The latest round of Innovation Booster funding aims to advance artificial intelligence adoption, bio-manufacturing, sustainability, digital traceability, and process efficiency across Canada’s food sector.
The Canadian Food Innovation Network has earmarked $768,509 for nine foodtech projects, including multiple from Alberta.
From AI-enabled market intelligence to novel ingredient production, these Canadian innovators are tackling some of the food sector’s most persistent challenges, according to Dana McCauley, chief executive officer of the Canadian Food Innovation Network.
“These projects reflect the depth and creativity driving food innovation in Canada right now,” stated McCauley. “Each project brings a targeted solution with clear commercial potential, and together they’re helping build a smarter, more adaptive, and more resilient Canadian food sector.”
In Alberta, CO2Brew received $90K in funding to build its first commercial unit for an innovative carbon-recovery system tailored to craft breweries.
The system captures high-purity CO₂ from fermentation, purifies and stores it as liquid, and recycles it for reuse, reducing a brewery’s GHG emissions while providing a self-sufficient supply of beverage-grade CO₂.
“At CO₂Brew, we’re committed to creating a circular economy for craft breweries,” commented chief of operations Karen Ngo. “By capturing and reusing CO₂ from fermentation, we transform emissions into a valuable resource, helping breweries cut their carbon footprint while closing the loop on sustainability.”
The Calgary company secured pre-seed capital last year.
Localize Your Food garnered $53K to build a CFIA-compliant, pan-Canadian product-identity verification system powered by AI to authenticate origin and production claims in grocery stores.
“We founded Localize to make it easier for Canadians to understand where their food comes from and to help Canadian makers stand out on crowded shelves,” remarked CEO Meghan Dear “CFIN’s support accelerates that mission; it enables us to build technology that lifts Canadian manufacturers, empowers shoppers, and gives retailers the tools they’ve long been asking for.”
U Technology Corporation received $95K to validate BrightHarvest, a non‑destructive optical‑sensing system that extends the shelf life of fresh produce by up to 40%. Partnering with Sobeys, the team
will conduct combined in‑store and laboratory testing to quantify freshness gains for misted and packaged produce.
“We’re honoured to work with CFIN to support the demonstration of how our advanced lighting technology can help solve one of Canada’s biggest food challenges,” remarked Kam Hammad, CEO of U Technology.
And Revo Biochem garnered $100K to develop a fermentation-based production system for food-grade abscisic acid, a naturally occurring bioactive compound used in nutrition, functional
foods, and in agriculture.
“This project demonstrates Revo’s robust biosynthetic platform and a clear pathway to scale, enabling the production of high-quality biocompounds right here in Canada,” stated cofounder Vikram Dhaliwal.
“We are grateful for CFIN’s funding,” the COO continued, “as it will help accelerate our work to provide a dependable domestic supply of ABA for food and agricultural uses.”
The Canadian Food Innovation Network’s Innovation Booster program “brings together the creativity and expertise of Canadian innovators to tackle real challenges in our food sector,” says Melanie Joly, Minister of Industry.
“By investing in entrepreneurs and researchers in developing cutting-edge technologies and processes, we are strengthening Canada’s food supply chain and fuelling sustainable innovation across the industry,” the federal minister remarked.
CFIN received more than 70 applications from across the country for its 13th round of Booster funding.
In total, nearly 80 Canadian foodtech companies have received over $6.3M from Innovation Booster programs since CFIN was established in 2021.
Nationally, CFIN has awarded more than $21.5M to more than 100 Canadian foodtech projects.
CFIN is supported by Government of Canada’s Strategic Response Fund and Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program.
Leave a Reply