Six Canadian CFIN FoodTech Success Stories
Canada’s food demand is rapidly growing domestically and internationally. A combination of increasing population rates and climate volatility now puts increasing pressure on Canada to produce food faster. Revolutionary food technology is necessary to meet this growing demand through automation of processes, cutting down production time and ensuring efficiency.
The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) is a national organization which focuses on food innovation across the Canadian food sector. CFIN recently awarded $516,959 in funding to six food technology businesses in Canada. Through its Innovation Booster stream, the program helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to meet their food innovation objectives.
The eligible project funding is between $20,000 to $200,000, with CFIN funding 50% of the full project cost. Intake 3 opens October 9th, 2023, and closes November 16, 2023.
Six Canadian Projects Receiving CFIN Funding
Six Canadian Foodtech projects were funded this year through the CFIN program. These CFIN projects aimed to improve processes, reduce emissions, and introduce new technology within the food industry.
Project: Pilot Coating Line
This project was awarded $100,000 in funding to the Impactful Health R&D organization. The project focuses on developing sustainable packing using their underlying technology, ActipackTM, which can also prioritize increasing the shelf life of food products and reduce waste. CFIN funding will help this project test their products and conduct more pilots.
Project: Automated Farm-To-Table Lifecycle Assessments
With $96,358 awarded in funding, CarbonGraph Inc. automates lifecycle testing of the environmental footprint created when manufacturing food products. The funding will help generate high-quality lifecycle assessments.
Project: Universal Food-Safe Dispensing Mechanism for Food Makelines
Cibotica Inc. is focused on a robotic salad maker technology, where customers can create salad bowls through a dispenser. The $90,741 funding will help increase the accuracy, speed, and safety of the automated salad dispensers.
Project: Innovating the Global Food Distribution Supply Chain
Freshline’s B2B e-commerce platform was funded $83,908 for building technology that will allow food distributors and retailers to transact online transparently and quickly.
Project: A Novel Process to Create Plant-Based Fish That Flakes
New School Food Inc. was funded $80,526 for created a technology which will create meat alternatives. Funding supports their first product – a plant-based salmon which is a close match for real salmon.
Project: Experimental Validation and Verification of a Novel Blanching Process – Harnessing the Full Potential of Direct Steam Injection
ABCO Industries Inc. is working to develop a more efficient and effective food blanching and steaming process. They have been awarded $64,926 to incorporate existing fans and digitize all controls to create a more sustainable blanching process all controls in order to create a more sustainable blanching process.
Project Eligibility
The CFIN program is designed to support Canadian food and beverage businesses that are looking to improve the industry through research and development, innovation, and new product development. To qualify for funding from the Innovation Booster Stream, an eligible project’s research and development must fall into one of three categories:
- Smart Product and Process Development;
- Food System Sustainability; or
- Agile and Safe Supply Chains.
Applicants must be Canadian businesses with less than 500 full-time employees. Applicants should also generate less than $50 million in taxed revenues from the past fiscal year and be incorporated for more than one year or be a limited liability partnership (LLP). Applicants must also be a CFIN member.
CFIN Funding: A Food Technology Innovation Catalyst
The CFIN program recognizes innovative new ideas in the food industry. Funding can support businesses as they meet project goals, increase productivity, overcome any financial hurdles, and build a strong foundation in the market. If your business in the food sector and is looking for funding support, apply for Intake 3 this October 2023!
“Canada’s food sector is home to innovative companies that are transforming the way we produce, process, package and deliver food. These co-funded investments will bring Canada’s worldclass foodtech sector to new heights and accelerate the deployment of novel processes to drive more efficient supply chains.”
– The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in Canada.
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