning agents to pool, and the moisture can cause mold and bacteria growth,” said Gerhardt. “The PFX washdown fan has no flat spots — so no moisture pools. All water and cleaners simply flow off of the fan.”

According to BAF, its fans can keep the lower levels of a facility up to 10 F (6 C) cooler, lower winter heating costs, reduce A/C usage, and improve worker safety.

“On top of all that,” Gerhardt said, “the Powerfoil X3.0 washdown fan and its ability to offer a complete washdown for a processor, will better ensure foods and beverages can be processed in a comfortable, healthy and safe manner.”

FOODINCANADA.COM 27

Above: Built using corrosion-resistant stainless steel, aluminum and plastic components, the Powerfoil X3.0 washdown fan uses a Big Ass Fans’ completely-sealed NitroSeal gearbox that uses food grade oil.

Right: The BAF Powerfoil X3.0 Washdown fan, is the only fan custom made for food manufacturing facilities.

Before embarking on a new project with a client, we often guide them through a SWOT analysis.

What is a SWOT Analysis? It is a management tool to assess your business from different perspectives and identify opportunities and risks. The acronym stands for Strengths — Weak-nesses — Opportunities — Threats, and it is in no way a Stupid Waste Of Time.

Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors over which you have control. Strengths identify the capabilities and positive aspects of your business and weaknesses reveal areas for improvement.

Opportunities and threats come from the external environment, which can have a huge impact but is largely beyond your control. Opportunities relate to ways in which your business can grow and threats are potential risks. Some threats may seem overwhelming but can often be mitigated by preparing contingency plans.

Benefits A well-executed SWOT analysis examines countless factors that can affect the performance, profitability and sustainability of your business. In this way it can help you make better business decisions pertaining to strategic direction, as well as operations, budgeting, product launches, rebranding and a host of other initiatives. Part of the value is going through the thought process, soliciting employee, partner and customer feedback and documenting findings.

When do you use it? It is a useful first step before undertaking

a major project and during the annual planning and budgeting process. If your business is not performing according to plan, a SWOT analysis can identify problem areas.

How to get startedObjectivity is the key to a meaningful SWOT that will be of value for busi-ness decisions. Be sure to involve all the business units in your company — finance, operations, procurement, human resources, marketing, sales, IT — to lever-age insights from your cross-functional team. Also engage an unbiased third-party, a valuable asset to challenge your thinking.

Examine Internal FactorsLook inward by assessing strengths and weaknesses in areas relating to the project, such as: » Brand portfolio – sub-brands, listing base, profitability, product life cycle, innovation;

» Human resources – company culture, attracting and retaining employees, missing skill sets;

» Operations – capabilities, capacity, QA, food safety, certifications, service levels;

» Processes – efficiency, complexity, streamlining;

» Marketing – effectiveness of strategies, plans and tactics;

» Sales – sales force effectiveness; » Finance – revenue streams, cash flow, funding;

» Intellectual property.

Expose External FactorsAreas to explore for opportunities and threats relating to packaged foods initiatives include:

» Customers – meeting expectations; » Competitors – innovation, pricing, marketing tactics;

» Socio-economic environment – market trends, changing demographics, consumer behaviour and lifestyles;

» Regulations; » Sourcing and procurement – supplier base, raw material availability;

» Supply chain logistics; » Human resources – skilled labour availability, government policies;

» Economy – currency fluctuations, interest rates, inflation, taxes, government funding programs;

» Technology – cyber security, block-chain technology, social media;

» Environment – waste reduction, crop yields, sustainability;

» Politics – global trade agreements, political stability. These laundry lists are by no means all-

inclusive. They should be tailored to the characteristics of your business and the objectives of the assessment.

After conducting the SWOT analysis, prioritize next steps by identifying the factors with the biggest impact on business performance. Then tackle the low-hanging fruit.

As a business owner, it’s easy to lose your objectivity. Taking a proac-tive approach to assess your operation through a critical lens will help you build a stronger, more sustainable business.

As a packaged foods consultant, Birgit Blain

transforms food into retail-ready prod-

ucts. Her experience includes 17 years with

Loblaw Brands and President’s Choice.

Contact her at [email protected] or

learn more at www.BBandAssoc.com

RECIPE TO RETAIL

Benefits of a SWOT Birgit Blain


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FOODINCANADA.COM 29

ASSOCIATIONS

Agriculture and Agri-Food CanadaTF: (855) 773-0241T: (613) 773-1000www.agr.gc.ca

Agri-Food Trade Service for ExportersTF: (855) 773-0241T: (613) 773-1000www.agr.gc.ca/eng/industry-markets-food-trade-services-for-exporters

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Servicewww.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/eng/home/jsp/

Find a Trade Commissionerwww.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/eng/find-trade-contacts.jsp/

Groupe Export Agroalimentaire/Agri-Food Export Group Quebec-CanadaTF: (800) 563-9767T: (450) 649-6266www.groupexport.ca

Ag-West Bio Inc. T: (306) 975-1939www.agwest.sk.ca

Alberta BarleyTF: (800) 265-9111T: (403) 291-9111www.albertabarley.com

Alberta Food Processors AssociationT: (403) 201-3657www.afpa.com

L’Association des brasseurs du Québec/Québec Brewers AssociationT: (514) 284-9199www.brasseurs.qc.ca

Association des embouteilleurs d’eau du Québec/Québec Water Bottlers’ AssociationT: (450) 349-1521www.conseiltaq.com/association/aeeq/

Association of Seafood ProducersT: (709) 726-3730www.seafoodproducers.org

Baking Association of Canada/Association canadienne de la boulangerieTF: (888) 674-2253T: (905) 405-0288

B.C. Food Processors AssociationT: (604) 371-4245www.bcfpa.ca

B.C. Grapegrowers’ AssociationTF: (877) 762-4652www.grapegrowers.bc.ca

B.C. Salmon Farmers AssociationTF: (800) 661-7256T: (250) 286-1636www.salmonfarmers.org

B.C. Salmon Marketing CouncilT: (855) 642-3551www.bcsalmon.ca

B.C. Wine Grape CouncilT: (250) 809-7107www.bcwgc.or

B.C. Wine InstituteTF: (800) 661-2294T: (250) 762-9744www.winebc.org

Beer Canada E: [email protected]

Canada Beef Inc. Western Office T: (403) 275-5890Eastern Office T: (905) 821-4900www.canadabeef.ca

Canada Pork International/Canada Porc InternationalT: (613) 236-9886www.canadapork.com

Canada Safety Council/Conseil canadien de la sécuritéT: (613) 739-1535www.canadasafetycouncil.org

Canada’s Smartest KitchenT: (902) 566-9674www.smartkitchen.ca

Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance/Alliance de l’industrie canadienne de l’aquacultureT: (613) 239-0612www.aquaculture.ca

Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters/Association canadienne des importateures et exportateursT: (416) 595-5333www.iecanada.com

Canadian Beverage AssociationT: (416) 362-2424www.canadianbeverage.ca

Canadian Bottled Water Association/l’Association canadienne des eaux embouteillées T: (416) 618-1763www.cbwa.ca

Canadian Centre for OccupationalHealth and Safety/Centre canadien d’hygiène et de sécurité au travail TF: (800) 668-4284T: (905) 572-2981www.ccohs.ca

Canadian Council of Food ProcessorsT: (204) 982-6372www.ccfp-ccta.com

guidebook2019 Resource

Food in Canada’s annual guidebook directs you to Canadian food and beverage industry associations

and councils, research centres and educational insti-tutions, plus U.S. national associations.

To be listed in the 2020 guidebook, please contact Kristy Nudds at [email protected]

Canadian Corrugated Containerboard Association/Association Canadienne du cartonage nodule et du cartone-caisseT: (905) 458-1247www.cccabox.org

Canadian Dairy Commission/Commission canadienne du laitT: (613) 792-2000Class 3(d) and Special MilkClass Permits: (613) 792-2057Dairy Imports/Exports: (613) 792-2010www.cdc-ccl.gc.ca

Canadian Federation of Agriculture/Fédération canadienne de l’agricultureT: (613) 236-3633www.cfa-fca.ca

Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers/Fédération canadienne des épiciers indépendantsTF: (800) 661-2344T: (416) 492-2311www.cfig.ca

Canadian Food Exporters AssociationT: (416) 445-3747www.cfea.com

Canadian Food Inspection Agency/Agence canadienne d’inspection des alimentsTF: (800) 442-2342T: (613) 773-2342

CFIA Area Regional OfficesAtlantic: (506) 777-3939Québec: (514) 283-8888Ontario: (226) 217-8555Western Canada: (587) 230-2200www.inspection.gc.ca

Canadian Hatching Egg Producers/Les Producteurs d’oeufs d’incubation du CanadaT: (613) 232-3023www.chep-poic.ca

Canadian Health Food AssociationTF: (800) 661-4510www.chfa.ca

Canadian Institute of Food Science & Technology/Institut canadien de science et technologie alimentairesTF: (844) 755-6679www.cifst.ca

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters/Manufacturiers et exportateurs du CanadaTF: (877) 427-1141www.cme-mec.ca

Canadian Meat Council/Conseil des viandes du CanadaT: (613) 729-3911www.cmc-cvc.com

Canadian National Millers AssociationT: (613) 238-2293www.canadianmillers.ca

Canadian Organic Growers/Cultivons Biologique CanadaTF: (888) 375-7383T: (613) 216-0741www.cog.ca

Canadian Plastics Industry Association/Association canadienne de l’industrie des plastiquesT: (905) 678-7748www.plastics.ca

Canadian Pork Council/Conseil canadien du porcT: (613) 236-9239www.cpc-ccp.com

Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council/Conseil canadien des transformateurs d’oeufs et de volaillesT: (613) 724-6605www.cpepc.ca

Canadian Produce Marketing Association/Association canadienne de la distribution de fruits et légumesT: (613) 226-4187www.cpma.ca

Canadian Seed Growers’ Association/Association canadienne des producteurs de semencesT: (613) 236-0497www.seedgrowers.ca

Canadian Spice Association/Association Canadienne des ÉpicesE: contact@canadianspiceassociation.comwww.canadianspiceassociation.com

Canadian Sugar InstituteT: (416) 368-8091www.sugar.ca

Canadian Vintners Association/Association des vignerons du CanadaT: (613) 782-2283www.canadianvintners.com

Canola Council of CanadaTF: (866) 834-4378T: (204) 982-2100www.canolacouncil.org

Canadian Organic Trade AssociationT: (613) 482-1717www.ota.com

Central Ontario Cheesemaker AssociationT: (519) 287-3933www.cocma.ca

Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ) TF Québec: (800) 667-2386TF Québec: (800) 667-4570T: (418) 659-1550www.criq.qc.ca

Certified Organic Associations of British ColumbiaT: (250) 260-4429www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca

Chicken Farmers of CanadaT: (613) 241-2800www.chicken.ca

Coffee Association of Canada/Café association du CanadaT: (416) 510-8032www.coffeeassoc.com

Council of Food Processing & Consumer Products/Conseil de la transformation agroalimentaire et des produits de consommationT: (450) 349-1521www.conseiltaq.com

CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association) TF: (800) 463-6727T: (416) 747-4000www.csagroup.org

Dairy Farmers of Canada/ Les producteurs laitiers du CanadaT: (613) 236-9997www.dairyfarmers.ca

Dietitians of Canada/ Les diététistes du CanadaT: (416) 596-0857www.dietitians.ca

Egg Farmers of Canada/ Les Producteurs d’oeufs du CanadaT: (613) 238-2514www.eggfarnmers.ca

Export Development Canada/Exportation et développement CanadaTF: (800) 229-0575www.edc.ca

Fisheries Council of Canada/Conseil Canadien des pêchesT: (613) 727-7450www.fisheriescouncil.ca


2019 Resource guidebook

FOODINCANADA.COM 31

Fisheries and Oceans Canada/Pêches et Océans CanadaT: (613) 993-0999www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Food Allergy CanadaTF: (866) 785-5660T: (416) 785-5666www.foodallergycanada.ca

Food & Beverage Atlantic/Aliments et Boissons AtlantiqueT: (506) 857-4255www.atlanticfood.ca

Food & Beverage ManitobaT: (204) 982-6372www.foodbeveragemb.ca

Food and Beverage OntarioT: (519) 826-3741www.foodandbeverageontario.ca

Food & Consumer Products of CanadaT: (416) 510-8024www.fcpc.ca

Food Banks Canada/ Banques alimentaires CanadaTF: (877) 535-0958T: (905) 602-5234www.foodbankscanada.ca

Food Industry Association of Canada (Golden Pencil Awards)E: c/o Bill Sheine, secretary/treasurer: [email protected]

Food Processors of CanadaT: (613) 722-1000www.foodprocessorsofcanada.ca

Further Poultry Processors Association of Canadawww.fppac.gc.ca

Grain Growers of Canada/Les producteurs de grains du CanadaT: (613) 233-9954www.ggc-pgc.ca

Innovation P.E.I.TF: (800) 563-3734T: (902) 368-6300www.innovationpei.com

ISSA Canada TF: (866) 684-8273T: (905) 665-8001www.issa-canada.com

Manitoba Canola Growers AssociationT: (204) 982-2122www.mcgacanola.org

Manitoba Pulse & Soybean GrowersTF: (866) 226-9442T: (204) 745-6488www.manitobapulse.ca

Master Brewers Association of Canadac/o Master Brewers Association of the Americaswww.mbaa.com/districts

National Farm Animal Care Council/Conseil national pour les soins aux animaux d’elevagewww.nfacc.ca

National Research Council CanadaTF: (877) 672-2672T: (613) 993-9101www.nrc.cnrc.gc.ca

Natural Health and Non-prescription Health Products DirectorateT: (613) 960-8827www.healthcanada.gc,ca/nhpd

Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry AssociationT: (709) 754-2854www.naia.ca

Nova Scotia Seafood AllianceT: (902) 742-6168www.novascotiaseafoodalliance.ca

Ontario Food Protection AssociationT: (647) 573-4940www.ofpa.on.ca

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationT: (519) 763-6160www.ofvga.org

Ontario Greenhouse Alliance, TheT: (905) 945-6791theontariogreenhousealliance.com

Ontario Independent Meat ProcessorsT: (519) 763-4558www.oimp.ca

Ontario Processing Vegetable GrowersT: (519) 681-1875www.opvg.org

PAC, Packaging ConsortiumT: (416) 646-4640Québec office: (514) 990-0134www.pac.ca

Paper & Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council (PPEC) T: (905) 458-0087www.ppec-paper.com

Pasta CanadaT: (613) 235-4010www.pastacanada.com

Poultry Industry CouncilT: (519) 837-0284www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca

Producteurs de Grains du QuébecT: (450) 679-0540www.pgq.ca

Provision CoalitionT: (519) 822-2042www.provisioncoalition.com

Restaurants CanadaTF: (800) 387-5649T: (416) 923-8416

Retail Council of Canada/Conseil canadien du commerce du détailTF: (888) 373-8245T: (416) 922-6678www.retailcouncil.org

Saskatchewan Food Processors AssociationE: [email protected]

Soy CanadaT: (613) 233-0500www.soycanada.ca

Spirits CanadaT: (416) 626-0100www.spiritscanada.ca

Standards Council of Canada/Conseil canadien des normesT: (613) 238-3222www.scc.ca

Supply Chain Management AssociationTF: (888) 799-0877T: (416) 977-7111www.scma.com

Taste of Nova ScotiaTF: (800) 281-5507T: (902) 492-9291www.tasteofnovascotia.com

Tea and Herbal Association of Canada/Association du Thé et des Tisanes du CanadaT: (416) 510-8647, ext. 2www.tea.ca

Turkey Farmers of Canada/ Les éleveurs de dindon du CanadaT: (905) 812-3140www.canadianturkey.ca

Union des producteurs agricoles du QuébecT: (450) 679-0530www.upa.qc.ca

2019 Resource guidebook


Vintners Quality Alliance of OntarioT: (416) 367-2002www.vqaontario.ca

Wine Country OntarioT: (905) 562-8070, ext. 221www.winecountryontario.ca

Women in Food Industry ManagementE: [email protected]

Workplace Safety & Prevention ServicesTF: (877) 494-9777T: (905) 614-1400www.wsps.ca

World Potato CongressT: (902) 368-8885www.potatocongress.org

RESEARCH CENTRES

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: Research Centreswww.agr.gc.ca/eng/scienc-and-innovation/agriculture-and-agri-food-reserach-centres-and-collections

Atlantic Poultry Research InstituteT: (902) 893-6657www.dal.ca/sites/apri.html

Bio|Food|Tech – Prince Edward Island Food Technology CentreTF: (877) 368-5548T: (902) 368-5548www.biofoodtechpei.ca

Canadian International Grains InstituteT: (204) 983-5344www.cigi.ca

Cintech AgroalimentaireT: (450) 771-4393www.cintech.ca

College of Agriculture and Biosources University of SaskatchewanT: (306) 966-4056www.agbio.usask.ca

Food Development Centre Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural InitiativesTF: (866) 626-4862T: (204) 945-3744www.gov.mb.ca

Food Innovation & Research Studio (FIRST) George Brown CollegeT: (416) 415-5000, ext. 6400www.georgebrown.ca/first

Food Processing Development Centre Alberta Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentT: (780) 986-4793www.agric-gov.ab.ca/fpdc

Human Nutraceutical Research Unit, Department of Human Health & Nutritional Sciences University of GuelphT: (519) 824-4120, ext. 56171www.uoguelph.ca/human-nutraceutical-research-unit-hnru

Merinov – Quebec Fisheries and Aquaculture Innovation Centre/Centre d’Innovation de l’aquaculture et des pêches du QuébecTF: (844) 368-6371T: (418) 368-6371www.merinov.caq

NSF InternationalT: (519) 821-1246www.nsfcanada.ca

Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada/Centre d’agriculture biologique du Canada Dalhousie UniversityT: (902) 893-7256www.dal.ca/faculty/agriculture/oacc/en-home.html

POS Bio-Sciences John and Charlotte Cross Bio-Science CentreT: (306) 978-2800www.pos.ca

Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc.T: (306) 933-7555www.foodcentre.sk.ca

EDUCATIONAL CONTACTS

Acadia University School of Nutrition and DieticsT: (902) 585-1366www.nutrition.acadiau.ca

British Columbia Institute of Technology School of Health Sciences Food Technology DepartmentT: (604) 434-5734www.bcit.ca/study/programs/500adiplt

Canadian Nutrition Society/Société canadienne de nutritionTF: (888) 414-7188www.cns.scn.ca

Dalhousie UniversityFaculty of AgricultureT: (902) 893-6600www.dal.ca/faculty/agriculture.html

Durham CollegeChemical Laboratory Technology – Pharmaceutical and Food ScienceT: (905) 721-3000www.durhamcollege.ca/programs/chemical-laboratory-technology=pharmaceutical-and-food-science-fast-track/

George Brown College Hospitality and Culinary Arts and Chef SchoolT: (416) 415-2000www.georgebrown.ca/hospitality-culinary-arts/

Holland College Culinary Institute of CanadaTF: (800) 446-5265T: (902) 629-4217www.hollandcollege.com/culinary-institute-of-canada/

Langara College Department of Nutrition & Food Service ManagementT: (604) 323-5511www.langara.bc.ca/departments/nutrition/

McGill UniversityMacdonald Campus Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesT: (514) 398-7773www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/School of Human Nutritionwww.mcgill.ca/nutrition/

Memorial University of Newfoundland Fisheries and Marine InstituteTF: (800) 563-5799T: (709) 778-0200www.mi.mun.ca

SAIT Polytechnic – Southern Alberta Institute of TechnologyTF: (877) 284-7248www.sait.ca

University of Alberta Faculty of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional SciencesT: (902) 492-3239www.afns.ualberta.ca

University of British ColumbiaFaculty of Land and Food SystemsT: (604) 822-1219www.landfood.ubc.ca

University of GuelphCentre for Open Learning and Educational SupportT: (519) 767-5000www.open-uoguelph.ca

University of GuelphDepartment of Food ScienceT: (519) 824-4120 ext.56589www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/

FOODINCANADA.COM 33

Université Laval Microprogramme en Alimentation et NutritionTF: (877) 785-2825T: (418) 656-2131www.ulaval.ca/les-etudesprogrammes/repertoire/details/microprogramme-en-alimentation-et-nutrition.html

University of Manitoba Faculty of Agricultural and Food SciencesDept. of Food and Human Nutritional SciencesT: (204) 474-6411www.umanitoba.ca/afs/dept/fhns/

University of Prince Edward IslandApplied Human SciencesT: (902) 566-6482www.upei.ca/science/applied-human-sciences/

University of SaskatchewanCollege of Agriculture and BioresourcesT: (306) 966-4056www.agbio.usask.ca

University of TorontoDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & EngineeringT: (416) 978-2011www.chem-eng.utoronto.ca

U.S. NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

American Frozen Food InstituteT: (703) 821-0770www.affi.org

Bakery Equipment Manufacturers & AlliedsT: (913) 338-1300www.bema.org

Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association T: (202) 293-5800www.femaflavor.org

The Food Institute T: (201) 791-5570www.foodinstitute.com

Food Marketing InstituteT: (202) 452-8444www.fmi.org

Food Processing Suppliers AssociationT: (703) 761-2600www.fpsa.org

Grocery Manufacturers AssociationT: (571) 378-6760www.gmaonline.org

Institute of Food TechnologistsT: (312) 782-8424www.ift.org

International Warehouse Logistics AssociationT: (847) 813-4699www.iwia.com

National Dairy CouncilE: [email protected]

North America Meat InstituteT: (202) 587-4200www.meatinstitute.org

Organic Trade AssociationT: (202) 403-8630www.ota.com

Paperboard Packaging CouncilT: (413) 686-9191www.ppcnet.org

Soyfoods Association of North AmericaT: (202) 659-3520www.soyfoods.org

U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationTF: (888) 463-6332www.fda.gov

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