Technology – Food In Canada

BC’s food industry gains access to funding for traceability upgrades

Food in Canada — Tue, 14 May 2024 15:32:04 +0000

British Columbia’s producers, food processors and seafood businesses now have access to new funding to improve product tracing, meet consumer demands, and ensure public health safety.

Through the Traceability Adoption Program (TAP), these businesses can get financial support to upgrade their tracking systems. Through the program, they can purchase and install software and hardware, such as databases, barcode readers, label printers and other devices that help make product tracing more efficient and reliable. They can also hire experts who can support their businesses to effectively implement traceability systems in their facilities.

For example, B.C. producers and food processors can use the funding to switch from manual to computer-generated labelling, which saves time and increases quality control.

B.C. ranchers and abattoirs can purchase and install approved radio frequency identification (known as RFID) tag readers that track the movement of animals and other food products wherever they may be in the supply chain to help reduce administrative burden and streamline livestock operations.

The funding is part of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a $3.5-billion investment over five years (April 1, 2023, until March 31, 2028) to strengthen the agriculture sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities that are funded 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially or territorially.

In B.C., up to $530,000 is available through TAP, with individual applicants eligible for up to $20,000. The program is managed by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC and is open for applications starting May 9, 2024.

Shaping a bold new era in plastics packaging

ncaleb — Wed, 01 May 2024 17:39:13 +0000

It’s an exciting time in the packaging industry as several factors combine to elevate our solutions to new levels of innovation, sustainability, performance, and flexibility. With the growth of e-commerce and home-delivery in recent years, our approach to packaging has evolved. This trend, coupled with ongoing consumer expectations for heightened sustainability, is converging with the rapid rise of digitization and evolving production technology. The result is an exciting new era in packaging in which polymer resin producers are working in close collaboration with manufacturing partners to create solutions we never thought possible.

For example, with more expectations being placed on the reliability aspect of caps and closures, producers have an opportunity to step up and deliver the high-quality resins backed by robust technical support that modern manufacturers demand. We are required to understand the end-use demands – to be stronger, more durable, lighter weight, more flexible, clearer, heat or cold resistant, etc. – as well as the specifications for all production equipment in use, and how to optimize for maximum efficiency. In today’s market, in fact, the technical expertise on the producer’s end might be just as important as producing and delivering a quality and consistent product.

Customization, quality, consistency

Hyper-customization means finding and delivering the perfect product for our customer’s very specific needs: they may look alike to the casual eye, but we know that every package, every film, every cap and closure, every personal hygiene product requires proprietary customization with zero room for variance between shipments. We know every minute of downtime, extra cleaning, and re-runs is money off the bottom line. For example, Heartland’s H3003 biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film extrusion resin has been found to have an excellent processing window allowing for even faster production speeds.

Products that deliver low VOC, faster and better processing, along with enhanced down gauging capabilities, come with higher value. All polymers when melted emit some level of volatiles, but leading production technology and less additives can significantly reduce those volatiles. The less additives, the fewer things that can break down and create problems for the converter on their end. That’s why quality assurance is paramount to making technical recommendations with confidence. For example, Heartland Polymers has conducted trials at the Non-Wovens Institute – the world’s first accredited academic program for the interdisciplinary field of engineered fabrics – to test and verify product quality. Recent trials found the product runs exceptionally well, which translates to less equipment maintenance as well as the potential for improved processability.

Advancing sustainability through production technology

Smart technologies also enable technical support and QC teams to zero in on exact moments in time during the production process and to track shipments with real-time GPS, offering greatly enhanced capabilities and recording. These platforms allow teams on both ends to co-ordinate and respond faster than ever before to issues. The area of AI and digitization is a separate topic with massive implications, but suffice to say that data is power and from consumers all the way back to the producer, transparency creates common ground. Put simply, the more consumers understand how we make things, the better it is for everyone.

When it comes to sustainability, the plastics industry is no longer trying to keep up with consumer demands and expectations, we are leading new ground through research and the adoption of emerging technologies. Today, there can be no trade-off between performance and sustainability: manufacturers and their customers expect both. It is by integrating technical teams across producer and manufacturer that we gain the boots-on-the-ground reality of what is required, what is possible, and what optimizations are required on both ends. Through communication and a shared vision of what success looks like, we are delivering on products with increased recyclability, lighter weight, more durable, and extremely flexible.

David Marnalse is a Senior Account Manager at Heartland Polymers. With over 25 years in the industry, he is committed to delivering a new and more efficient customer experience to help industry meet the challenges of modern production.

Julio Muzquiz is the Technical Services Supervisor at Heartland Polymers. He brings unparalleled technical expertise to Heartland backed by more than 25 years of providing polyolefins technical support for High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), and Polypropylene (PP) resins.

AI in food processing market projected to reach US$22.3B by 2032

ncaleb — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 16:52:41 +0000

According to Market.us, in 2023, the gross revenue of the ‘artificial intelligence (AI) in food processing’ market is projected to reach US$11.1 billion. A thorough analysis of the AI in food processing industry forecasts that the investment could experience an annual growth rate of 8.3 per cent from 2023 to 2032. The analytical report delves into the fundamental determinants contributing to market growth, projecting an anticipated valuation of US$22.3 billion by 2032.

According to the report, the integration of AI in food processing represents a transformative shift towards efficiency, safety, and sustainability in the food industry. AI technologies, including machine learning, computer vision, and robotics, are being deployed across various stages of food processing to optimize production lines, enhance quality control, and minimize waste. For instance, AI-driven predictive maintenance can forecast equipment failures before they occur, reducing downtime and maintaining continuous production flows. In quality control, computer vision systems are used to inspect and sort products with a level of precision and speed that surpasses human capabilities.

The AI in food processing market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by the increasing demand for automation and precision in food production processes. The market’s expansion is fuelled by technological advancements, the need to comply with stringent food safety regulations, and the push for more sustainable production practices. As food processors seek to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve product quality, the adoption of AI technologies is becoming a strategic imperative. This adoption is evident across small-scale specialty producers to large multinational corporations, highlighting the scalability and versatility of AI solutions. The market is characterized by a wide range of AI applications, from robotic sorting systems to AI-powered supply chain optimization tools.

North America leads the AI in food processing market by accounting for a major revenue share of 36.4 per cent.

As AI systems rely on vast amounts of data, there are concerns regarding data privacy and security. Food processing companies need to establish robust data protection measures to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. Addressing these concerns and complying with data privacy regulations is crucial for the successful adoption of AI in food processing.

We are continuing this discussion during our annual webinar series on Trends and Innovations in Food. On Thursday, April 11, 1-2 pm ET, we’ll be discussing this very issue on our webinar titled “AI’s Role in F&B Processing.” I hope you can join this conversation. To register, click here.

Innovation Insights: Technology is transforming traceability and transparency in the seafood sector

ncaleb — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 15:59:24 +0000

Concerns over counterfeiting and labelling claims have led Canada’s seafood and fisheries sector to provide greater transparency and traceability into their supply chains. New technology has emerged to help those efforts, while preventing fraud and providing more efficient inventory management and quality control.

Having traceability at all stages of seafood processing means being able to document a product’s path from catch through to final customer. In other words, a seafood company can prove a product’s provenance, sustainability, and safety at each step in the process. Traceability also enables businesses to demonstrate responsible sourcing practices and compliance with government regulations, which gives consumers more confidence in the business.

Unfortunately, mislabelling and fraud have become common in the seafood sector in practices such as species substitution, incorrect weights for products, and misrepresentation of a product’s origin. Without some form of transparent traceability system, companies may face health and contamination concerns, as well as legal measures such as fines or other penalties.

Governments and organizations are working to improve label accuracy through certifications and standardization. There are technologies for tracking products, such as barcodes, QR codes, and other digital markers, but because of their format, they have traditionally had limited use in the seafood sector. New technology coming onto the market hopes to address those barriers, and boost their use, while adding greater automation to the seafood processing sector.

ThisFish

Vancouver, B.C.-based ThisFish, which now operates globally, provides TallyVision, an artificial intelligence solution for seafood traceability and production workflows designed to boost business efficiency, transparency, and compliance in seafood supply chains. The company’s software, combined with sensors and industrial hardware, such as scanners, digital scales, and computer vision technology, help seafood processing plants automate data collection and digitize information systems to produce real-time insights that can be used to improve traceability and quality control, while reducing waste. The software also provides for the use of QR code labels, allowing customers to track seafood through retailing and processing back to the farm or fishing vessel that harvested it.

Index Biosystems

Toronto’s Index Biosystems offers a different route toward traceability. The company uses biotechnology to turn baker’s yeast into microscopic biotags to trace products through the supply chain. In August 2022, Index Biosystems received funding through the Canadian Food Innovation Network’s (CFIN’s) Innovation Booster program to pilot a project with its automated biotag application system to tag and trace grain.

Mabel Systems

Another company offering fisheries and seafood processors help to both manage inventory and trace the movement of products through the supply chain is Sydney, N.S.-based Mabel Systems. Mabel provides a data capture platform that allows seafood companies to digitize receiving and production, giving them more control over inventory, food safety, and demand forecasting, while allowing for accurate, real-time tracking of products. When combined with hardware such as advanced computer vision technology, the software allows processors to easily share information with retail customers, consumers, and regulators.

As more fish and seafood companies turn to innovative technology for improving efficiencies and compliance while alleviating concerns about fraud and mislabelling, consumers will continue to benefit with fully traceable products and more information about the sector.

Nestor Gomez is chief technology officer for the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN), a national, member-based organization stimulating transformative and transferrable innovation across the Canadian food sector. Visit CFIN at www.cfin-rcia.ca.

This column was originally published in the November/December 2023 issue of Food in Canada.

McCain Foods’ new subsidiary focuses on crop monitoring and analysis

ncaleb — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 17:05:27 +0000

McCain Foods unveils Presia Ag Insights, a newly formed business unit specializing in satellite-based, data-driven intelligence.

“Launching Presia advances McCain’s innovative agriculture agenda, providing an opportunity to build off the expertise we have developed in potatoes to offer leading capabilities to other food businesses and farmers,” says Peter Dawe, chief growth and strategy officer at McCain Foods. “It is driving data intelligence that is helping us change the way we grow a potato.”

Presia is the evolution of McCain’s acquisition of the predictive crop portfolio from Resson in 2022. That portfolio includes vision-intelligence-based technologies that leverage field data and satellite imagery to assess the status of a potato crop. The Resson team that managed the predictive crop intelligence portfolio joined McCain in June 2022. Over the past year, the team — and product — has continued to evolve and is now launched under the Presia banner.

Based in Ontario and Eastern Canada, the Presia team is comprised primarily of data scientists and software developers, with nearly a decade of experience working with crop-monitoring technologies on potatoes.

The insights from Presia’s data and models will help its customers manage their crops and determine yield estimates. While the focus is currently on potatoes, Presia’s data and models could be expanded to other crops in the future.

“We are focused initially on measuring plant health, supporting crop quality, and tracking regenerative agriculture practices. This expertise has been built within potato with plans to support similar insights in other specialty crops,” says Tyler Hennick, managing director of Presia. “We are getting more data on region and variety-specific nuances to inform our modelling and can work with our partners to measure the indicators that matter to them most.”

Unilever launches first global AI lab in Toronto

ncaleb — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 18:15:51 +0000

Unilever opens a new global artificial intelligence (AI) lab called Horizon3 Labs in Toronto to accelerate the generation of new AI concepts, designs, and projects that can be scaled and shared across its business globally.

Unilever’s Horizon3 Labs represents an increase in technology investment that grew out of the company’s focus on the use of AI to increase productivity and efficiency. Currently, Unilever is using this technology across its business including Generative AI in its customer service and marketing, and advanced analytics and machine learning in supply chain and logistics.

“Unilever is making a significant investment in developing and deploying AI technology across the business, and the launch of Unilever’s AI lab will expedite the progress we are making globally and enable us to have the right focus on technology innovation,” said Andy Hill, chief data officer, Unilever. “We are working to solve real-life problems through innovation, and setting up this lab in Toronto allows us to access vibrant tech talent and some of the best partners in the business to bring solutions to life.”

“It is incredibly exciting that Toronto will be home to Unilever’s first and only global AI lab,” said Gary Wade, president of Unilever Canada. “In selecting Toronto, we will be able to tap into one of the fastest growing AI superclusters in the world with access to best-in-class research facilities and world-class talent while also building off the collaborative power of academia, businesses and government.”

Unilever worked closely with Toronto Global, the investment attraction agency for the Toronto Region, in choosing the location for Horizon3 Labs.

“As Canada’s AI powerhouse and the second fastest growing tech workforce in North America, there is no better place to host Unilever’s groundbreaking AI lab than the Toronto Region,” said Toronto Global CEO Stephen Lund. “This is truly a milestone investment for the Toronto Region tech ecosystem, cementing Toronto’s place as a global leader in AI innovation for years to come. We are so pleased we could help Unilever choose Toronto for this exciting project.”

Unilever currently has more than 400 applications of AI across disciplines including marketing, supply chain, and research and development. For example, Unilever currently has 50,000 ice cream freezers around the world that are AI-enabled to efficiently place the right product in the right freezer at the right time. The company also developed a bespoke AI solution that auto-updates product titles and descriptions on retail websites to respond to search trends to put relevant products in front of consumers.

The company is exploring data and analytics tools that unlock AI and machine learning across the value chain. The work done in Toronto will be incorporated across the business globally.

The Horizon3 Labs team will initially focus on prioritizing three areas of interest: forecasting, modelling complex data relationships with graph technology, and generating insights of trends, patterns, and predictions through AI. The projects will be structured to embed researchers from academia and other experts and partners.

Cibus Tec in Parma, Italy; the technological hub for food and beverage

Food in Canada — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 15:06:55 +0000

Cibus Tec, the trade fair event by Koeln Parma Exhibitions, opened its doors in Parma, Italy, from October 24 – 27. The trade fair event dedicated to technologies for the food and beverage sector, welcomed 40,000 visitors from Italy and 120 additional countries.

This year hosted 1,200 exhibitors (30 per cent coming from abroad) while 10,000 meetings were scheduled.

The 2023 edition of Cibus Tec was opened by Franco Mosconi, president of Fiere Parma.

“Fiere di Parma is a special place, in which the authentic beauties of this country are periodically on display: art, antiques, tourism, good food. With Cibus Tec, however, it takes the visitor inside an ideal factory of the future in which one can experience first-hand all the processes – of very high technical depth – that bring the foods and drinks we consume daily to our tables,” says Mosconi. “All this gives enormous prominence to the foodtech supply chains and manufacturing excellence of our territory and of Italy as a whole, attracting highly qualified exhibitors and visitors from all over the world, certain of finding here in one place, the best and most advanced solutions, technologies and innovations for the food industry.”

Photo: Cibus Tec

The inauguration ceremony was an opportunity to present data from the first Cibus Tec machinery observatory for food & beverage, which aims to measure and monitor the size, performance, markets and competitiveness of the supply chain on international scale.

The meeting was concluded by Emanuele Di Faustino, head of industry, retail and services at Nomisma, who oversaw project.

“Despite the uncertain international macro-economic and geopolitical scenario, the opportunities for a further expansion of Italian exports of food and beverage technologies and machinery in the coming years are plausible. The market of greatest interest for Italian companies is certainly the United States, the main world importer (7 billion euros in 2022) and the first destination for Made in Italy exports (1.2 billion euros), a record destined to remain so in the future, thanks to an expanding food industry and significant growth rates in the demand for Italian machinery. Precisely in light of this strategic nature, the USA was the first market to be studied in depth within the newly created Machinery Observatory for Food & Beverage by Nomisma for Cibus Tec,” he said.

Many companies who operate in Canada were exhibitors at the show, including: bioMerieux, Honeywell, Kronen GMBH and Provisur Technologies, to name a few.

The Italian company, Bardiani Valves, opened a Canadian distribution office in Toronto in 2014. At the Bardiani booth, Food in Canada had a chance to speak with Andrea Genitrini, General Manager at Bardiani about the show and Italian/Canadian ties.

“At this edition of the trade show we decided to invite our biggest Canadian partners to our Parma facility. We try to open up in the same way they opened to us when we first came to Canada. We hope to share Italy with them like a local.”

Bardiani hosted an evening of education and networking on October 24 at their Parma plant. There were presentations on their machinery and equipment, with the team available to explain the features and advantages of new technologies.

Various events took place during the week, one of the conferences scheduled was organized by the Order of Food Technologists from Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and Umbria.

“The Impact of Circular Economy on Food Safety” roundtable discussion provided insights into the importance of food safety in companies adopting sustainable practices such as reducing their carbon footprint, fighting food waste, food redistribution, and waste management. The seminar concluded a three-day event hosted by the Order, in collaboration with Cibus Tec, which focused on current regulations and innovations in food, from functional foods to cultured meat, from insect-based products to plant-based products, and clean-label offerings.

In celebration of the 120^th anniversary of the International Milk Federation and the Italian Committee, a discussion took place aimed at giving voice to the dairy industry. The goal was to share business experiences and strategic directions to collectively tackle upcoming challenges.

Demo line. Photo: Cibus Tec

Walking through the conference halls, machines were spotted in action; moving in rapid speed, zipping vacuum sealed cheese and other products down converter belts with precision.

In Hall 2, three automated production lines were showcased. One was dedicated to a traditional Italian bakery product, ‘pinsa,’ which has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. The processes of mixing, forming, and packaging the finished product were designed to optimise production, minimise waste, and ensure precise weight accuracy.

A second line replicated the processes of portioning and packaging hard and semi-hard cheeses. The initial step was cutting, a process that could be conducted with different diameters and heights, resulting in products with fixed geometry or calibrated weight. The portioned cheese was transported to a quality control system that employed 2D and 3D analysis to examine the product both dimensionally and cosmetically. Safety at work was also considered in this line, with specific stainless steel protections safeguarding tasks performed by human operators.

The third line replicated the packaging of ‘Doypack’ bags, applied to candies (though the process is versatile). An aspirator transported the sweets to a 10-head weigher, which could adjust the product dosage as needed for packaging. The packaging machine featured both a bag loader with servo-assisted pick and place and a system for discarding unopened or improperly positioned packages. The line integrated an electronic gas mixer in direct communication with the machine, minimising consumption. At this stage, packages passed through an in-line sealing integrity control system, ensuring food safety and product quality.

Start up arena. Photo: Cibus Tec

In Hall 4, at the Cibus Tec Digital Factory, visitors entered the world of Industry 5.0, where digital technologies such as the industrial internet of things, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence optimised production efficiency, streamlined maintenance and training operations, made production more sustainable, and enabled new post-sales business models for machine manufacturers.

Mechanics for the F&B industry is an area of focus in Italian manufacturing; with over 2,100 active companies and 61,000 employees, the sector generated a turnover of 15.7 billion euros in 2022. Compared to 2019, turnover grew by 7.6 per cent, while the workforce recorded an increase of 11.7 per cent.

This industry also represents one of the Made in Italy sectors most suited to international markets, with exports of eight billion euros in 2022 (24.2 per cent compared to 2012). In the first six months of 2023, compared to the same period of 2022, the export trend is growing (+16.4 per cent), and at the end of 2023, it is estimated to close with a value of approximately 8.8 billion (+10 per cent compared to 2022).

Plant protein partners developing AI tech to improve ingredient quality

ncaleb — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 14:48:17 +0000

Showcasing the potential of Canada’s full plant-based value chain, companies from across the sector have partnered to develop new artificial intelligence (AI) technology that is expected to improve the quality of Canada’s protein crops and ingredients.

With the support of Protein Industries Canada (PIC), project partners Enns Bros., Crop Sentry, DL Seeds and AGT Foods will develop the technology to meet the needs of farmers and ingredient processors alike.

“Projects like this one show how Canadians are harnessing the power of AI to address complex issues and deliver real impact across Canada,” said François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry. “Through the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Protein Industries Canada is working with partners to more sustainably produce high-quality plant-based ingredients and products to meet the increasing demand for eco-friendly and nutritious food options both at home and abroad.”

Building on the IoT sensor system previously developed by Crop Sentry, the partners will optimize in-field sensors for pea and canola crops to autonomously gather phenotype data throughout the growing season. This in-field data-gathering will help farmers better collect measurements related to crop quality, leading to improved data-driven decisions that will have positive ripple effects up the value chain.

“Canada’s food and ingredient sectors are evolving, and with this evolution comes a need for new technology—including technology that utilizes the vast potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “By focusing their initial efforts on in-field AI technology, our project partners are building on the established success of Canada’s agriculture industry to help add value and increase the sustainability of our plant-based value chain. This approach will bring benefit to Canada’s farmers, as well as beyond to our ingredient processors and Canadian families.”

With the improved crop quality, ingredient processors will have a more consistent supply of protein to work with, helping them to develop a steady supply of high-quality, highly functional ingredients that will aid consumer-packaged goods manufacturers in developing new food and beverage products. The technology will also aid in traceability efforts related to sustainability, in-field management practices and allergen concerns, meeting the evolving needs of consumers across Canada and abroad.

The end result will mean improved products for consumers to enjoy, while strengthening Canada’s supply chain and economy.

“We are excited to be a part of this partnership,” Enns Brothers president and CEO Ray Bouchard said. “We believe it is critical that frontline producers are a key component of the value chain, and that technology can be deployed at scale, providing a strong value proposition for growers.”

“Technology is becoming an increasingly more important component in so many sectors and agriculture is no exception. Data is critical to provide the information needed so that we can make higher quality products right across the agriculture value chain. This starts in the field, with data driven decisions to improve the quality and sustainability of the crops we grow, enabling processors like AGT Foods to manufacture even better products for consumers and the markets we service. We believe utilizing technologies like AI, such as those being developed and introduced through this partnership, will be a significant driver for the agriculture sector,” AGT Foods president and CEO Murad Al-Katib said.

The project is the first to be announced under Protein Industries Canada’s artificial intelligence stream. A total of $13 million has been invested in the project, with Protein Industries Canada committing approximately $5.9 million and the partners together committing the remainder. Protein Industries Canada’s artificial intelligence stream is funded as part of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, through which the federal government is investing in efforts to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence across Canada‘s economy and society.

Quebec-based innovators develop hyperspectral tool to assess marbling

ncaleb — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 13:35:00 +0000

The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) is investing $301,428 in Montreal’s MatrixSpec Solutions, which is spearheading a project to develop an automated smart device for pork marbling assessment.

“Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada tells us that in 2022, our nation produced 2.26 million tonnes of pork, over 60 per cent of which was exported, contributing $4.82 billion to the economy,” explained Darrell Petras, CAAIN’s CEO. “Despite the sector’s economic impact, pork grading technology has advanced little over the past several decades. Innovation can be expensive both to develop and to adopt, and the potential ROI is not always self-evident. As a result, inertia is not uncommon in agriculture and primary processing, a situation that underscores the value CAAIN adds by supporting the kind of research and innovation we are celebrating today. This pork marbling measurement technology has the potential to greatly improve efficiency and profitability in an industry characterized by price volatility.”

The project, valued at $844,081, will improve the evaluation of marbling, one of the most important criteria used to determine red meat quality. The current method of grading pork involves cutting a representative loin or chop and assessing it visually. In addition to being time consuming, the process is wasteful. MatrixSpec’s Marbling Meter is a handheld device similar to a grocery store checkout scanner. It uses hyperspectral imaging to ‘read; the marbling and return a grade quickly, objectively, and without damaging the product. Because the tool is programable, it will be usable in the U.S., as well as Canada, despite the two countries’ different grading standards. For now, its focus will be limited to pork, but there is a possibility of eventually expanding the reach to beef grading.

Innovation Insights: Six applications of automation, robotics, and AI in Canada

ncaleb — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 14:58:34 +0000

The Canadian food and beverage sector is embracing the age of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the industry. From innovative products to improved supply chain processes, companies are leveraging these technologies to achieve greater efficiency, cost reduction, increased profit margins, and better environmental stewardship. Here’s how Canada’s food and beverage industry is being transformed using automation, robotics, and AI.

Supply chain optimization

Automation and AI streamline supply chain processes, enabling companies to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. For instance, Toronto-based McCain Foods has enriched and enhanced its demand planning and production forecast through its investment in Fiddlehead Technology (Moncton, N.B.), a company specializing in data science and machine learning solutions for the food and beverage industry. This has allowed McCain to better manage inventory, reduce its waste, costs, and carbon footprint.

TheoryMesh, Winnipeg, is growing its software as a service (SaaS) platform that captures data from across food supply chains and uses blockchain and machine learning for certification and traceability.

“Improving the food supply chain is an imperative to feed the world and reduce the impact of agriculture and food waste on the environment,” says TheoryMesh CEO Chris Bunio.

Improved product quality

Robotics and AI are being used by food companies to ensure product quality and safety. A notable example is A&L Canada Laboratories in London, Ont. It uses AI-driven image analysis to detect contaminants and defects in food products, ensuring they meet the highest safety standards. This technology reduces the risk of food-borne illnesses and enhances consumer trust in the industry. Additionally, food and beverage businesses are using robotics to automate the cleaning of food processing equipment, reducing the risk of contamination, and improving food safety.

Labour savings

By automating repetitive and physically demanding tasks, companies can save labour costs and improve working conditions for their employees. Robotics is becoming prevalent throughout all stages of food production, including for sorting, packaging, and material handling. Robots help reduce workplace injuries, increase efficiency, scale up production, and allow employees to perform less physically demanding and risky tasks.

With Canadian Food Innovation Network’s (CFIN’s) support, Cyberworks Robotics, Markham, Ont., is developing autonomous self-driving tow tugs for food distribution and production centres. The company is currently partnering on a pilot project to mitigate labour shortages, decrease operating costs, increase worker safety, and increase logistical efficiencies within facilities, without changes to their infrastructure.

“Our mission is to reduce costs to the consumer,” explains Vivek Burhanpurkar, CEO of Cyberworks. “We enable this by reducing labour shortages and labour costs for food and beverage companies by providing self-driving solutions for common tasks like operation of forklifts and floor scrubbers.”

Reducing waste

Industrial solutions based on automation and AI are used to reduce waste, water use and the reliance on plastics. Automated systems for packaging and processing, for instance, can reduce waste, while improving efficiency. Ottawa’s Food Cycle Science Corporation (FCS) is developing technology that combines the use of enzymes with automation of food waste biodegradation. The company uses sensors and automation in its FoodCycler technology to rapidly degrade biodegradable plastics and transform them, along with food waste, into a beneficial soil amendment that reduces reliance on artificial fertilizers and contributes to a circular food economy.

AI-driven technologies are revolutionizing all aspects of the industry, from new product development to supply chain management and sustainability efforts. Expect to see more companies investing in automation and AI to maintain their competitive edge.

Cost savings and price optimization

By using AI and machine learning, food businesses can make data-driven decisions, optimize pricing strategies, and improve overall profitability through:

Demand forecasting – analyzing data such as historical trends, identifying seasonality and weather patterns to predict demand.

Dynamic pricing – monitoring real-time market conditions, competitor pricing, and customer behaviour to adjust prices dynamically.

Personalized pricing – analyzing customer behaviour, preferences, and purchasing history to create personalized offers and targeted discounts.

Price elasticity modelling – estimating price elasticity, which measures the sensitivity of demand to changes in price.

Inventory management – helping to optimize inventory levels by analyzing sales data, identifying patterns, and predicting future stock needs.

Promotion optimization – analyzing past promotional campaigns, customer responses, and competitor strategies to help businesses design effective promotions.

Competitor analysis – monitoring competitor prices, promotional activities, and product offerings in real-time so food businesses can make informed decisions on pricing and marketing strategies.

Cost optimization – identifying inefficiencies in the supply chain, production processes, and distribution networks, leading to cost savings.

Nestor Gomez is chief technology officer for the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN), a national, free, member-based organization stimulating innovation across the Canadian food sector. Contact him at nestor@cfin-rcia.ca.

An edited version of this column was initially published in the June/July 2023 issue of Food in Canada.

The Cultivated B breaks another barrier in cell-ag with new industrial-grade bioreactor

ncaleb — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 15:03:51 +0000

The Cultivated B (TCB) starts rapid-delivery manufacturing with its AUXO V industrial-grade bioreactor at its Burlington, Ont., plant. This addresses the cellular agriculture industry’s urgent need to increase global capacity in order to reach commercially viability.

It is a significant milestone because bioreactor delivery times could take up to two years. Producers of cultivated meats based on cellular agriculture and precision fermentation often face challenges in scaling up from lab to commercial manufacturing.

“Cellular agriculture is not a thing of the future. It has arrived,” said Dr. Hamid Noori, CEO of The Cultivated B. “The recent USDA approvals for cultivated meat producers are evidence that the industry is quickly advancing, but producers can’t scale their scientific and regulatory breakthroughs from the lab to commercial production without the ability to readily purchase and easily operate bioreactors. TCB is disrupting the industry in two ways: first, by aiming to make our industrial-grade bioreactors available with delivery times of only two to four weeks; and second, by designing a bioreactor that can be operated by non-experts with only a few days of training. We’re changing the game for the cellular agriculture industry.”

Cibus Tec trade show offers buyers program

Food in Canada — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 14:25:45 +0000

The Italian Trade Commission in Canada is inviting food and beverage manufacturers to join them on a trip to Italy to attend the Cibus Tec trade show this fall.

Cibus Tec 2023 will be held at Fiere di Parma in Parma, Italy, from October 24 to 27, 2023. For over 80 years, Cibus Tec has been one of the leading Italian trade shows for food processing equipment and technology, bringing together food industry professionals from around the world.

Parma is the capital of the Italian food and foodtech valley, and home to some of the leading European food and technology companies as well as to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). More than 60 per cent of Italian bakery, confectionery and snack industries are located within a 200 km radius from Parma.

Cibus Tec is held every three years, most recently in 2019, which included over 100 countries, 500 innovations shown across the floor, 1200 suppliers, and 3000 buyers.

The trip will offer food and beverage buyers an exclusive business experience in Cibus Tec and Parma.

At the show, visitors will be able to check out innovations in different segments, such as packaging, logistics, bottling and filling, coding, marking and labelling, end of line, handling and traceability, components, automation, digital, robot and control, energy efficiency, environmental technologies and hygiene, ingredient analysis and laboratory equipment.

Target groups of visitors include the food industry as a whole, as well as the C-suite in fruit and vegetables, dairy, meat, ready-to-eat meals, pasta, cereals, bakery, ice-cream and dessert, coffee and portioned meals, chocolate and snacks, liquid food and importers/distributors.

The Italian Trade Commission will cover the following expenses:

Economy-class return flight
4-night accommodation in hotel in Parma with breakfast (October 23 – October 27, 2023)
Lunches at VIP lounge at the show
VIP pass for the show
Transfers from/to airports and daily transfers to the trade show venue
Access to B2B platform and personalized B2B meetings agenda

The trip to Cibus Tec 2023 is scheduled as follows:
October 23: Arrival in Bologna, Italy, and transfer to Parma
October 24 – 26: Visit to Cibus Tec show and B2B meetings with Italian technology companies
October 27: Transfer to the Bologna airport and departure for Canada

To be considered for the delegation, buyers must complete the online questionnaire by July 20, 2023.

For additional information, check out the Cibus Tec 2023 Trade Show guide and the Cibus Tec 2023 Preliminary exhibitors directory.

Protein Industries Canada issues $10M call for food-focused artificial intelligence projects

ncaleb — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 17:13:55 +0000

As Protein Industries Canada amps up its investment into artificial intelligence (AI) technology, it’s increasing its focus on novel AI that will accelerate the commercialization of new plant-based ingredients and food, helping make Canada’s plant-based food sector more efficient and sustainable. It’s a technology that can’t be overlooked in the plant-based sector’s effort to meet ever-changing consumer demands and expectations.

“By bringing the use of artificial intelligence technology further up the value chain into ingredient and food development, Canadian companies can advance innovation in the plant-based food, feed and ingredient sector,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “Finding new ways to utilize AI technology in food and ingredient development will enable companies to speed up their formulation work, lower their inputs and other production costs, and make their operations more sustainable.”

An emerging way of applying technology in Canada’s food sector, AI has the potential to change how ingredient processors and food manufacturers operate. In particular, the technology has proven to speed up ingredient and recipe formulation, and is showing potential in the areas of food safety and quality assurance. Potential industry-led projects under the newest AI call may include:

employing AI technology through imaging technology and process automation for food safety and/or quality assurance;
creating and testing product formulations in a virtual world, such as testing for nutritional composition, allergenicity, taste and texture;
designing food products that help achieve certain health outcomes or to address health concerns; and
reducing food waste and improving food security in rural and remote northern communities.

Protein Industries Canada’s newest call for industry-led projects is focused on those that utilize AI to advance the development of the country’s plant-based food and ingredients, particularly in the areas listed above. Expressions of interest will be accepted on a continual basis, with the call closing once available funds have been allocated.

Companies interested in applying are encouraged to visit www.proteinindustriescanada.ca/artificial-intelligence for more information.

Bel partners with Climax Foods to create AI-powered alt-cheese

ncaleb — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 15:05:12 +0000

The Bel Group and biotech start-up, Climax Foods, partner to create AI-powered plant-based cheese. By leveraging the power of data science and artificial intelligence (AI), along with their complementary capabilities and expertise, the two companies will co-create plant-based portions of Laughing Cow, Kiri, Boursin, Babybel and Nurishh brand foods. Bel has also acquired an equity stake in Climax Foods.

“Food is a key lever to address climate change, and we, at Bel, have a strong determination to explore new territories and develop innovative solutions that will define the future of food, for all,” comments Cécile Béliot, CEO of the Bel Group. “The products we will develop in partnership with Climax have the potential to make a big difference: they can meet the three-fold challenge of sustainable, nutritious, and accessible. This collaboration epitomizes our co-innovation strategy by combining their distinctive technological data science and AI platforms and expertise with Bel’s pioneering and historical knowledge.”

Dr. Oliver Zahn, CEO and founder of Climax Foods, adds, “AI and data can be game-changers in food in terms of delivering optimal taste and texture while at the same time making it affordable and sustainable. Evolving recipes over time is what we’ve been doing for hundreds of years. In addition to changing consumer preferences, climate change requires us to accelerate the evolution of food. Together with Bel, we can make a significant positive impact so that people and the planet are better off.”

Climax’s team of food scientists have created various prototypes with the characteristics of specialty cheeses, including blue, brie, feta, and goat varieties. Bel aims to launch these new plant-based products in the U.S. and Europe by the end of 2024.

BetterCart Analytics receives CFIN funding to support R&D competitive grocery pricing

Food in Canada — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 20:43:10 +0000

The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) invested $1.1 million into five projects, through the organization’s FoodTech Next Program to help early stage companies pilot their innovation in operational food sector environments.

Saskatchewan-based BetterCart Analytics received $151,597 in funding. BetterCart Analytics’ mission is to help Canada’s food sector and stakeholders make data-driven pricing decisions with their automated competitive pricing intelligence platform. They plan to use the CFIN funding to support research and development derived from customer engagement data.

“We’re keen to focus on our customer’s needs, but also on longstanding industry-wide problems that we are going to be busy solving and offering solutions to, courtesy of funding,” said Melanie Morrison, founder and CEO of BetterCart Analytics. “There’ll be a lot of support for research and development and marketing to inform Canadian food networks.”

With a bank of over 5 billion product records currently and 38 million new pricing updates weekly from all e-commerce sites, BetterCart offers advanced analytics and competitive intelligence that enables companies to increase profit margins, operational efficiencies, and ROI.

“We collect all available pricing data online, and then we refine the data through an autonomous data enrichment process. We track our customers competitions, and we provide them with the competitive intelligence they need to increase their sales volume, increase their profit margins and revenue,” said Morrison.

This service is especially useful in the current climate of food inflation, grocery revenue reports and the need to build trust between retailers and consumers.

“The strongest drivers of consumer purchasing behaviour is price. So right now, it behooves companies to get their pricing strategies right in the eyes of consumers by making sure the [products] are priced competitively and that they are willing to give consumers the best value for the money. We’re able to help companies get an understanding of their landscape, what’s happening in their specific markets and then execute pricing strategies that will make sense,” said Morrison.

Morrison tells Food in Canada that Bettercart Analytics is currently focused on specific geographic locations.

“We are going to leverage the strategic partnerships that we have built over the last year to on-board new CPGs, F&B processing companies and independent grocers within the next year or two. Then we are going to be moving across the country, expanding from coast to coast. In 2024-25 we expect to take our technology to the States.”

Best cybersecurity practices for the food supply sector

ncaleb — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:24:30 +0000

The food processing industry is Canada’s largest manufacturing industry in most provinces and the second largest manufacturing industry in terms of value of production with sales of goods manufactured worth $117.8 billion. The Canadian food supply chain employs 290,000 Canadians over 189,874 farms, more than 97,000 restaurants, bars and caterers, and a plethora of distributors and retail operations. In the past decade, there’s no question the entire food supply sector has undergone a significant digital transformation. Technology solutions such as smart farms with embedded sensors, industrial control systems, and RFID chips for livestock asset management are no longer just Hollywood ideas.

While these transformations have enabled greater efficiencies in the supply chain, they have unfortunately also expanded the sector’s attack surfaces, which has resulted in increased cyber threats. Just like other modern industries, the food supply chain utilizes a mix of legacy and modern solutions, including a reliance on third-party software. Perhaps the biggest problem today in any industry is the vulnerability of legacy systems, and the third-party systems out of our control.

The cyber threats most commonly seen being launched against the food supply industry are attempted ransomware attacks. The second most common are info stealers harvesting financial, customer and employee data from a company’s servers and endpoints. This data is then sold on dark web marketplaces.

Whether your organization is a food manufacturer, processor, retailer, or distributor, threat actors will capitalize on vulnerable IT systems and human nature to achieve their objectives. How do these threat actors typically gain access to organizations in the food supply chain’s network? This can be broken down into three categories:

1. Drive-by-attacks

Drive-by-Attacks are threats encountered when employees browse the web. For example, the SocGholish malware leverages compromised websites and uses false ‘out of date browser alerts’ to trick users into executing the malware. Another example, SolarMarker, employs search engine optimization poisoning to hijack search results when employees look for forms and templates when using a search engine.

2. Email

Perhaps the most common, email compromises are threats that arrive in email inboxes disguised as typical business communications with subject lines such as ‘Invoice’ or ‘Shipping.’ In order to bypass the email filters, these malware strains wrap malicious documents and other files in password-protected .zip archives. To increase their chance of successfully compromising a machine, the threat actors will hijack and replay older email threads, sometimes from known business contacts.

3. Remote exploits

This initial access is possible when machines with remotely exploitable vulnerabilities are exposed to the internet. Attackers launch exploits at the vulnerabilities, trying to gain access and, if successful, this can lead to a variety of malware being downloaded onto the victim’s IT environment, including information stealers and ransomware.

Protecting against bad actors

There are things that can be done, however, to protect your food supply business from bad actors. Proven best practices include implementing strong access control measures, especially for privileged users, and ensuring the vendors in your supply chain and their third-party vendors are protecting their own IT systems (there have been numerous successful attacks against companies due to hackers compromising their third-party vendors). To get more specific:

1. Endpoint monitoring

Deploy an endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution for 24/7 endpoint monitoring to workstations, ensure the endpoints leverage rules around user execution and Windows proxy execution.

2. Cybersecurity awareness training

Ensure your employees understand the dangers of phishing emails and business email compromise (BEC) attacks and malicious web browser downloads through phishing and security awareness training (PSAT). Training provided internally or by an experienced cybersecurity company should include:

be suspicious of attachments from people you don’t know – additional care is required in cases where you must accept documents from the public (such as when hiring new employees and asking for candidates to submit their resume to you);
inspect attachment file types by right clicking the file and selecting properties;
documents emailed to you should never come as a LNK, ISO, or VBS files; and
often these malicious files will be enclosed in a .zip file to bypass email filters.

It’s important, too, that your IT cybersecurity team should have a reporting process in place that does not punish users in case they accidentally click on a malicious link as punishing users discourages reporting.

3. Email filtering appliances

Email filtering appliances can help detect and stop spam/malicious email.

4. Network monitoring

Automatically block known malicious infrastructure and investigate suspicious packet behavior using a network detection and response solution to help disrupt cyberattacks before they lead to infections.

5. Vulnerability management

Adopt a comprehensive vulnerability management program so that you have an updated inventory for all your assets. Identify existing vulnerabilities and which ones can be exploited, and prioritize them based on the threat landscape. Different vulnerabilities have a different probability of being exploited with varying degrees of consequences. Knowing the types of vulnerabilities and the state of exploit maturity among threat actors can help prioritize patch management.

6. 24/7 managed detection and response

Establish an in-house managed detection and response (MDR) service internally for 24/7 security monitoring, threat hunting and threat containment expertise. Alternatively, engage the services of a cybersecurity company who provides 24/7 MDR Services to customers globally. The speed with which you can detect and contain a threat actor before they achieve their objectives is imperative in preventing business disruption.

A glaring example of what can happen when best practices are not fully in place happened to an international food producer in 2021, causing them to lose nearly two days of production and pay the $11 million ransom to protect customer data, followed by months of system clean up. A source close to that incident learned some valuable lessons from that event.

“It’s imperative that companies do not wait until an attack occurs to get your cybersecurity in place. Get executives involved so they understand the risks, and cover the basics such as employee security awareness training, IT hygiene, weekly reviews of the incident response plan, and aligning with a quality cybersecurity partner,” he said.

More recently, produce company Dole Plc was hit by a ransomware attack in February 2023 causing significant disruption to the company’s North American operations. Beyond the initial shortages of Dole produce on store shelves and associated price increases due to diminished supply, we may see a ripple effect on other food producers that incorporate Dole produce in their supply chains, leading to shortages and financial impact far beyond just Dole itself. Additionally, as news of the impact of these types of attacks is received by adversary countries, they will no doubt take note in their cyber warfare playbooks. Countries where sanctions have impacted the national food supply will likely view ransomware or simple destructive attacks against the food chain of the supporters of those sanctions to be retaliation in kind.

In summary, organizations must now view ransomware events as inevitable, and critical infrastructure stakeholders must consider themselves a primary target. They must prepare their teams, harden their networks and plan for their incident response in advance, the goal being to never pay a ransom, ever. By implementing a vulnerability management program and by having a proactive threat detection and response capability for your endpoints, log, network and cloud, you are able to deal with threats in real time, and kick bad guys out of your network when they strike. You should also be empowering your people by providing them with security awareness training, tying the mandatory training to bonuses, if needed. Finally, if you do have to break the glass, it’s worth having an incident response retainer in place in order to support the remediation of major incidents. While the cost of having robust and regularly tested backups, software patch management, endpoint protection, employee education and strong network controls may be significant, it is a mandatory cost of doing business in these times.

Greg Crowley is the chief information security officer for eSentire. Crowley is an accomplished executive with over 20 years in IT and cybersecurity with extensive experience in managing enterprise security and mitigating risk for global hybrid networks.

Cyberworks Robotics receives CFIN funding to pilot self-driving tech in F&B facilities

Food in Canada — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 19:45:30 +0000

Cyberworks Robotics received $227,946 in funding for their autonomous self-driving technology that allows existing manual tow tugs and forklifts to become fully automated without changing facility infrastructure. Tow tugs and forklifts are normally operated, steered, or pushed by a human. The self-driving technology serves as a solution to labour shortages, reduces operating costs, improves worker safety, and increases operational efficiency.

Self-driving robots currently in the market use features inside a facility to understand their location in the building. Unfortunately, if the camera’s line of sight to these key features is blocked, then the self-driving technology will not work.

Vivek Burhanpurkar, CEO of Cyberworks Robotics tells Food in Canada that reliability makes their technology unique.

“Cyber Robotics has developed a new kind of self-driving technology that prevails even when key features in the building are blocked or changed. The technology is still able to operate the vehicle. This is the level of reliability needed for self-driving technology to be useful in manufacturing industries or warehousing,” said Burhanpurkar.

Cyber Robotics will use the FoodTech Next funding to integrate their self-driving technology into a conventional manual tow tug system or forklift and pilot test in food and beverage facilities.

“We are going to use the funding to work with leaders in the food and beverage industry to optimize our self-driving tow, tug, and forklift technologies for their industries. We are going to run pilot projects with our technologies and their manufacturing facilities and warehouse distribution facilities to better understand the nuances of their industry and how they need self-driving technology to work to be useful to them,” explained Burhanpurkar.

Looking to the future, Cyber Robotics plans to apply their technology to all kinds of equipment that will be useful in the food and beverage industry.

Cargill and Cubiq Foods partner to commercialize fat technologies

Food in Canada — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:05:40 +0000

Cargill and the young food-tech company Cubiq Foods sign product co-development and commercial go-to-market agreements aimed at developing and accelerating commercialization of Cubiq Foods’ fat technologies.

With this partnership, Cargill will have access to Cubiq’s technologies to help develop plant-based alternative foods with benefits that surpass typical products made with animal fats or tropical oils, such as enhancing flavour, improving total fats and saturated fats and caloric content, and may incorporate essential fatty acids (omega 3).

Cubiq’s novel fats, including Go!Drop, join Cargill’s existing portfolio of plant-based solutions, spanning plant proteins, texturizers and a full array of traditional fats and oils.

“By embracing new technologies, harnessing our full ingredient toolbox and leveraging our global application knowledge, we’re poised to accelerate the development of the next-generation plant-based products. Ultimately, it will be a win for consumers, as we enable food manufacturers to create products and solutions with an eye toward both people and the planet,” said Vivek Cherian, meat and dairy alternatives category leader for edible oils at Cargill.

The fat technologies can be used across multiple applications and are especially relevant in the plant-based meat and dairy alternative space, where fats and oils play roles in structure, taste, texture, and nutritional profile.

“Signing the joint development and commercial agreements represents the next phase in our partnership, as our groundbreaking technology is now ready for application development, production scale-up and widespread commercialization – roles that Cargill is uniquely equipped to help us advance,” said Andrés Montefeltro, CEO, Cubiq Foods. “Together, we’ll help food manufacturers and consumers reimagine what’s possible in the quest for healthy and satisfying foods.”

Protein Industries Canada accepting new AI project applications

ncaleb — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:59:34 +0000

As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) grows within Canada’s plant-based food, feed and ingredients sector, so does the need for support in its adoption and use. In an effort to further build this support, Protein Industries Canada (PIC) opens another round of Expressions of Interest for its Artificial Intelligence Program.

Launched in September 2022, PIC’s Artificial Intelligence Program is focused on working with agri-food companies across the country to support them in developing AI technology for use in their businesses. The program’s first round of applications saw a steady flow of intake, and projects are currently under review for approval.

“Artificial intelligence technology has the potential to make our sector more efficient and more sustainable,” said PIC CEO Bill Greuel. “As companies across Canada look toward how they can incorporate new forms of this valuable technology into their toolkits, it’s important they have the knowledge, skills and support in place that helps them adopt and implement it properly. Our Artificial Intelligence Program is one way of helping make that happen.”

Protein Industries Canada expects the sector’s interest in utilizing AI to grow. With the proper data strategies and partners in place, companies can use AI to address challenges related to ingredient development, process optimization and recipe formulation.

PIC will close this latest round of program intakes on February 15, 2023. For information regarding how to apply to the program, visit https://www.proteinindustriescanada.ca/artificial-intelligence.

Federal government invests over $2.4M in food safety tech

ncaleb — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 14:47:01 +0000

The federal government grants P&P Optica $2,430,023 through the AgriInnovate Program to help build and present its innovative, Canadian-made food inspection technology for meat processors.

P&P Optica has developed a smart imaging system to inspect meat automatically on the production line.

The system analyzes the composition of food, evaluating properties like tenderness, freshness and its protein, water and fat content. It can detect imperfections and eliminate foreign bodies like plastic, bones and rubber. These tasks are done right on the production line in real time, generating information for processors to use to help improve their products, manage suppliers and optimize production.

“Canada’s processors are adopting new technologies to increase production and offer quality products across the country and the world. P&P Optica’s technology gives processors essential information that provides many benefits, including helping to reduce food waste,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, agriculture and agri-food minister.

This investment will support P&P Optica to build demonstration units that allow them to present their technology to potential users. The investment will also build a demonstration room to optimize their technology for use by potential meat processing clients. This hyperspectral imaging technology evaluates the safety and freshness of meat products by analyzing the colour and moisture. It also gives a large range of data to processors.

“P&P Optica is grateful for the support of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and AgriFood through the AgriInnovate program. PPO is focused on working with food processors to improve the safety and quality of our food supply, while reducing waste,” said Olga Pawluczyk, CEO, P&P Optica.

Maple Leaf Foods hit by cybersecurity incident

ncaleb — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 14:35:33 +0000

Maple Leaf Foods is experiencing a system outage linked to a cybersecurity incident.

Maple Leaf Foods has engaged cybersecurity and recovery experts. According to a company statement, its team of information systems professionals and third-party experts are working diligently with all available resources to investigate the outage and resolve the situation.

The company is executing its business continuity plans as it works to restore the impacted systems. However, it expects that full resolution of the outage will take time and result in some operational and service disruptions.

Protein Industries Canada launches new artificial intelligence program

ncaleb — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:14:10 +0000

Through a $30 million commitment under the Government of Canada’s Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy (PCAIS), Protein Industries Canada is launching a new stream of programming that will co-invest in collaborative projects utilizing artificial intelligence to help grow Canada’s plant-based food, feed and ingredients ecosystem efficiently and sustainably.

“By providing $30 million through our government’s Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy to the Protein Industries Cluster, we are helping to drive the commercialization and adoption of AI,” said François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry. “This funding will help to generate new partnerships and create new investments, and it will tap into the potential of AI and digital technologies in a sector that is growing to become a $25 billion industry.”

The adoption of new technology, particularly technology that utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning, can lead to significant benefits across Canada’s plant-based ecosystem. New technology allows companies to scale their operations, helping Canada’s plant-based sector grow to achieve the goals set out in The Road to $25 Billion roadmap and strengthen Canada’s economy. At the same time, the increased use of artificial intelligence technology boosts the already significant environmental benefits offered by Canada’s plant-based protein sector, helping the country reach its net-zero goals.

“Canada’s plant-based processors and manufacturers have proven time and again how innovative they are, as shown by the incredible outcomes of the projects they’ve undertaken through our current programs,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “Providing them with easier access to artificial intelligence technology is the next step in ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to create new healthy and sustainable ingredients and food options. This new program, in combination with our existing programs and the dedication of Canada’s trailblazing companies, make Canada a leader in the supply of plant-based protein, and in reaching our goal of $25 billion in global plant-based sales by 2035.”

The potential uses of artificial intelligence technology range significantly, from food formulation and recipe development to food safety analysis and using consumer data to drive product innovation. By working proactively to determine how best AI technology can support companies across Canada’s plant-based ecosystem optimize their operations, Protein Industries Canada can help them scale up their businesses and become more competitive in the plant-based market.

The Artificial Intelligence Program’s first round of project intakes is open until October 26, 2022. A second round of intakes will open in early 2023. For more information, including how to apply, visit https://www.proteinindustriescanada.ca/artificial-intelligence.

Labatt launches new B2B app for beverage sector

ncaleb — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 20:07:13 +0000

Labatt Breweries of Canada recently launched Bees, a B2B e-commerce platform developed by its parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev, in Quebec. I asked Rob Legate, vice-president of digital commerce at Labatt, about this new technology.

Please briefly explain the Bees platform.

RL: Bees is Labatt’s proprietary B2B e-commerce platform, a one-stop shop that allows small to medium-sized retailers to browse through products, place orders, arrange deliveries and manage invoices, all in one place and right in the palm of their hands.

Through Bees, Labatt is building a B2B ecosystem that transforms the traditional sales model by using technology to turn customer issues into growth opportunities, ultimately putting customers at the forefront.

As we celebrate Labatt’s 175^th anniversary in Canada and look to the future, we are redefining what it means to be an indispensable partner to our customers with the introduction of Bees.

Where is Bees available?

RL: Bees was first launched in the DR in 2020 as a pilot and we immediately saw the transformation it makes to our sales model. We have since rolled Bees out to 19 countries including Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, China and the United States, servicing 2.9 million customers, processing 1.9 million orders every week. We had 23 million orders in Bees in Q1 of this year alone.

We’ve seen the revolution and transformation it makes to our sales model, unlocking new sources of growth, and it’s time to bring these innovative technological advances to Canada, starting in Quebec.

How’s the Canadian response?

RL: We’ve been piloting Bees in Quebec for the past nine months and have seen amazing results.

We have over 6000 customers online, processed 90,000 orders, and over 90 per cent of Quebec’s net revenue is now digital. We have also launched the Bees Care function with 88 per cent of tickets being closed on first contact and launched over 100 digital campaigns communicating directly with our customers.

In the past, and still to this day, continuing into the future, our sales force has face-to-face interactions and relationships with our customers.

Now, Bees enhances these interactions. It is an added layer of support which offers customers the flexibility to order at their convenience.

How do you think Bees would impact Canada’s F&B industry?

RL: Using our vast footprint and distribution network, Bees allows us to connect with business owners, ultimately uplifting local economies by helping retailers do business smarter and better with technology.

Another benefit is the change in how sales teams interact with retailers. We are shifting away from transactional conversations and replacing them with more frequent discussions on customer behaviour, business development, and data-driven decision-making based on insights gained from Bees.

What are your future plans for Bees?

RL: We have plans to roll Bees out nationally over the next two years and continue to invest and evolve our ecosystem to have the best-in-class B2B experience.

Telus Agriculture launches cold chain management solution

ncaleb — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 13:14:50 +0000

Muddy Boots by Telus Agriculture launches a cold chain management solution. This solution is expected to provide businesses with the visibility they need to make data-driven decisions with accurate temperature transparency at every stage in the supply chain.

The Greenlight Quality Management cold chain solution offers users a combined software and hardware approach that can transform products into an intelligent, self-diagnosing data source.

Thinner than a credit card, the cold chain tag is a disposable and recyclable contactless smart label that enables temperature monitoring of virtually any product from source to store.

“We have innovated our Greenlight Quality Management software to integrate advances in temperature monitoring hardware. It combines quality and compliance data with temperature performance in an easy-to-use analysis platform. It drives insight into cold chain performance, driving proactive management of potential food safety and quality issues, and driving efficiency and reducing waste in the global food supply chain,” said Jez Pile, director of Enterprise Food Supply Chain Platforms, Muddy Boots by Telus Agriculture.

What warehouses can do to minimize supply chain issues

ncaleb — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 14:53:56 +0000

While the integral Suez Canal supply channel is no longer blocked, other supply chain issues remain. In fact, according to a report, 24 container ships – with a combined maximum carrying capacity nearly 10 times that of the Suez Canal ship – were recently anchored off the coast of Los Angeles and Long Beach holding up millions of dollars worth of cargo. While both instances of bottlenecks took place within days of each other, these traffic snarls are not the primary culprit of clogged supply chains.

While shipping and data today are an important part of building successful logistics operations, these areas alone cannot solve real-time supply chain issues. If logistics operators and organizations don’t have the proper visibility into their warehouse data and operations, they are unable to make quick changes in response to supply chain snarls and backlogs. The lack of complete end-to-end visibility was also a reason so many manufacturers and suppliers suffered during the pandemic. Unfortunately for many organizations, this real-time visibility gap starts in the warehouse.

Bridging the gap starts in the warehouse

Various factors are being blamed for the recent supply chain disruptions – the size of ships and containers, congestion at the ports, and how narrow the canal channels remain. In fact, the Port of Los Angeles in North America is one of the busiest channels, but can’t regularly receive 20,000-container vessels due to the lack of infrastructure. Even so, fixing any one of these factors will not truly solve the primary causes of supply chain backlogs.

Enhanced visibility technology into warehouse, yard management and labour resources is yielding both time and cost savings for companies dealing with supply chain backlogs. For example, real-time access to data to determine which trucks have been sitting and for how long has become key to prioritizing and assigning tasks within the distribution centre to improve customer fulfillment, minimize risks, and avoid costly and unnecessary fees. But without real-time visibility into the yard, appointments can get de-prioritized, delayed or missed. The warehouse is the heart of the supply chain, yet very few end-to-end tools are solving the problems of warehouse visibility and labour management.

Shifting supply chain strategies

While the warehouse is already the most technologically advanced area of the supply chain, it’s the transportation network within the supply chain that usually incorporates real-time data tools, leaving a massive gap in end-to-end supply chain visibility. Most operations find that there’s simply too many data points and too much information to process to create real-time views that don’t time out and that are actionable when distribution teams need to make point-in-time decisions. Warehouse data without science is just noise, and analytics without actionable insights is just a spreadsheet. Shifting the strategy to fill the gap includes a series of industry-standard KPIs, live operations views, productivity metrics, inventory visibility, and labor management that’s actually helpful to enhance warehouse management systems (WMS) already in place.

As evidenced with the recent blockages, the impact of this lack of real-time warehouse visibility on the global supply chain is still in critical condition. What’s more is that even without substantial issues like canal blockages or a global pandemic, the supply chain regularly suffers from thousands of “mini disruptions” that both distribution operations and customers end up suffering from as a result. Without supply chain visibility tools for the warehouse, manufacturers and suppliers suffer the same consequences from that of a channel backlog or global pandemic, but on an ongoing and daily basis.

Supply chain executives must incorporate real-time warehouse visibility in their end-to-end supply chain optimization strategies to increase overall distribution efficiencies and reduce risks associated with problems from within the warehouse that arise not only from blocked canals, but from unseen blockage within their own four walls.

Alex Wakefield is the CEO of Longbow Advantage with over 20 years of experience in supply chain technology and implementations including leadership roles at IBM and Blue Yonder (formerly JDA/Red Prairie). His focus is on enabling distribution teams to better manage, leverage and action their data across the supply chain through the use of Rebus, a real-time warehouse visibility and labour platform purpose-built for the supply chain.

The “Tylenol” moment the food industry needed

ncaleb — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 18:54:49 +0000

Meat processing giant JBS paid out an $11-million ransom following a cyberattack, according to reports. Most of its meat packing facilities, including the one in Alberta, remained idle for a few days. For years, most of us linked the concept of cyberattacks with IT companies, governments and media. Experts have been warning the food industry for years about the threat of becoming an active target for hackers. What was once purely academic has now become a reality.

Until now, efforts to counter cyberattacks in the industry have been timid, at best. At the very least, it was not an openly discussed topic amongst industry leaders. The fact that the world’s largest processor of beef and pork was targeted by hackers earlier this month is certainly a cause for concern and can serve as a major wake-up call. We can easily imagine that other companies like Cargill, Olymel, Maple Ridge Farms, McCain, Maple Leaf, Lassonde, Sysco, Loblaw’s, Sobeys, Metro and other major players could also become a target.

Managing systemic risks is not new to the food industry – far from it. Threats related to food safety, food fraud and, of course, pandemics have been considered critical issues for years. The focus has always been on the integrity and quality of ingredients and products coming in and out of facilities. The pandemic made companies focus more on worker safety and how humans play a role in manufacturing the food we consume every day. It has always been about keeping everyone safe, starting with consumers. Cybersecurity goes to the core of the operational nature of a company, as it goes beyond the food we eat. Ransoms aren’t intuitively compatible with how food companies manage risks.

The food industry is a critical piece of our economy, and changes in the industry are making it a more likely target in the future. Operations are adopting high-tech innovations like drones, GPS mapping, soil sensors, autonomous tractors, artificial intelligence and more. These changes in the industry are needed, but they can also make it a primary target. As the industry becomes more data-driven, it will also become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. On the other side of the digital spectrum, many food operations still use outdated operating systems like Windows 98. One can only hope that most management teams in the food industry are reviewing their IT systems and figuring out how vulnerable they are to cyberattacks.

For consumers, the potential consequences of these attacks are not trivial. Disruptions can lead to food shortages and higher prices at retail. Or worse, cybersecurity breaches could lead to procurement issues and inadvertent alterations to ingredients put into the food sold at retail. Ransom requests are just the beginning. Evil has no shame, no limits and it can harm a great number of consumers within days, perhaps even hours. The fact that JBS did pay a ransom signalled to perpetrators that it can work. We should expect more attacks to occur in the future.

Virtually no mandatory cybersecurity rules govern the billions of agri-food businesses that account for close to 20 per cent of the Canadian economy. Some trade groups may have voluntary guidelines, but that would be the extent of it. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has no material on cybersecurity – not a single mention of this on its website. Its world is often exclusively about pathogens and allergens. Its focus requires a broader view, now more than ever. For the industry to protect itself, more information sharing mechanisms would be required, and our federal agency should be playing a more active role.

In essence, with the attack on JBS, the food industry has just experienced its own “Tylenol” moment. In 1982, some people tampered with bottles of Tylenol in Chicago-area retail stores and poisoned several people, killing at least seven. Many bottles were laced with potassium cyanide. At the time, bottle packaging practices were not the same and the murderers took the industry completely by surprise. That incident led to significant changes in how bottles were sealed and secured. Hopefully, the JBS incident will also lead to increased security and protection.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is the senior director of Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, Halifax.

Frontline International introduces Direct Plumb Oven System

ncaleb — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Frontline International, Inc., unveils the Direct Plumb Oven System, which connects directly to ovens and rotisseries. Its hose attachment plugs into the cooking units to automatically suction out fats and grease from the equipment’s drip pan with no handling, dumping, or exposure to material required.

Waste product is easily sucked through the hose and into the containment caddy. Then one simply wheels the sealed caddy over to the used oil containment tank and pumps the collected grease out of the caddy and into the tank using the same hose attachment.

“Fats, oils and greases are among the main offenders in creating potentially unsafe and unsanitary conditions in kitchens,” said Giovanni Brienza, Frontline senior vice-president. “Frontline understands that, for kitchens to be truly safe, smart, and sustainable, you can’t discriminate between fats, oils and greases. [The] Direct Plumb Oven System is another tool operators can use to handle these waste products holistically.”

New streams open in $20M Food Waste Reduction Challenge

ncaleb — Tue, 25 May 2021 19:28:58 +0000

At a virtual event, Canada’s agri-food minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced novel technology streams of Canada’s Food Waste Reduction Challenge, an initiative under the Food Policy for Canada.

Every year, over half of Canada’s food supply is wasted, and nearly $50 billion of that wasted food is avoidable.

To help spark new ideas and engage diverse perspectives, the Government of Canada launched the $20-million Food Waste Reduction Challenge in November 2020, calling for innovators to deliver game-changing solutions to this long-standing and complex issue.

“The Food Waste Reduction Challenge is revealing the tremendous appetite and ingenuity across Canada to tackle the problem of food waste head-on. We are calling innovators of all types and sizes to bring forward new and innovative technological solutions that will extend the life of food or transform food waste. Our Government is committed to empowering our innovators and creating a truly sustainable food system in Canada,” said Bibeau.

The challenge’s novel technology streams (Streams C and D) are now open for concept applications with a closing date of August 31, 2021. Up to $6.5 million in prize funding will be awarded to innovators with novel technologies that can extend the life of food or transform food that would otherwise be lost or wasted.

To learn more, including how to apply, visit the Food Waste Reduction Challenge website.

Rritual teams up with NEXE to create compostable superfoods

ncaleb — Thu, 20 May 2021 19:37:59 +0000

Rritual Superfoods partners with NEXE Technologies to develop and commercialize superfoods beverage products utilizing NEXE’s proprietary plant-based, compostable packaging.

“Rritual and NEXE can achieve a shared set of objectives, demonstrating best practices for plant-based, compostable packaging for an exclusive line of beverage products – something we see today as critical to our brand promise, but which in the future will be necessitated, as mass retail buyers we are working with have indicated,” said Rritual CEO, David Kerbel.

“Partnering with Rritual Superfoods helps expand the sales of our proprietary fully compostable and K-Cup brewing systems-compatible pod.” Stated Darren Footz, CEO of NEXE. “The Rritual team is comprised of seasoned and experienced CPG veterans, which further validates NEXE’s plant-based pods as the best-in-class pod for beverage products. We look forward to working with Rritual to meet their sustainable and compostable packaging needs.”

Motif FoodWorks gains exclusive access to key plant-based tech

ncaleb — Thu, 13 May 2021 21:57:42 +0000

Motif FoodWorks, a food technology company, gains exclusive access to two technologies that have the potential to address some significant challenges in plant-based foods: achieving melt and stretch in plant-based cheese, and healthier fat that marbleizes in plant-based meat.

Through this expanded collaboration, Motif will have exclusive access to:

Extrudable fat technology: Unique oleogel technology that replicates animal fat, allowing for more authentic fat textures, such as marbling, in plant-based meats—acquired from Coasun; and
Prolamin technology: Uses plant-based ingredients to improve the texture of plant-based cheese, allowing it to melt, bubble and stretch like animal-derived dairy—licensed from the University of Guelph, Ont.

“Today’s plant-based meat and cheese alternatives lack the pleasure associated with eating the real thing. We want to change that at Motif,” said Stefan Baier, Motif’s food science head. “Leveraging two exclusive technologies through our collaboration with Coasun and the University of Guelph, Motif will enable performance in plant-based foods previously unheard of—from plant-based cheese on a sandwich or pizza that actually stretches and melts to plant-based meat with marbleized fat just like a ribeye or a NY strip.”

Grain Discovery & Blindman Brewing launch first fully traceable beer

ncaleb — Thu, 13 May 2021 20:22:51 +0000

Grain Discovery and Blindman Brewing launch the first commercialized traceability system for beer, starting with their new May Long Double IPA.

The companies have built an end-to-end digital system to trace Canadian grown malt barley through every stage of the value chain, from the field to a customer’s glass. The May Long Double IPA will be the first beer from the Blindman product line to migrate to the Grain Discovery platform, providing a QR code for customers to scan, enter their lot number and view every step of the production process in detail.

“The craft beer industry is moving toward the development of terroir and provenance, much like today’s wineries,” said Kirk Zembal, co-founder of Blindman Brewing. “It is one thing to tell an origin story, but starting today, we will be the first brewery offering beer drinkers verified traceability in one hand for the pint they’re holding in the other.”

This project will deliver significant impact beyond transparency for the customer. It will simplify manual-based time-consuming processes, connect data silos, add value to certified seed, create a feedback loop back to the plant breeder, and, ultimately, enable the Canadian barley industry to create global brand recognition.

“Malt barley is the ideal market to adopt this technology as premium ingredients and a transparent origin story is part of the ethos of craft breweries,” said Rory O’Sullivan, CEO of Grain Discovery. “What makes me even more excited is knowing this is just the first step toward commercial blockchain application of this technology to the broader beer industry”.

This project was made possible with participation from all members of the value chain, including Rahr Malting, Red Shed Malting, Gambrinus Malting and their farmers. All stakeholders were onboarded onto the Grain Discovery system to input relevant data.

First-of-its-kind cannabinoid extraction facility opens in Saskatoon: Blue Sky Hemp Ventures

Food in Canada Staff — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:41:32 +0000

Blue Sky Hemp Ventures, an emerging leader in hemp processing, has received its Health Canada Standard Processing License and is kicking-off production of high-quality cannabinoid extracts from their large-scale extraction facility, the first of its kind in Canada.

The move into CBD takes Blue Sky one step closer in its vision towards whole plant utilization, using the hemp’s grain for superfoods, stalks for sustainable industrial materials, and now, its flower for CBD extraction.

Blue Sky is currently producing CBD crude oil and distillate with CBD isolate expected to come on stream within the next two months, joining a host of hemp-based products on the company’s roster and taking the CBD market, which is estimated to be worth $3.9 billion, by storm.

Blue Sky’s Saskatoon based state-of-the-art facility can process up to 200,000 kg of industrial hemp a year and has room for much more – allowing the company to continue meeting the growing needs of a market expected to reach $9.6 billion by 2025.

“Our business is among the first to pursue three revenue streams from the same hemp crop – fibre, food and extracts. This is a big moment for us and our growing partners. As one of very few extractors, we have direct access to the high-value CBD market which will generate significant revenue that hemp growers can’t get to alone,” said Co-Founder and CEO, Andrew Potter.

And Blue Sky’s unique approach to processing broad-acre-grown hemp is expected to have a knock on effect, driving substantial cost reductions across many Canadian CBD products. The company’s end-to-end process can reduce biomass volume by up to 90% and increase CBD potency levels up to three times, allowing for better extraction, lower transport costs and the ability to capture both seed and fibre for food and industrial products.

The expansion into CBD will also provide additional value to Blue Sky’s farming partners, commented Potter. “We expect the revenue growth from extraction sales to drive production of more hemp acres and primary processing jobs in rural communities throughout the prairies.”

Born innovators, the Calgary-headquartered team isn’t ready to stop there. In addition to the CBD launch, Blue Sky has its sights set on further amplifying its commitment to sustainability by supplying hemp for renewable energy sources, textiles, plastic displacement input and wood pulp alternative in the near future.