The Canadian Food Innovation Network is awarding more than $700,000 to eight food-tech projects through its Innovation Booster Program, the organization revealed this week, matched by industry funds for a total investment of nearly $1 million.
This round of capital targets applied AI solutions on the plant floor and across the food supply chain, according to a statement, as well as bio-technological innovations.
“Canadian food businesses are operating in one of the most demanding moments our sector has faced in decades,” says Dana McCauley, CEO, Canadian Food Innovation Network. “The companies in this cohort are building the kinds of tools that the industry needs to implement to become more productive, resilient, and self-reliant.”
“The strength and resilience of Canada’s food sector rely on our ability to innovate and adapt to new challenges,” posits Melanie Joly, Minister of Industry. “By supporting homegrown food-tech companies through the Innovation Booster program, we are helping Canadian businesses drive productivity, create high-quality jobs, and ensure a more secure and sustainable food supply for all Canadians.”
Among the recipients is one from Alberta.
CBS Bio Platforms attracted $100K for its project, “Scalable Enzyme-Assisted Production of Canola Protein for Affordable Food Systems.”
Through the project, CBSS Bio will scale and validate a proprietary enzyme-assisted process for recovering high-value canola protein ingredients from canola meal.
The project aims to optimize extraction efficiency, ingredient functionality, and manufacturing readiness while supporting the commercialization of Canadian plant-based protein technologies, according to manager of research and development Nadeem Akhtar.
“Innovation is about turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world solutions,” says Akhtar.
Rob Patterson, who serves as vice president of innovation and commercialization at CBS, says the project “brings scalable technology and commercial opportunity together to unlock the full potential of canola protein for high-value agri-food applications.”
More than 80 Canadian food-tech companies have received over $7M from CFIN’s Innovation Booster since 2021.
Across programs, CFIN has awarded more than $24M to 145 Canadian foodtech projects.
“Canada’s food innovators are developing cutting-edge technologies to strengthen our food processing capacity,” commented Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “To help build a future with More Canada, these nine projects will improve efficiency, allowing us to process more of what we grow, reduce our dependence on other countries, and drive economic growth across Canada.”
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