Category Archives: processing

Food processors get a kick start

Pict4 - webBy Jeanine Moyer for AgInnovation Ontario

Toronto – With nearly 20,000 new food products introduced to the market each year, consumers have a lot of choice.

Each new product represents countless hours of hard work perfecting the product, conducting market research, meeting regulatory requirements and making critical business decisions.

Food Starter is a new venture that provides a launch pad for the discovery, creation and success of new food products and companies in Toronto, ON.

Launched in 2015, Food Starter is a hands-on incubator program for entrepreneurs who want make a breakthrough in the food market. The 20,000 square foot facility provides access to shared production and packaging facilities, business advisory services and a structured training program to help entrepreneurs build and grow their food processing business. Continue reading →

DNA testing chicken meat will ensure consumers get what they pay for

DNA Laboratory - webBy AgInnovation Ontario

Toronto – When you go to a restaurant for an expensive dinner, you expect that you’re going to get exactly what you ordered.

But what if the restaurant or its supplier substituted your sword fish for a cheaper product like tilapia and didn’t tell you? The products might be similar in taste and appearance, leaving you misled about what you really paid for.

The same problem can exist in poultry. Consumers and importers expecting to purchase fresh chicken raised by Canadian farmers could potentially be deceived into buying meat from older laying hens (called spent fowl) that are a by-product of egg production.

While birds called broiler chickens are raised for meat consumption and are the product most frequently found in meat counters, spent hens will also be processed once their egg laying productivity declines. Their meat, which can be tougher and stronger tasting, is used for processed products like soups, patties, nuggets, or deli meats. Continue reading →

Ontario Craft Brewery ramps up production with Growing Forward 2 funding

This story comes to us from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Wellington Brewery - Brent Davies

Wellington Brewery – Brent Davies

Guelph – Time is always in short supply when you run a business. It’s something Brent Davies always seems to run out of. He’s vice president and co-owner of Wellington Brewery, so finding the time to look into funding opportunities just never seems to rise to the top of his priority pile.

“When you are a small company, and trying to do everything, you just don’t have the manpower to investigate funding options,” says Brent. “But after successfully accessing three cost-sharing projects through Growing Forward 2, I would encourage other small business to find the time. It’s a well-run program and worth the effort.” Continue reading →

The other “big oil”

Soy 20/20 logoThis article is from Soy 20/20, one of the AgInnovation Ontario partner organizations.

By Lisa McLean for Soy 20/20

Montreal – The majority of vegetable oil consumed in Canada comes from the two main oilseed crops grown here: soybeans and canola.

But industry’s grip on the exact dimensions of Canada’s vegetable oil market has been slippery at best – due to a host of complicating factors.

Now, new market research sheds some light on the size – and potential – for Canada’s oilseed sector. Continue reading →

New centre to build local food economy in Eastern Ontario

Building from outside - webBy Lilian Schaer for AgInnovation Ontario

Northumberland County – A new food hub in Eastern Ontario is opening for business and local officials have high hopes about what it might accomplish for the region.

The Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre (OAFVC) will boost rural, food-based entrepreneurship and offer local training opportunities to help keep people in the area, says Northumberland County’s agricultural manager.

The state of the art centre, which is available for rent by the day or half day, is fully equipped with the technology needed to add value to raw agricultural products – from flash freezing and cold pressing to canning, short term cold storage, and hot kitchen recipe development. Continue reading →