Seafood – Food In Canada

Wild game plant on the rise

ncaleb — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:55:40 +0000

Kivalliq Arctic Foods has been on a roll since Scott Saddler took over as its general manager about six-and-one-half-years ago.

The plant processes a wide assortment of caribou, muskox and Arctic char products for customers across Nunavut.

Parent organization, the Nunavut Development Corp., describes Saddler as a long-time Nunavut resident with an extensive background in food production and meat processing.

It further adds that Saddler and his team work with Inuit hunters and fishermen from across the Kivalliq, and occasionally other Nunavut regions, to stock the country food needed to meet the growing demand.

The plant is also well-known for working closely with Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove, both of which operate fish and maktaaq processing facilities during the summer to supply products for redistribution across the territory.

Saddler said the business is doing really well overall.

He said the plant continues to create jobs, which its what its main objective has always been.

“We bought from every community this year except Coral Harbour, which has just been super,” said Saddler. “We bought fish from across, pretty much, all of Nunavut, including Qikiqtarjuaq, Gjoa Haven, Clyde River, Cambridge Bay and then, also, along the shoreline this year.

“We only buy from Inuit beneficiaries or people with beneficiary rights. We do not buy from anyone else.

“When I took it over on Dec. 27, 2017, the first year we did books here, there were five direct jobs created. I’m at 10 so far this year, plus all the indirect jobs, so it’s gone up quite well. We now have 15 people working here.

“The company is really on solid footing right now.”

Saddler said the company is currently in the process of finding someone to install a brand-new freezer at Kivalliq Arctic Foods.

He said the company needs a bigger freezer now, which will make it easier for everyone involved at the plant.

“We’re really busy right now to the point where we can’t keep up.

“We’re the only truly wild game factory in Canada. In Ontario or Down East, you can’t shoot a moose or a deer, for example, and sell it to someone. Here, because of beneficiary rights and everything that was negotiated when Nunavut left the NWT in 1999, things work quite differently.

“Our caribou herd is holding firm in its numbers and maybe even expanding a little bit, so we have a solid caribou herd. And, as well, our muskox herd is really expanding in the Kivalliq area, so everything, right now, looks really good moving forward.”

Feds delay B.C.’s open-net salmon farms closure until 2029, offer five-year renewals

ncaleb — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:26:20 +0000

With entrenched views on all sides of the salmon-farming debate in British Columbia, the federal government cast the issue five years down the road on Wednesday, saying aquaculture must move to land by 2029.

The government had promised to phase out the farms by next year, but Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier announced she would allow aquaculture farms to renew their licences in a “responsible, realistic and achievable transition” away from the ocean farms.

Conservation and some Indigenous groups that have been lobbying Ottawa to make good on the 2019 commitment to phase out open net-pen salmon farms by 2025, said they were pleased with the decision to force the operations on land, but expressed concern with the extended time frame.

Industry representatives and B.C. Indigenous nations involved in salmon farming reacted with concern and disappointment, saying the government has created an environment of uncertainty that could cause economic harm to coastal and Indigenous communities.

“I will expect that the salmon farming industry will probably react negatively, but my message to them is engage us,” Jonathan Wilkinson, the federal energy and natural resources minister, said in an interview.

“Engage us in a conversation about how we can actually make closed containment systems cost effective,” said Wilkinson, a former minister of fisheries.

Lebouthillier has been consulting with many groups about the transition plan involving 79 salmon farms off the B.C. coast after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged during the 2019 election that his government would phase out open ocean-pen farming.

The government said part of its aquaculture future program will include the introduction of nine-year licences for closed containment salmon farm operations, either marine- or land-based.

Wilkinson said the government is sending the message that it must move to protect declining wild salmon stocks, particularly in times when scientific debate is examining the possible impact of the farms on wild salmon.

“I’m not a scientist but I recognize the significance of the scientific debate, and in an era where these stocks are crashing, it behooves us to act with caution and not to wait until we actually don’t have anything left to save,” said Wilkinson, who announced the government’s decision in 2019 to phase out the ocean-based salmon farms.

Indigenous leaders and industry representatives reacted with disappointment on Wednesday, saying the government is making a decision rooted in politics and not science.

“Instead of embracing a balanced pathway towards economic opportunity, increasing healthy and affordable homegrown food, recognizing an exceptional level of Indigenous collaboration and economic reconciliation and incrementally greater environmental protection, it has embraced a position that reflects unaccountable and extreme activist voices,” Timothy Kennedy, Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance president, said in a statement.

The federal minister called the government’s plan realistic, reasonable and achievable, but it really is “unrealistic, unreasonable and unachievable,” he said.

The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association, which says the industry supports about 4,700 jobs and generates more than $1 billion annually, said the five-year transition plan will hurt coastal communities.

“Salmon farming in B.C. has been a vital sector contributing significantly to Canada’s economy and food security,” Brian Kingzett, B.C. Salmon Farmers Association executive director, said in a statement. “However, the political conditions on the licences increase the uncertainty for aquaculture in B.C. and Canada.”

Isaiah Robinson, deputy chief of the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation on B.C.’s Central Coast, said Ottawa is making a decision about the livelihoods of his people “based off of wealthy billionaires, politicians and activists.”

Robinson made the comments at a Vancouver news conference with the leaders of several Indigenous nations who are involved in salmon farming.

“They’re attempting to once again dictate our future as Indigenous people,” he said.

The plan to remove open net-pen salmon farms from B.C. coastal waters is supported by most First Nations in the province, said Bob Chamberlin, who represents more than 100 B.C. nations as the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance chairman.

“It benefits all British Columbians and so this is a very important day for wild salmon, but I think it’s a big day for reconciliation across the province,” he said at a news conference.

The Watershed Watch Salmon Society said it was pleased to hear the federal government will remove salmon farms from ocean waters, but has concerns about the five-year wait.

“We are relieved that the federal government is sticking to their commitment to remove the farms, but five years is too long for the phaseout period,” executive director Aaron Hill said in a statement. “That’s five more years of bombarding wild salmon with parasites and viruses from factory fish farms.”

Lebouthtillier said while wild Pacific salmon are an iconic species important to First Nations, and commercial and recreational fishermen, aquaculture represents food security and its supply to consumers is surpassing wild fishing around the world.

“If we want to protect wild species, want to move forward, we have to use aquaculture,” she said.

Lebouthtillier said the future involves safely increasing aquaculture without harming wild salmon.

Former fisheries minister Joyce Murray, who attended Wednesday’s news conference in Vancouver with Wilkinson, said salmon farming can amplify and release parasites and alien diseases into ocean waters infecting wild Pacific salmon on their migration routes.

“This transition is an opportunity to build sustainable economic alternatives with affected communities and to support our government’s critical work and rebuilding vital salmon stocks and fisheries throughout,” she said.

Ocean Wise revises B.C. Salmon Assessment process

ncaleb — Thu, 30 May 2024 13:03:30 +0000

Ocean Wise releases new recommendations for British Columbian wild-caught salmon under its sustainable seafood label. The 14 recommendations are the result of a new assessment process. Sustainable recommendations include chinook and sockeye from Barkley Sound managed in Area 23 and sockeye from the Meziadin River.

“These recommendations aren’t just good for the ocean and waterways, but good for fishing families and coastal nations who rely on salmon for their livelihoods,” said Lasse Gustavsson, Ocean Wise president and CEO.

British Columbia’s salmon industry holds significant economic power in Canada, with annual sales averaging between $150 million and $250 million. However, buyers struggle to differentiate between sustainable and unsustainable options.

“Ocean Wise is in a unique position to leverage its Rapid Assessment Standard and Salmon Advisory Panel to ensure responsible fisheries receive the recognition they deserve. These new recommendations simplify the choice when purchasing salmon, empowering businesses, and consumers to support local, ocean-friendly fishers. In an especially complex case like B.C. salmon, this is even more important,” said Samantha Renshaw, Ocean Wise science lead.

The health of B.C. salmon populations varies from year-to-year. Standard Ocean Wise seafood assessments typically take roughly one year to complete and remain valid for up to five years after the fact.

“The Ocean Wise Rapid Assessment Standard is nimble enough to adapt to the annual variations of [B.C.] salmon in a way that compliments other systems that look at longer-term population trends,” said Dave Moore, Authentic Indigenous Seafoods Co-operative and member of the Ocean Wise Salmon Advisory Panel. “Many Indigenous communities can see the importance of evaluating sustainability of [B.C.] salmon in this way because it regularly considers both salmon abundance and diversity, thereby preserving the tapestry of environment, culture, and economy that is central to all salmon ecosystems as well as those that depend upon them.”

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.

RC Show 2024 featured tech advancements, diverse palates

ncaleb — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 20:01:32 +0000

Restaurants Canada’s ultimate treat for the food and beverage industry, RC Show 2024, successfully concluded on April 8 while providing the industry with a place to gather, learn, grow and network through its trade show, conferences, competitions, and events.

Credit: Ojasvini Parashar

This year’s ‘Level Up’ theme is aimed at supporting the industry, helping foodservice professionals, restaurants, cafes and bars discover new ways to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the industry while embracing innovation.

Kelly Higginson, president and CEO of Restaurants Canada, said in a press release that the show was for everyone including people aiming to expand a business, foster a winning team, boost efficiency, or enhance the overall quality of service.

Credit: Ojasvini Parashar

As expected, several beverage brands were displaying their wares. The Food in Canada team saw multiple non/low alcoholic brands, such as Partake Brewing and Libra, as well as a smattering of coffee/tea brands with sparkling teas, functional teas, cold-brew coffees, and canned lattes. With single-source Colombian coffee and a smooth, rich taste, Manic Brews’ ready-to-use cold brews caught our eye. Other innovative products on display included Bliss Dough’s straight-from-the-jar, ready-to-eat edible cookie dough and Nana Pops’ nutritionist-approved vegan ice creams that are literally a smoothie on a stick. Many of the exhibitors were offering products, such as gluten-free breads and vegan desserts that catered to a diverse clientele.

“This year we’ll be celebrating innovation, excellence, and the dynamic and deep-rooted essence of the Canadian hospitality sector. Our emphasis is to empower attendees to elevate their skills in this constantly evolving industry, challenge conventional limits, invest in people, and wholeheartedly embrace the spirit of innovation,” Higginson said.

The new and returning competitions for this year included the Garland Canada Culinary Competition, Restaurants Canada Pizza Competition, Fried Chicken Sandwich Competition, Beyond The Rail Cocktail Competition, John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition, and Coffee Competitions.

Credits: Ojasvini Parashar

The show also had a range of dynamic speakers such as co-owner and chef of Vij’s Restaurant Meeru Dhalwala; sommelier, winemaker, and designer André Hueston Mack; chief economist and vice president of research for Restaurants Canada Chris Elliott; foodservice analyst for Circana Vince Sgabellone; senior vice president and head of Syndicated Solutions at Ipsos Asad Amin; senior principal and head of strategic partnerships at Technomic David Henkes; and founder of Marler Clark, Bill Marler.

Trends

The driving trends that we noticed this year at the The RC Show are “eatertainment”, sustainability and AI-powered personalization.

“Eatertainment” is driving innovation in the industry, with restaurants leveraging interactive elements and entertainment to create memorable experiences that generate positive word-of-mouth.
The food service industry remains focused on sustainability with a growing emphasis on plant-based products and menus including the ever-increasing trend of plant-based seafood.
AI-powered personalization is revolutionizing the food service industry by allowing establishments to tailor their offerings and interactions to individual customer preferences. New trending technological advancements are widespread, impacting how customers eat and drink out, including helping businesses customize menus, and create more personalized recommendations and event-targeted diner messaging.

There was a total of 11 pavilions this year like, Bar & Beverage Pavilion, Canada Pavilion, Coffee, Tea & Sweets Pavilion, Design Pavilion, Eco Pavilion, Indigenous Pavilion, Ontario Pavilion, Quebec Pavilion, Tech Pavilion, The Black Experience Pavilion, and the World Pavilion.

B.C. seafood processing company fined $40k for undersized crabs

ncaleb — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:24:04 +0000

A routine inspection of commercial seafood processing plants by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) fishery officers in January 2023 resulted in a fine of $40,000. On December 6, 2023, Tenshi Seafood was handed down the fine in Richmond Provincial Court after pleading guilty to the possession of undersize crabs by a commercial business, which is a violation of Canada’s Fisheries Act.

This is the second significant fine for Tenshi Seafood, which was also fined $75,000 in January 2020 for obstruction and ordered to comply with various conditions.

The harvest of undersized crab is the largest threat to conservation of Dungeness crab stocks, which is a traditional food source for Indigenous communities and core to the livelihood of commercial crab harvesters. Dungeness crab is also a significant economic benefit to coastal communities; specifically, the recreational fishery industry and tourism.

Size limits are used as the primary conservation measure in all crab fisheries. In British Columbia, the size limit for male Dungeness crab is 165 mm across the maximum breadth of the carapace. Females may not be retained. The protection of females and a significant portion of the mature males in Dungeness crab populations ensure that harvestable stocks can be sustained.

New study finds microplastics in several protein foods

ncaleb — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:23:28 +0000

A new study led by researchers at Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto found microplastic particles in 88 per cent of protein food samples tested. The samples were drawn from 16 different protein types destined for U.S. consumers.

Protein types included store-purchased breaded shrimp, minced pollock, fish sticks, white Gulf shrimp (headless/shell-on), Key West pink shrimp (headless/shell-on), Alaska Pollock fillets (skinless), chicken nuggets, top sirloin steaks, pork loin chops, chicken breasts, plant-based nuggets, plant-based fish sticks, plant-based ground beef, and tofu blocks.

While scientists have long documented the presence of microplastics in the digestive tracts of commercial fish and shellfish like salmon, halibut and oysters, there has been little research into whether these microplastics are entering the filets of the fish – the parts that are actually eaten by people; and little research into terrestrial protein sources like beef and chicken that make up a large part of the American diet. In this study, microplastics were found in all 16 protein types tested, suggesting humans are likely eating microplastics no matter the source of protein they choose. Further, there were no statistical differences in microplastic concentrations between land- and ocean-sourced proteins.

“This is a startling reminder of just how prolific plastic pollution has become – humans live on land and yet, seafood samples are just as likely to be contaminated with plastics as are terrestrial-derived proteins,” said study co-author Dr. Britta Baechler, a marine biologist and associate director of Plastics Science at Ocean Conservancy. “There’s no escaping them no matter what you eat, it seems. The plastic pollution crisis is impacting all of us, and we need to take action to address its many forms.”

The study found evidence that food processing is a likely source of microplastic contamination, as highly processed protein products (e.g. fish sticks, chicken nuggets, tofu, and plant-based burgers, among others) contained significantly more microplastics per gram than minimally processed products (e.g. packaged wild Alaska pollock, raw chicken breast, and others). However, no statistical difference was found between high-processed products and fresh-caught products, suggesting food processing is not the only source of microplastic contamination and opening avenues for further research.

“It’s tempting to want to draw conclusions like ‘eat less of this and more of that’ to avoid microplastics in your diet; but right now we still know very little about the microplastic burdens in commonly consumed foods. Our study adds to this knowledge but also demonstrates the need for further research to better understand the bigger picture, including where these microplastics are coming from and the potential human health risks,” said primary co-author Madeleine Milne, who conducted the research while at the Rochman Lab at the University of Toronto in 2022.

Notably, across all samples, nearly half (44 per cent) of the identified microplastics were fibres, which is consistent with other studies suggesting that fibres are the most prevalent form of microplastic in the environment. About a third of the microplastics (30 per cent) were plastic fragments.

Using survey data from a separate study by Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto (to be published in Frontiers in Marine Science), the authors estimate an American adult will consume, on average, 11,500 microplastics per year. Annual exposure could be as high as 3.8 million microplastics per year if calculated using the highest levels of microplastics found in each individual protein type and the average reported protein consumption rates.

“As ocean scientists, my co-authors and I are deeply concerned about the growing plastics crisis in the world’s ocean,” said Dr. George Leonard, Ocean Conservancy’s chief scientist and a co-author of the study. “But our study shows that plastics in our food goes well beyond fish and shellfish to a wide variety of other protein sources, as well. Our work is a call to action to reduce plastic pollution in its many forms to ensure a safe and healthy food supply for all consumers.”

Oceanfood Sales brings global seafood brands to Canada

ncaleb — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 15:08:47 +0000

Rob Graham makes no bones about the quality of seafood products his family’s company has been making and importing for more than 50 years.

“Everything we sell is top tier. We only deal in the best stuff,” said Graham, chief operating officer of Oceanfood Sales. “Our products are for people who understand quality and know what they want.”

Headquartered in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Oceanfood Sales makes two house brands and imports another half-dozen brands from partner companies around the world. Most of those frozen seafood products are destined for the foodservice market, as well as to major food retailers across Canada.

Graham said Oceanfood Sales’ premium house brand—Nanuk, the Inuit word for polar bear—was originally developed for the foodservice industry. But its popularity among chefs led to it becoming a retail item.

The brand is produced at Oceanfood Sales’ smoking facility on Mitchell Island in the Fraser River. More than 100 people work at the 30,000-sf facility, where wild and farmed salmon, steelhead, trout, mackerel, albacore tuna, yellow fin tuna and black cod are filleted, salted, smoked, and packaged into 18 items across the Nanuk brand’s three product lines: cold smoked, hot smoked, and filets, portions and loins.

“Smoked salmon is a luxury item that is meant to taste good,” said Graham, who runs the company with his sister Louise, and vice-president Ted Kim. “My job is to find the best salmon, the best cod, the best everything.”

Product line

The company’s second house brand, which is called Voyageur, is a co-packed line developed exclusively for Canadian restaurateurs, chefs, and suppliers. It features a dozen raw and cooked tuna, shrimp, salmon, ground fish, crab, squid, and scallop products from around the world. Imported seafood brands that Oceanfood Sales buys and markets across Canada include King & Prince, Mrs. Friday’s, Pride of Alaska, Coldwater Prawns, Dutch Harbour, Orca Bay Foods, and Upper Crust Enterprises.

Graham said strong and growing demand for his company’s products across Canada has led to the opening of sales and distribution offices in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal.

A heritage of quality

The company’s quest for quality began with Graham’s father John, who moved to B.C. from Ontario in the late 1950s with the intention of studying medicine at the University of British Columbia. Instead he got a job on a salmon fishing boat in Namu, a now-abandoned fishing port on the B.C. coast.

Namu was then a hub in a flourishing West Coast commercial fishing industry. It was notably home to a large cannery owned by B.C. Packers, Canada’s largest fish processing company until the 1990s, when the fishery floundered.

“Dad got a job with B.C. Packers and spent several years there in processing and sales,” said Graham. “That’s where he learned the seafood business, which is really a primary resource industry like mining or logging.”

Graham was just five when his father struck out on his own and founded Oceanfood Sales in 1970.

“He started buying and selling troll-caught B.C. salmon to smokers in Europe, predominantly France and Denmark,” said Graham.

He said five kinds of wild salmon were then being harvested by the millions using hooks or nets along Canada’s West Coast, including Coho, chum, pink, spring and sockeye, the most prized species.

“Troll salmon are the best quality because they’re caught using lines and hooks and can be bled and dressed on the boat,” said Graham. “You can’t do that with scoop nets because they are too many fish. Plus, with nets you get other problems like bruising.”

In addition to exporting salmon, Graham said his father also began importing truckloads of breaded shrimp from Fish King in Los Angeles and wild frozen shrimp from Alabama and Louisiana.

“He was one the first people in Canada to do that,” said Graham. “He was like a trader, buying and selling salmon and shrimp to distributors and wholesalers.”

He said his father’s friends and clients in Europe later sold him on the idea of getting into the salmon smoking business.

“Dad bought a small plant right downtown, not far from where our offices are now,” said Graham. Both he and his sister started working in the plant in the 1980s while studying, respectively, marketing and accounting at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Both siblings joined their parents in the family firm after graduating.

“It was an easy transition because we grew up in the business,” he said. “It was the main topic of conversation around the family table. Dad would often bring friends and clients home for supper. You learned a lot just by osmosis.”

Graham said he also often accompanied his father, who is now retired, on his frequent trips around the world in search of new seafood products and partners.

“My father is a very engaging person and was an excellent salesman who was well respected,” said Graham. “My sister and I were lucky to have him as a mentor.”

Adapting to demand

Graham said the decision to build a state-of-the-art smoking facility 20 years ago on Mitchell Island on the Fraser River, which separates the cities of Vancouver and Richmond, was the key to unlocking the growth and development of the company’s top-selling Nanuk brand.

“We were turning people away before and we couldn’t pursue the customers we wanted,” said Graham.

He said the new smoking facility was designed “like a circle that’s always moving forward” for the manufacture of products and to eliminate the possibility of cross contamination.

Raw materials—much of it now aquaculture salmon works—enter the one-floor facility on one end and are put into a holding freezer before being racked and moved to a thawing room.

Once thawed, fish are processed through fillet, pin bone and brining machines before being smoked, sliced, vacuum packed, frozen, and then put into boxes for pick up by third-party reefer carriers.

Graham said he and his sister are in the plant almost daily, though they no longer pitch in to help on the single-day shift or with clean up.

“Louise and I have built a strong team from the foundation we inherited and we continue to grow the business together with our employees, which are our most valuable asset,” he said.

Graham added he and his sister also regularly visit trade shows and other smoking facilities to stay abreast of the latest technologies.

“The seafood business is constantly changing and evolving,” said Graham. “We continue to strive to make the best possible product by adapting to new ways of doing and to our customers wants and needs.”

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

High Liner Foods names new CEO

ncaleb — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 14:53:20 +0000

High Liner Foods appoints Paul Jewer as the company’s president and CEO, effective immediately. He also joins the company’s board of directors.

Jewer has served as the Company’s interim CEO since September 2023. Previously, he was chief financial officer of High Liner Foods from February 2014. He has more than 20 years’ experience in food companies and is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA).

“We believe Paul is the right candidate to lead the company as the organization embarks on its next exciting chapter,” said Robert Pace, board chair. “Over nearly 10 years as CFO, Paul has had a significant impact on the organization and more recently he has demonstrated the strength of his steady leadership as interim CEO. The board and I have full confidence in Paul and the management team as they lead our ambitious growth agenda.”

“I am incredibly honoured by today’s appointment and appreciate the confidence that the board of directors has placed in me,” said Jewer. “We have some exciting work ahead of us and I know that we have the right strategy and people in place to build upon the solid foundation that has been built for nearly 125 years. I look forward to continuing to work with the High Liner team as we deliver on our purpose, ‘Reimaging Seafood to Nourish Life,’ creating value for all of our stakeholders,” he added.

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.

Clearwater Seafoods announces fish crew certification for its fleet

Sadi Muktadir — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:38:55 +0000

Clearwater Canadian clam fleet vessel, the Anne Risley, FISH crew certified. (CNW Group/Clearwater Seafoods Incorporated)

HALIFAX — Clearwater Seafoods announces that seven vessels within its Canadian fleet have been certified using the Fish Standard for Crew, an independent, third-party certification program for labor practices on fishing vessels. The certification was awarded after extensive policy and procedure review was conducted, as well as on-site vessel inspections, and face-to-face interviews with crew members by the independent auditors.

“Clearwater’s people are truly our greatest asset, and this begins with our vessel crews at-sea who are harvesting our species,” said Christine Penney, Vice President Sustainability and Public Affairs. “We are very proud to be the first Canadian company to achieve FISH certification, a testament that is consistent with Clearwater’s ongoing commitment to our people, from ocean to plate.”

FISH certification seeks to improve the conditions for vessel crew and to serve as a credible tool that organizations in today’s seafood industry can use to validate their commitments to their employees.

“Achieving FISH certification demonstrates to our customers and industry stakeholders that our fleet has achieved the highest levels of performance as it relates to treatment of crew, compensation, and onboard conditions,” said Christine Penney, Vice President Sustainability and Public Affairs. “With increased efforts by industry, governments and civil society to ensure ethical labour practices throughout global supply chains, FISH certification is an important tool to provide transparency and assurance within seafood supply chains.”

Clearwater’s FISH certified fleet of seven vessels is comprised of clam, lobster, and scallop harvesters, operating in the Canadian North Atlantic.

Lagoon Seafood completes $10M expansion of its Quebec facility

ncaleb — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 17:45:29 +0000

Lagoon Seafood completes construction of its 63,000-sf facility in Granby, Que., which was announced in 2021.

“The completion of this project propels us forward in ways we could only dream of a few years ago,” says Michael Cheaib, business resource manager at Lagoon Seafood. “Our expanded Granby facility is at the core of our company’s expansion into Ontario, Western Canada, and the United States to meet new levels of customer demand. The renovated and expanded facility will support our commitment to bring new product lines across our market to respond to our customers’ needs most effectively.”

The new production and packaging facility mainly supplies Blue Tide branded and private label products. It also increases Lagoon Seafood’s storage capacity and centralized its logistics and storage process. It houses a freezer capable of accommodating more than 2,500 pallets of frozen products, includes new production rooms and accommodates a new spiral freezer that shortens the time required to freeze products.

Federal funding fuels growth for six Nova Scotia agri-food companies

ncaleb — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 14:49:06 +0000

The federal government is investing to help six agri-food companies in Nova Scotia to seize new growth opportunities through automation, expansion and access to new markets.

Repayable contributions totalling $4,855,000 through the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program have been granted to Scotian Gold, Atlantic Poultry, Nova Agri, Van Meekeren Farms, Eden Valley Poultry and Sustainable Blue.

“Nova Scotia’s fruits, vegetables, meats and seafoods are world-famous. By choosing to innovate, these companies are increasing yields, supporting good jobs and solidifying the Annapolis Valley’s reputation as a world-class food producer,” said Gudie Hutchings, the minister responsible for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

Scotian Gold Co-operative received $950,000 to purchase and install an automated apple pre-sorting processing line. The company is expecting a double digit increase in the volume of apples that will need to be processed from their growers in the next five years, the majority of which are bound for export markets in the United States. This contribution will help the company accommodate this growth, explore additional export markets and increase harvesting efficiencies in the packing facility.

“The new presort technology will further automate the sorting process for our apples. This will lead to increase efficiencies at our facility as well as a more consistent product to our customers,” said David Parrish, CEO, Scotian Gold Co-operative.

Atlantic Poultry Inc. (API) received $950,000 to integrate automated incubation equipment and process automation in a new state-of-the-art broiler chick hatchery. The contribution will assist in the company’s growth by improving yield and efficiencies, while at the same time streamlining logistics and labour to improve the effectiveness of the automated equipment in a new single stage hatchery.

“ACOA’s support has played a pivotal role in allowing API to embark on the ambitious project of constructing a state-of-the-art hatchery right here in the Annapolis Valley. ACOA’s funding has strengthened our capacity as an Atlantic Canadian company and will significantly contribute to the broader agricultural landscape in our region,” said Mike Bannister, CEO, Atlantic Poultry Inc.

My Country Magic – Leaders in the Canadian agri-food industry (Nova Agri) received $900,000 to purchase automated onion vision grading equipment. This will help reduce onion defects, thereby maintaining and expanding key export accounts in the United States. The line will also increase productivity and processing capabilties, as well as extend the long-term storage of onions, allowing the company to serve domestic and international markets year-round.

Nova Agri was incorporated in 1985 as the marketing arm of its parent company, Dykeview Farms, a producer of fruits and vegetables since being founded in 1971. The company owns approximately 2000 acres of crops in the Annapolis Valley and has facilities in Canning and Centreville for its core business, which involves storing, grading, packing, processing and marketing fruits and vegetables.

Van Meekeren Farms received $900,000 to expand its cold storage capacity by establishing a new facility equipped with automated and energy-efficient controlled atmosphere and refrigeration equipment. This equipment will maintain the quality of the fresh fruit, thereby extending the marketing season for local Nova Scotia apples and ensuring the fruit is well suited for export markets.

Eden Valley Poultry received $650,000 to purchase automated processing equipment. This is part of a multi-phased expansion designed to increase the production capacity and efficiency of processing boneless chicken breasts. Product quality and yield will also be increased through reductions in waste and trimming. Eden Valley Poultry processes fresh and frozen chicken and turkey products.

Sustainable Blue received $505,000 to purchase advanced automated salmon processing equipment to increase efficiency, product quality, explore new markets and develop new value-added products by processing fish normally sent to the waste stream.

Sustainable Blue’s mission is to create a land based Atlantic salmon fishery that discharges zero effluent back into the environment. The company has developed a proprietary water filtration technology and now operates the only zero discharge marine aquaculture facility anywhere in the world. In 2021, the company increased production capacity to 1,000 metric tonnes per year.

“Sustainable Blue is delighted to receive this support from ACOA. The company has come through an extended period of technology development and is now in the commercialization phase. These funds will help the company secure efficiencies in key operational areas and develop valuable alternative revenue streams which will increase the project’s sustainability credentials,” said Kirk Havercroft, CEO, Sustainable Blue.

High Liner Foods’ CEO steps down

ncaleb — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:16:15 +0000

High Liner Foods’ president and CEO, Rod Hepponstall, resigns from his position. It’ll be effective on or before January 2, 2024.

The company will now begin a comprehensive internal and external search for a president and CEO.

“Hepponstall has acted as director, president and CEO of High Liner Foods since May, 2018, and the board of directors would like to thank him for his years of service to the company. Hepponstall will collaborate with the company on a transition plan, and the company will provide more information in due course,” said a company statement.

Crab fishery resumes in Newfoundland and Labrador

ncaleb — Thu, 25 May 2023 14:20:01 +0000

Weeks of standoff over snow crab prices has ended, and fishery is now underway in most areas of Newfoundland and Labrador. The secured agreement is a formula structure that guarantees a lowest minimum price of 2.20 per pound with incremental increases as the Urner Barry market price increases.

“To say we are no better off than when the Panel price came out is incorrect. The final offer selection process didn’t give harvesters a formula. But the Union did. Our members’ solidarity did. The value we’ve protected here is extremely important and cannot be overstated,” said Fish, Food & Allied Workers (FFAW)-Unifor president Greg Pretty.

Since the Panel price was selected, the Urner Barry market price dropped over $1 per pound, meaning, if basing on the Panel’s original decision, the price would warrant another significant drop below that of 2.20.

“That value was protected in this agreement, and any potential increases to the market price will be captured for harvesters in guaranteed price increases,” Pretty explained.

The crab fishery supports over 7,500 direct jobs and was worth over $1 billion in 2022. With the current market situation, harvesters are expected to have a significant reduction in income this year and enterprise bankruptcies are anticipated around the province.

“People are back to work but that doesn’t mean our work here is done – not by a long shot,” Pretty says. “We’re encouraged by the Premier’s willingness to work with the parties to improve this system so that our province is never in this situation again. We’re looking forward to getting started on that process sooner than later,” he said. “On a federal level, a lot of people are still going to need help this year and we need our Newfoundland and Labrador MP’s to speak out on their behalf and get them the commitments they need for peace of mind.”

StarKist appoints new CEO

ncaleb — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:12:55 +0000

StarKist names Chae-Ung Um as its new co-president and CEO. Um joins StarKist from LG Electronics where he was corporate senior vice-president, procurement strategy, digital procurement transformation and general procurement.

Andrew Choe will continue to serve as president and CEO until December 31, 2022, and will work with Um to ensure a successful transition through the end of the year. Choe has been president and CEO since November of 2014.

Scout raises USD4M in seed funding

ncaleb — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 16:29:12 +0000

Scout, a canned seafood manufacturer, raises USD4 million in a seed funding round that will accelerate the company’s omni-channel brand strategy and operational expansion. The round is led by Semillero Partners, a seed and growth-stage investment firm focused on responsible food and beverage, and Export Development Canada (EDC), along with participation from Almanac insights, an early stage fund focused on companies making a transformative impact on food systems.

“We first brought Scout to market just over two years ago with the ambitious goal to change how consumers perceive and experience seafood,” said Adam Bent, co-founder and CEO of Scout. “We are more committed than ever to transforming the craft of preserving seafood into a cultural mainstay by celebrating bold ingredients and unexpected culinary techniques alongside complete transparency from boat to plate.”

Since launching in June 2020, Scout has expanded beyond its Canadian headquarters. It is now available in the United States. The brand can now be found in more than 1,500 major and specialty retail doors across Canada.

The company’s chef-crafted product lineup features recipes and species like the Atlantic Canadian Lobster in lemon-infused olive oil, Rainbow Trout with dill sourced from Idaho spring-fed rivers, and smoked wild pink Salmon sourced from Alaska.

“Consumers are increasingly focused on the origins of their food, and they are equally seeking out goods that offer a more thoughtfully designed experience from packaging to taste,” said Alex Borschow, managing partner of Semillero Partners. “Through meticulous sourcing practices and the highest quality standards, Scout is raising the bar for the pantry aisle, and we look forward to leveraging our extensive experience in the food and beverage sector to support their mission.”

The seed round comes on the heels of Scout’s B Corp certification, a designation based on a company’s social and environmental performance.

Seafood companies call for robust traceability standards for all seafood sold in Canada

ncaleb — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 14:21:39 +0000

A group of 26 grocery chains, seafood industry stakeholders and experts are calling on the federal government to commit to a timeline and plan to fulfil its mandate to implement boat-to-plate traceability for seafood in Canada. This comes at a critical time as the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is studying seafood traceability in Canada as a way to support the sustainability and long-term viability of Canada’s seafood supply chains while combatting fraud, human rights abuses and illegal fishing.

The letter, signed by 26 seafood industry stakeholders, including grocery stores Buy-Low Foods and Save-On-Foods, suppliers Ocean Brands, Organic Ocean and Skipper Otto, and environmental groups SeaChoice and Oceana Canada, was delivered to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as part of its recent boat-to-plate seafood traceability consultation. It argues that the minimum standards must be expanded so that all seafood products are fully traceable from the point of final sale back to the point of harvest, including key information about the who, what, where, when and how of fishing or farming, processing and distribution. The signatories highlight their concern that no timeline or plan is in place to implement a better traceability system, despite the initiative being announced more than two years ago.

Seafood follows a highly complex path from a fishing vessel or fish farm to people’s plates, with a risk of illegal practices, fraud and mislabelling at every step along the way. Consumers currently have no sure way to know where their seafood came from, how it was caught, if the fish is labelled as the correct species and that it is not harmful to human health or the health of ocean ecosystems. According to a YouGov Plc survey commissioned by SeaChoice in November 2021, 86 per cent of Canadians support improved seafood traceability for all products sold in Canada.

With jurisdictions worldwide increasingly requiring electronic data to follow seafood products through the supply chain to safeguard their true identity and point of origin and to ensure legality, the Canadian government must fulfil its 2019 mandate to implement boat-to-plate traceability.

Ian Ricketts, president of Ocean Brands, said, “Boat-to-plate traceability of seafood is central to preventing overfishing and illegal fishing. To contribute, we can work together to prevent overfishing by eliminating markets for seafood that are not traceable and likely caught illegally or with forced labour. While a lot of work has been done in the past to provide traceability for certain fish species, there is room for more progress to be made to look after our oceans. We look forward to working with our industry partners and associates to achieve full traceability for all seafood sold in Canada.”

Operational excellence will make Canada a seafood leader once again

ncaleb — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 19:12:06 +0000

Seafood fraud is a major problem in Canada. An Oceana Canada investigation this year found that 46 per cent of seafood products tested were mislabelled. Consumers and government agencies are both taking note, and it is clearer than ever that the industry must move quickly to recoup its reputation and secure itself against losses. The solution for more transparent, accurate, sustainable, and safe seafood products is operational excellence, but what does that mean?

The need for boat-to-plate traceability

Seafood fraud is common all around the world, and the Canadian seafood market is no exception. A 2019 report by Oceana Canada spurred the government to address the problem once the scale of it was made public. The report found that mislabelling was rampant across the country and called for a major overhaul to seafood traceability systems (or lack thereof).

In December 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau published a mandate to the Canadian Minister of Health called the “boat-to-plate traceability mandate commitment.” To date, federal agencies working under the mandate published various initiatives and goals for food labelling, transparency, and traceability. The mandate is still in a public consultation period. Many activists and organizations are concerned that there is still no timeline to implement the proposed changes.

Implementation will indeed be complex. Seafood in Canada is regulated under three different bodies: the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is in charge of regulating fish and seafood processing, mainly focusing on licensing, food safety, and tracing, while the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) protects Canadian waters and enforces conservation. On top of that, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) implements training and best practices with the seafood industry and focuses on food fraud, labelling, and waste.

With conflicting information and a massive bureaucratic challenge ahead, seafood industry leaders cannot wait for regulations to implement boat-to-plate traceability. What is already available—increased inspections, sample collections, and more testing—do not address the problem at its root. The good news is that the tools to address rampant seafood fraud do exist, and improvements to operational excellence benefits any business in the short- and long term.

A path forward

Instead of waiting for the government to act, the Canadian seafood industry should bridge the gap by embracing operational excellence and addressing a number of industry best practices.

Firstly, the seafood industry needs to better manage the accuracy of species information on labels, which requires comprehensive data collection across the entire supply chain. Without complete and accurate data, which is one of the key problems flagged by watchdog groups and advocates, CFIA must rely on vague labelling practices in their reporting and analysis. Standardizing data and terms would help to close the gap on different information sets and help government and private entities work off the same base data.

Secondly, the Canadian seafood industry should practice continuous improvement. While there are incredible pressures to cut costs, fix supply chain constraints, and grapple with the ongoing impact of the pandemic, companies need to build out their operations to ensure accurate labelling, complete traceability, reliable data on seafood catches, and developing deviation procedures to manage mislabelling events. Such improvements will go a long way toward restoring consumer trust, help identify bad actors, and catch seafood fraud early in the manufacturing process.

Lastly, automated technologies for tracking and tracing should be implemented as soon as possible. Although well hyped by the media, blockchain-based solutions are not practical due to the inherent problems of this technology around energy use and privacy, as well as connectivity constraints of processing facilities, which are often located in remote locations. While blockchain may be out of reach, automated traceability can provide a more rigorous and robust solution than what is currently available.

Each establishment can automate its own traceability information to improve their response time and accuracy when responding to specific queries on-demand and at a lot level. Such automation is the best way to reduce fraud in the seafood industry, as it enables regulators to quickly construct a complete picture of the traceability chain when necessary. It also provides the added benefit of reducing the regulatory burden on establishments with respect to complying with traceability requirements.

Canada’s seafood fraud problem is solvable

The trust in the entire Canadian seafood supply chain—from fishing to restaurants—has been eroded. Canada was a leader in seafood exports in the early 1990s, but the growth of fish production in Asian countries pushed Canada and the United States out of the top export spots. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Canada’s export value is three per cent as of 2018; with China and Norway leading export values at 14 and seven per cent respectively.

The Canadian seafood industry is still a massive part of the economy. The latest data from the Canadian government values the industry at $7.44 billion. Seafood fraud isn’t a Canadian problem, but operational excellence can make Canadian fishers, packers, processors, and distributors leaders in the race to combat widespread seafood fraud.

Steven Burton is CEO & founder, Icicle Technologies, Inc. Burton is an innovative software architect and the creator Icicle, an award-winning ERP for food manufacturers.

The pride of Gaspe

ncaleb — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 15:15:19 +0000

Former construction worker Dary Côté says some people scoffed at his business prospects when he started to buy and sell frozen seafood products from his native Gaspe region at a Montreal-area farmer’s market in 2017. Who’s laughing now, though? In just four years, Côté and childhood friend and business partner Denis Fortin, both 38, are at the helm of a fast-growing seafood company that will this year sell half-a-million products worth nearly $8 million at more than 400 IGA outlets and independent food stores across Quebec.

They expect those numbers to double over the next two years as their company, called Fruits de Mer du Québec, continues to develop and expand its line of ready-to-cook prepared seafood meals and enters new Canadian markets, starting with Ontario in the new year, under its new Seafood Canada division.

“We took the market by storm,” said Côté, who runs sales and marketing from the company’s office in Montreal. Fortin, for his part, handles supply and production at a HACCP-, GFSI- and SQF- certified seafood processing plant near Drummondville.

Fruits de Mer du Québec sold half-a-million products worth nearly $8 million this year.

Seafood processing

The 60,000-sf plant is a state-of-the-art facility with two specialized production lines and a cutting-edge research and development lab. It is owned by Groupe Alimentaire Nordique, Quebec’s largest seafood processer. Groupe Alimentaire Nordique makes its own brand-name seafood dishes—Passion de la Mer and Passion Bistro—and private label products.

Fruits de Mer du Québec currently accounts for about 70 per cent of the Nordique plant’s production capacity, churning out between 15,000 and 25,000 frozen, vacuum-sealed seafood items a day, depending on the product, in a single shift. The arrival of 20 foreign workers in August nearly doubled the company’s workforce at the plant and has led to the addition of a second production shift.

Fruits de Mer du Québec’s products are typically sold out of floor freezers that are set within wooden crates. The crates are stamped with the company’s name and logo. They are equipped with TV screens that show on loop images of the Gaspe fishing industry.

Products

In addition to processing shrimp, scallops, halibut and other crustaceans, molluscs and fish harvested by hundreds of producers from the icy waters surrounding the thumb-shaped Gaspe Peninsula, the company also produces a half-dozen frozen prepared dishes including cod cakes, seafood pot pies and smoked fish that are packaged and served on a small wood board.

Several other fresh cooked products listed nationally with Sobeys—including lobster macaroni and cheese, seafood lasagna and salmon risotto—are currently being developed and/or produced using high-pressure pasteurization.

Many of those dishes, which will be sold in refrigerated ready-to-eat counters of food stores rather than in the frozen seafood section, are made using recipes from Côté and Fortin’s families and other popular Gaspe foods.

“Our seafood lasagna is based on my Aunt Line’s recipe,” said Côté. “We even named the product after her. We think it adds to the appeal and authenticity as a local product.”

Fruits de Mer du Québec produces frozen prepared dishes, such as cod cakes, seafood pot pies and smoked fish.

Offering world-class seafood

According to Côté, his company is helping to bring the world-renowned quality of fresh Gaspe seafood to the plates of consumers in Quebec.

It was a feat, he added, that many people thought couldn’t be done. That’s because the vast majority of catches in the Gaspe region are bought and sold by 15 to 20 local and regional plants, processors and brokers.

“Most of the production is sold wholesale for export to Europe and other markets,” said Côté. “My idea was to sell directly to Quebec consumers in food stores.”

The challenge, he added, was convincing wholesalers to divert some of their in-demand products to his new business.

“A couple of guys had tried what we’re doing now back in the 1990s,” said Côté. “They didn’t do very well (and) I know some people in the business believed we wouldn’t do any better.”

Côté thought otherwise. Born and raised in the coastal village of Grande-Vallée on the north shore of the Gaspe Peninsula, he left the region at age 16 to work in the construction industry in Montreal.

An interior systems’ specialist who eventually owned a commercial building business with 80 employees, Côté said he was always asked by friends to bring them back fresh seafood from the Gaspe whenever he visited the region.

“I used to go back there a lot to see my family and friends,” recalled Côté. “I would drive back to Montreal with $5,000 worth of fish in the trunk of my car.”

Eager for a new challenge outside of the construction business, Côté decided in 2017 to pursue what he saw as a business opportunity: satisfying Quebec consumers with locally produced, world-class seafood from Gaspe.

“I visited a lot of grocery stores and there were hardly any fish or lobster or shrimp from the Gaspe,” he said. “They were all imported products.”

Côté first convinced Fortin, a childhood friend who was then mayor of Saint-Cloridorme, a neighbouring village of Grande-Vallée, to join him in the venture.

Though neither of them had any personal or family connection to the fishing industry in Gaspe, they each brought complimentary ideas, energy, resources and contacts to the project.

“We know our strengths,” said Fortin, who owned a long-distance taxi service that he quickly converted to transporting fish and seafood products instead of people. “Dary is a great salesperson (and) I handle supply and production. We make a good team.”

Innovative marketing

The duo decided from the get-go to focus their efforts on eye-catching product packaging and in-store displays.

Their most notable innovation was dreamed up by Côté: floor freezers contained in wooden crates that are stamped with the company’s name and logo and are equipped with TV screens showing images of the Gaspe fishing industry.

The freezers are also now being equipped with cameras, allowing inventory to be monitored remotely by software that triggers alerts when resupply is needed.

“Our mission was to make Gaspe seafood accessible, distinctive and recognizable,” said Côté. “We wanted our products to jump off the shelves.”

Business plans

With $1.6 million financing from an angel investor, their own savings and help from their wives, Côté and Fortin landed supply and processing deals with several of the fishers, processors and packagers that belong to the Association québécoise de l’industrie de la pêche (Quebec Fish Processors Association [AQIP]), a group they have since joined.

Based in Quebec City and the oldest association of its kind in Canada, the AQlP’s 54 member and associate members represent more than 90 per cent of seafood processing in la belle province, an industry that employs more than 5,000 people and has produced more than $600 million worth of value-added seafood products since 2018.

The vast majority of those products come from catches in the waters of the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, including the Gaspe Peninsula, the North Shore and the Magdalen Islands.

Côté began selling his new company’s wares at a seasonal farmer’s market near his home in the Laurentian hub of Saint-Jérôme, a half-hour drive north of Montreal.

Soon, he was selling at local butcher shops and some two-dozen independent and chain food stores of all size and stripes.

Business began booming in 2018 however after Fruits de Mer du Québec won an annual innovative supplier’s award from Quebec’s biggest food retailers’ group, the Association des détaillants en alimentation du Québec, whose members include big banners like Metro, IGA and Provigo.

“It was crazy,” Côté recalled about the speed-dating style weekend event in Gatineau, when he and Fortin demonstrated their crated freezer and brightly packaged products to food store owners from across Quebec, beating out a dozen other suppliers in an onsite vote by conference attendees. “We landed a ton of deals at the show and afterward. We’ve never looked back.”

Both partners are confident they can continue their success in other regions of the country albeit under the a new ‘Seafood Canada’ moniker.

“The ‘Fruits de Mer du Québec’ brand works great here,” said Côté. “People want to buy local products and encourage local businesses. So, we are talking with suppliers from other provinces in order to help broaden our appeal in those markets.”

This article was originally published in the October 2021 issue of Food in Canada.

Lagoon Seafood names Sean Moore as operations director

ncaleb — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 19:05:54 +0000

Lagoon Seafood appoints Sean Moore as director of operations. In this newly created position, Moore will oversee the company’s two plants in Lachine and Granby, Que., as the company ramps up expansion initiatives both in operations and sales.

“Sean is a great addition to our team; he has a lot of experience in federal-certified plants and has a lot to offer to the team. We’re all very excited to work with him, as we continue to add experience to our team” says Michael Cheaib, business resource manager at Lagoon Seafood.

Moore has a lot of experience in the food industry, including as general manager at a custom meats facility, project manager, production plants and protein sourcing manager. At Lagoon, he will monitor and control plant operations to manage increased production as well as management of resources including an expanding work force.

Lagoon Seafood to expand its Granby facility

ncaleb — Mon, 31 May 2021 16:59:28 +0000

Lagoon Seafood announces plans for a 32,000-sf expansion to its production facility in Granby, Que.

Expected to be completed in 2021, the extension will allow for additional production and freezer room needed to help the company keep pace with growth in its product lineup and sales volumes.

Lagoon Seafood will invest $10 million in to the facility’s expansion.

Canada must change management of aquaculture sector or slide into irrelevancy

ncaleb — Tue, 25 May 2021 16:05:48 +0000

There is no question of Canada’s great opportunity for oceans economic development, specifically its seafood development. Once the top seafood exporter in the world, it is now eighth in the world and falling. Even with this, the seafood sector, with close to 100,000 people employed directly or indirectly, is still the core of Canada’s blue economy.

Aquaculture production has been flat for about 20 years. During this time, Canada has lost over 50 per cent of its farmed seafood market share to international competitors. such as Norway, Scotland, Chile and Australia. This is particularly galling because Canada has arguably the most ocean potential to develop its seafood farming sector in the world. As a comparison, Norway has approximately one-third of the bio-physical capacity as Canada for aquaculture development, but produces close to 10 times the seafood of Canada. I was a guest of the Norway government several years ago so that they could show off the excellence of their industry. The government had just built a huge aquaculture research lab. Their pride and support for their industry was evident everywhere.

Global demand for seafood is increasing approximately seven to nine per cent per year, and is the fastest growing food sector. People want good, healthy protein that is also good for the environment. Recent studies by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (HLP), a group of 14 heads of state including Prime Minister Trudeau, have said development of marine aquaculture has the most potential in the global food system to reduce carbon emissions, and that every dollar invested in marine food production will result in $10 in human health, environmental and economic benefits. Very few sectors in the world match this impressive payback.

So, what’s going on with Canada? Why can’t we get it together? No doubt, there is more than one factor but the one I know best, and the one that hasn’t improved over the 20 years I’ve been writing about it, is Canada’s legal and regulatory mess continues to undermine our industry from achieving its full potential. The province of British Columbia is regulated primarily by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), while the others are provincially regulated. Numerous federal departments have regulatory mandates, but the federal government lacks one department to actually lead and economically develop the sector. This is different from land farmers, who can use the programs and supports to advance the country’s farming sector offered by the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Aquaculture is an odd amalgam of fishing and farming and lives between the two worlds. That’s the main problem. As a relatively young sector (commercial salmon farming is only about 40 years old), it’s been regulated under the Fisheries Act, whose purpose is the protection and management of wild stocks. While protection and management are a good thing, it’s not the principal aim of aquaculture. Aquaculture is the relatively precise science and art of raising fish and seafood in a controlled environment, from egg to plate, just like farming.

Canada needs legislative reform. The aquaculture sector, as a strange mix of fishery and farming, must have its own legislation with a clearly designated federal minister to lead the department. There seems to be some progress in this area, as DFO has been leading public consultations in the last two years to get feedback on what an aquaculture act might look like. However, this has been promised before.

While additional value can be extracted from the wild fish and seafood sector, the great growth in innovation, production and jobs will come from aquaculture. With the potential of huge benefits, such as increased jobs and healthy food, Indigenous reconciliation and carbon reductions, it’s a sector worth throwing our weight behind.

An aquaculture act is an essential, if insufficient step, to having our industry realize its full potential. As Tim Kennedy, CEO, Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, said to me recently, “The aquaculture sector has been asking for an act for close to 30 years, to recognize the uniqueness of our sector from both fishing and farming. We’re encouraged by the movement toward an aquaculture act for Canada. However, our main goal is to break out of the sector’s flatline of production in Canada for 20 years. The act is an important tool, but it is not a growth strategy. What is most important is a commitment by the federal government to sustainably develop this sector, and identify a champion department that can develop a plan to secure Canada’s great potential for this sector.”

Ronald L. Doering, BA, LL.B. MA, LL.D., is a past president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. He is counsel in the Ottawa offices of Gowling WLG, and adjunct professor, Food Science, Carleton University. Contact him at Ronald.doering@gowlings.com.

This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue of Food in Canada.

CED offers more than $600K for four Quebec seafood processing businesses

ncaleb — Wed, 19 May 2021 18:30:09 +0000

Diane Lebouthillier, national revenue minister, announces financial support to the tune of $605,272 for Poissonnerie de Cloridorme, Lelièvre, Lelièvre et Lemoignan, Gaspé Cured and Unipêche M.D.M, fish and seafood processing businesses in Gaspé, Que, from the Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund (CSSF).

Poissonnerie de Cloridorme, Inc., a business specializing in the processing of seafood products, particularly sea cucumbers, is receiving a repayable contribution of $277,098. Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions’s (CED’s) support enables the business to ensure the health and safety of its workers and develop new markets for its products.

Lelièvre, Lelièvre et Lemoignan ltée, a family business that focuses on processing lobster and groundfish, is receiving a non-repayable contribution of $217,500.

Gaspé Cured Ltd., a business specializing in lobster processing, is receiving a non-repayable contribution of $99,671. CED’s support will be used to implement sustainable protection and health measures and acquire and install a ventilation system.

Unipêche M.D.M ltée, a business specializing in the processing and marketing of a wide range of seafood products, is receiving a non-repayable contribution of $11,003.

The CSSF is part of the federal government’s ongoing effort to support Canada’s fish and seafood sector. The $9.1 million initiative for Quebec is administered by CED and has been extended to March 31, 2022, so that more businesses and organizations can be supported.

“It is the Government of Canada’s mission to accompany the country’s businesses into the economy of tomorrow and to help them seize emerging business opportunities. That is why we support key sectors, including seafood processing, in various regions of Quebec. Projects like those of Poissonnerie de Cloridorme, Lelièvre, Lelièvre et Lemoignan, Gaspé Cured and Unipêche M.D.M. will help ensure an inclusive recovery and keep good jobs in our communities,” said Lebouthillier.

Canada’s aquaculture and fisheries sector releases new video series to promote Blue Economy

Food in Canada Staff — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 13:30:25 +0000

The Fisheries Council of Canada and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance have created a video series to highlight the benefits of the Blue Economy from 10 Canadian voices from the seafood industry. The series showcases how Canadians hope the Blue Economy can grow communities, improve sustainability and create long-term economic stability.

Canada’s commitment to developing a Blue Economy strategy means many things: it’s an opportunity to revitalize our rural and coastal communities; to enhance our dedication to sustainability, research and science; and to capture the potential of the world’s longest coastline and unmatched freshwater resources. But it also creates opportunities for real Canadians working in the seafood industry, so we asked them: “What does the Blue Economy mean to you?”

“Capturing Canada’s seafood opportunity through the Blue Economy has significant benefits for the 90,000 Canadians working in the seafood industry, including youth and Indigenous communities,” said Paul Lansbergen, President, FCC. “But more than that, it will also act as a driver for a ripple effect of change as Canada reclaims its heritage as a water nation.”

FCC and CAIA have created a vision and action plan, Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy 2040, to position Canada as a global top three best producer of sustainable seafood by 2040. This plan will capture Canada’s seafood opportunity through the Blue Economy and help realize the dreams presented in the video series.

“Creating a sustainable, ocean-driven economy is possible,” said Timothy Kennedy, President & CEO, CAIA, “and it starts with the Canadian seafood industry.”

Learn more about Canada’s seafood opportunity and watch the video series at seafoodopportunity.ca.

The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) is the voice of Canada’s wild capture fish and seafood industry, promoting a healthy resource and prosperous industry playing a vital role in the Canadian economy. Our members include small, medium and larger-sized companies along with Indigenous enterprises that harvest and process fish from Canada’s three oceans.

Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) is the national association that speaks for Canada’s seafood farmers, representing their interests in Ottawa and internationally. CAIA members generate over $5.2 billion in economic activity, $2.1 billion in GDP, and employ over 21,300 Canadians delivering a healthy, growing and sustainable seafood farming sector in Canada.

Applications now open for 2021 Alizés Awards

Kristy Nudds — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 15:03:11 +0000

The Group Export Agri-Food has announced the opening of the application period for the 2021 Alizés Awards, presented by Farm Credit Canada(FCC). Canadian agri-food exporters have until June 19, 2021 to apply in either of two categories: Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises, reserved for companies with revenues of less than 50 million dollars, and Large company, for those with revenues of 50 million dollars or more. The winners will be unveiled in September 2021 in conjunction with SIAL Canada.

“Despite the current context, it was imperative for us to recognize the achievements of an industry that has been put to the test over the past year and that has brilliantly risen to the challenge. Canadian exports are increasing, proof that the industry knows how to adapt and face headwinds. The Alizés Awards take on a very special meaning this year,” Martin Lavoie, President and CEO of Group Export, said in a release.

Known in English as trade winds, the Alizés refer to the winds which have helped establish the main maritime trade routes between continents over the centuries and linked Canada to foreign markets. They highlight the excellence of the work accomplished by Canadian agri-food companies that have distinguished themselves in international markets through impressive growth, innovative marketing strategies or structuring consolidation actions.

“I am looking forward to read the applications again this year,” said Louis Turcotte, senior director, corporate and commercial financing at FCC and Chair of the jury. “Every year, companies impress us with their inventiveness and perseverance. I am convinced that the next candidates will be no exception.”

Canadian agri-food exporters are invited to visit lesprixalizesawards.ca to register and receive their application form. The application period will close on June 19, 2021 at 5:00 pm EDT.

Empire and FHCP agree on Grocery Supply Code of Practice for Canada

Kristy Nudds — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 14:44:54 +0000

Today, Empire Company Limited, Canada’s second-largest grocery retailer, and Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP), have agreed to a ground-breaking proposal for a Grocery Supply Code of Practice for Canada. This proposal is the first of its kind in Canada and aims to stabilize relations between retailers and suppliers by calling for fair and efficient handling of all negotiations and commercial agreements.

FHCP and Empire encourage other grocers, suppliers and industry stakeholders to come forward to support and provide input into this proposal.

The draft Code aims to stabilize relations between retailers and suppliers by calling for fair and efficient handling of all negotiations and commercial agreements. The FHCP has been advocating for a Code for the last two decades, as a result of complaints of unfair practices in the marketplace relating to issues such as arbitrary fees, cost increases imposed without notice, and late payments.

Empire agrees with the FHCP that the negative ripple effects from poor retailer-supplier relations make their way to consumers and can impact pricing, product choice and job opportunities in Canada. Ultimately, these practices create very challenging conditions for suppliers and manufacturers to thrive in Canada. The proposed Code will create an environment with more certainty and transparency, where suppliers can confidently invest in products, facilities, manufacturing and job creation in Canada.

“The Canadian grocery industry made unprecedented strides in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic as retailers and suppliers collaborated to protect the food supply chain and support customers like never before,” said Michael Medline, President and CEO, Empire in a release. “This goodwill was a positive development during a difficult time. Let’s not go back to the old way of doing things. We began working in earnest with the FHCP on this values-based proposal in the fall of 2020. We hope our principled proposal will be a springboard to move our industry forward. This Code is a win for consumer product companies and retailers, as well as all other players in the food supply chain, including farmers and customers.”

The principles within the Code promote transparency, predictability and openness. By improving collaboration between the business partners, the Code will provide suppliers with certainty by setting out standard rules of engagement between the parties. The Code enshrines a set of good-faith industry business principles, such as requiring written agreements between large retailers and suppliers, ensuring changes to business terms are not imposed arbitrarily.

“As the early days of the pandemic proved and as FHCP and Empire demonstrate so clearly today, grocery retailers and suppliers are capable of tremendous achievements when we collaborate,” said Michael Graydon, President and CEO, FHCP. “Retailers and suppliers are tough and savvy and our businesses do not always see eye to eye. However, we believe we can build a supply chain on mutual trust, one that treats businesses of all sizes fairly and delivers for all Canadians who count on us every day. FHCP and Empire are proud to have translated this common vision into a set of shared principles and a positive framework for the industry.”

The basics of the Code:

Require negotiated agreements in writing between retailers and suppliers
Ensure open negotiations between retailers and suppliers
Create stability to encourage retailers and suppliers to work together to bring the best products, innovation and value to Canadians
Require retailers to designate a “Code Compliance Officers” to oversee Code compliance
Introduce a government adjudication system to manage complaints of unfair practices under the Code

The Code was formally submitted today (March 25, 2020) to the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Working Group.

The Code was crafted to suit the needs of the Canadian market while taking lessons from relevant international precedent, most notably the UK Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

Government of Canada takes action on fish fraud

Food in Canada Staff — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:04:59 +0000

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is addressing the issue of food fraud so that Canadians can be confident that the foods they purchase are properly labelled and safe to consume. It also helps Canadian businesses compete more fairly in the Canadian and global marketplace.

As part of the Government of Canada’s work to tackle food fraud, the CFIA sampled and tested fish from domestic processors, importers, and retail establishments across Canada. According to the enhanced fish species substitution surveillance (2019 to 2020) report, CFIA’s testing shows 92% of fish samples taken were satisfactorily labelled with proper common names. Nine species of fish were targeted based on their likelihood to be mislabelled or substituted and their availability in the Canadian marketplace, including: butterfish, cod, halibut, kingfish, sea bass, snapper (red and other), sole, tuna and yellowtail.

The CFIA took appropriate actions on all unsatisfactory results. This included enforcement actions, such as letters of non-compliance, product seizure and detention, relabelling to bring the product into compliance, and product disposal.
Industry is responsible for properly labelling fish and seafood and providing consumers with information that is neither false nor misleading. Accurate labelling supports the traceability of food. Under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations traceability requirements are included. The ability to track food through the supply chain can significantly speed up the removal of unsafe or misrepresented food from the market and better protect Canadians.

The Government of Canada is currently working with stakeholders to identify approaches to fulfill the Minister of Health’s mandate commitment to develop a boat-to-plate traceability program for fish products in Canada.

Under the Food Policy for Canada, launched in June 2019, the Government of Canada invested $24.4 million over 5 years to the CFIA to tackle food fraud in order to protect consumers from deception and companies from unfair market competition. With this funding, the CFIA is conducting inspections, collecting samples, testing foods for authenticity, and gathering intelligence to better target its oversight activities.

Quick facts
• Canadian food laws prohibit food sold in Canada from being misrepresented, including through labelling, packaging, advertising and selling. Mislabelling and substitution can be a form of food fraud which deceives the consumer and food businesses with false or misleading information and creates an unfair market for businesses that sell accurately represented food.
• The CFIA mostly focussed on testing 9 fish species with a higher likelihood to be misrepresented: butterfish, cod, halibut, kingfish, sea bass, snapper, sole, tuna and yellowtail. The results do not represent the overall degree of fish mislabelling in the Canadian marketplace.
• The CFIA worked with the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec to obtain samples in Quebec.
• The Minister of Health’s 2019 mandate letter introduced a commitment to develop a boat-to-plate traceability program to help Canadian fishers better market their high-quality products.
• The CFIA’s latest report on fish follows another recently released report related to food fraud, entitled Honey authenticity surveillance results (2019 to 2020).

Lagoon Seafood increases sales capacity in Quebec

Food in Canada Staff — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:02:16 +0000

Lagoon Seafood, a leader in the distribution, import, export, processing and curing of fresh and frozen fish, announces today the appointment of three new sales representatives to support the rising tide in demand for seafood among Quebec consumers – a trend that extends to the whole nation. Erick Charpentier, account manager of food service for Eastern Quebec, joined the company in September 2020. Sales representatives Carine Hage and Nadia Lalonde joined the company in January 2021 after an extensive recruitment process.

Lagoon Seafood has hired three new representatives for Quebec, from left to right: Erick Charpentier, account manager, and Nadia Lalonde and Carine Hage, sales representatives. Collectively, the new hires enjoy more than 60 years of experience in the seafood and hospitality industries.

“We are delighted to welcome Carine, Erick and Nadia to our team,” says Sam Cheaib, president and CEO of Lagoon Seafood. “As an essential service, the grocery and foodservice sectors have demonstrated incredible dedication, innovation and resilience during this past year. We are doing everything we can to make sure that consumers continue to have access the best possible products from the sea and that includes finding skilled team members who will help our products make their way to local shelves and menus.”

Founded by an experienced team in 1992, and with an extensive track record of success in Quebec, Lagoon Seafood is preparing to expand boldly into new markets.

“The best expansion plans start from within, in an organic and wholesome way,” says Robert Mignacco, vice president of sales, Lagoon Seafood. “The growth of our team in Quebec, our home market, with such an experienced trio helps to solidify even further our foundations for a flourishing expansion.”

About Lagoon Seafood

Family owned and operated, Lagoon Seafood specializes in the distribution, import, export, processing and curing of fresh and frozen seafood. Based on more than two and a half decades of experience in the food industry, the company sources a variety of quality products from South America to Asia, Europe to West Africa and the Mediterranean, including local options from Quebec and North America. Its catch comes from fishermen and fish farmers, thus allowing the company to better control the origin and quality of its products – Blue Tide and Royal Harbour branded options. Headquartered in Lachine, Quebec, the company moves its products to market thanks to agreements with select distributors, wholesalers and direct to grocery and retail chains in Canada, USA, Europe, as well as in Asia. Dive deeper at lagoonseafood.com.

Canadian Seafood Industry’s Blue Economy Strategy 2040 Includes Vision and Action Plan

Food in Canada Staff — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:16:25 +0000

The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) are pleased to see the launch of the federal government’s Canadian Blue Economy Strategy consultations. The ‘Engagement Paper’ shows nearly 90,000 jobs and $9 Billion in GDP contribution for the seafood industry for Canadians – more than any other ocean-based sector. The seafood sector can grow substantially in both jobs and value to help drive COVID recovery and help Canada become a global leader in the sustainable oceans economy.

FCC and CAIA, representing Canada’s national wild and farmed seafood sectors respectively, have created a joint vision and action plan to capture the blue economy opportunity and position Canada as a global top three best producer of sustainable fish and seafood by the year 2040. Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy 2040 includes three sustainable growth targets and six points of action to help Canada reach its blue economy goals.

“Canadians have been building their lives around our three oceans for hundreds of years, with the seafood industry being a cornerstone of our nation’s history,” said Paul Lansbergen, President, FCC. “We’re ready to establish Canada’s leadership in the global blue economy, with the seafood industry leading the way.”

The Canadian seafood industry shares the sentiment expressed in the Blue Economy Strategy engagement paper that Canada should be a leader in the global blue economy. With the longest coastline in the world, it only makes sense that Canada should modernize our ocean sectors in a sustainable way, consciously create more jobs in our coastal and Indigenous communities, and focus on science, technology and research to advance both the economic return and stewardship of our oceans.

“The potential of Canada’s fish and seafood industry for long-term, sustainable job-creation will be paramount for Canada’s COVID-19 recovery and for Blue Economy development,” said Timothy Kennedy, CAIA President & CEO. “Canada has yet to seize its seafood opportunity and this strategy development is a chance to frame and realize Canada’s outstanding Blue Economy promise.”

As Canada shapes its blue economy strategy, the seafood industry is ready to lead with a continued commitment to sustainably capturing the potential of our oceans as we have done for hundreds of years. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) is the national association that speaks for Canada’s seafood farmers, representing their interests in Ottawa and internationally. CAIA members generate over $6 billion in economic activity, $2.45 billion in GDP, and employ over 25,000 Canadians delivering a healthy, growing and sustainable seafood farming sector in Canada.

Governments of Canada & Nova Scotia invest over $44 million in fish & seafood sector

Food in Canada Staff — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 14:10:41 +0000

The funding will support 11 projects focused on the adoption of new technology and partnerships that will improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the fish and seafood sector. The funding will enable these local organizations to provide high quality seafood and to preposition their organizations for a successful return to regular business in a post COVID-19 world.
Funding these organizations will benefit local and regional economies in Nova Scotia now and in the future. The contribution comes from the $400 million Atlantic Fisheries Fund, jointly funded by the federal and provincial governments, and focuses on increasing opportunities and market value for sustainably sourced, high-quality fish and seafood products from Atlantic Canada.
The Atlantic Fisheries Fund will continue to invest in projects over the seven-year life of the program. The commercial fisheries and aquaculture industry, Indigenous groups, universities, academia, industry associations and organizations, including research institutions, may apply.
“Canada’s fish and seafood sector brought in over seven billion dollars in international revenue last year – with Nova Scotia leading the way. But we know there is still potential for growth. The projects we are supporting through the Atlantic Fisheries Fund will help our fisheries adapt to ever-changing markets and become even more sustainable and productive. And a stronger fishery means more jobs for coastal Canadians, and more prosperity in our coastal communities.” ~ The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
“Nova Scotia’s seafood quality is world-renown and this support for our fishery sector will go to enhance equipment, innovation, productivity, and COVID-19 protections. It will help our seafood industry remain safe and sustainable, and provide top quality seafood products to the world. We are excited to join with our federal partners, DFO, in these important investments.” ~ The Honourable Keith Colwell, Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture

Quick Facts
• The Atlantic Fisheries Fund will invest over $400 million over seven years to support Canada’s fish and seafood sector.
• The federal government will provide 70% of the funding, with 30% coming from the Atlantic provinces.
• The fund aims to help Canada’s seafood sector transition to meet growing market demands for products that are high quality, value-added, and sustainably sourced.

Eligible projects must focus on:
o Innovation – to support research and development of new innovations that contribute to sustainability of the fish and seafood sector, and to create partnerships and networks that aim to promote and encourage innovations in the sector;
o Infrastructure – to adopt or adapt new technologies, processes, or equipment to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the fish and seafood sector;
o Science Partnerships – fisheries and aquaculture industry based partnerships with academia and institutions to enhance knowledge and understanding of the impacts of changing oceanographic conditions and sustainable harvesting technology.

Support in Canada for new ‘Ocean Action Agenda’

Food in Canada Staff — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 14:28:47 +0000

The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) are pleased to support the new Ocean Action Agenda released by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel). Their mission of building a sustainable ocean economy balancing effective protection, sustainable production and equitable prosperity is in alignment with the goals of the Canadian fish and seafood industry and our own Blue Economy Strategy 2040.

The Ocean Panel, composed of 14 serving world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has put forward a new ocean action agenda underpinned by sustainably managing 100 per cent of national waters. This agenda is built upon knowledge and science, transformative recommendations, and action. Similarly, FCC and CAIA, the national associations representing the wild-capture and farmed seafood industries respectively, recently released Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy 2040, a vision and action plan to position Canada as a global top three producer of the best, most sustainable fish and seafood by 2040. The plan intends to capture the opportunity presented by Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy mandate and offers guidance on achieving sustainable, ocean-led economic growth.

“The Ocean Panel’s new Ocean Action Agenda positions the ocean as an essential part of solving global challenges. The Canadian fish and seafood industry shares that belief,” said Paul Lansbergen, President, FCC. “Our Blue Economy Strategy 2040 puts a plan on paper for Canada to follow to be a part of that worldwide movement.”

CAIA President & CEO, Tim Kennedy, is a member of the Advisory Network to the Ocean Panel. “Being involved with the High Level Panel’s Advisory Network has impressed me with their deep research agenda and concrete recommendations. Canada can and should be playing a leading global role to realize the opportunity of the Blue Economy,” said Kennedy. “Seafood – both farmed and wild – will play a central and increasingly important role in realizing human and planetary health. Our world and Canada will benefit greatly with acting on these recommendations.”

The Ocean Action Agenda and Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy 2040 demonstrate that we don’t have to choose between ocean protection and production. We can have both. Research shows that a healthier ocean is a smart investment that will deliver social, health, economic and environmental benefits.

The Ocean Action Agenda is built upon five transformation areas, with ocean wealth at the top of the list: ocean-based industries can outperform the growth of the global economy. The Canadian fish and seafood industry is ready to help Canada capture that potential.

Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) is the national association that speaks for Canada’s seafood farmers, representing their interests in Ottawa and internationally. CAIA members generate over $6 billion in economic activity, $2.45 billion in GDP, and employ over 25,000 Canadians delivering a healthy, growing and sustainable seafood farming sector in Canada.