Canada Invests C$50M in AI for Small Food Processors

Government funding supports automation and AI adoption in small Canadian food processors, boosting efficiency and innovation in plant-based manufacturing.

The Government of Canada is investing C$50 million in the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN), an industry-led not-for-profit that connects food businesses with funding, partners and technology. The money will help small and medium-sized food and beverage processors adopt automation, artificial intelligence and digital manufacturing systems. “We are helping Canadian food companies harness innovation, automation and AI to boost productivity and competitiveness” Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly announced the funding today in Peterborough, Ontario. It comes from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Strategic Response Fund and is tied to Canada’s National Food Security Strategy, which Prime Minister Mark Carney launched in June with C$3.2 billion in investments over 10 years. According to CFIN, it will put more than C$8 million generated through its own business activities toward its programs on top of the federal contribution. “Through the Strategic Response Fund, we are helping Canadian food companies harness innovation, automation and AI to boost productivity and competitiveness. Our investment in the Canadian Food Innovation Network will strengthen domestic processing capacity, support Canadian-made solutions and help ensure Canadians have access to a stronger, more affordable and more secure food system,” said Joly. CFIN expects the funding to reach more than 200 SMEs and to grow its national membership from over 9,500 to 20,000 through its online collaboration platform and targeted programming. The organisation projects that the program will facilitate up to C$200 million in follow-on investment, create around 300 new jobs and support more than 450 full-time equivalent positions. Since its founding in 2021, CFIN says it has supported more than 100 projects valued at approximately C$43.4 million, helped attract over C$140 million in follow-on investment and contributed to more than 200 intellectual property applications. The announcement covers the food processing sector as a whole, and CFIN’s earlier programs have regularly included plant-based, fermentation and cellular agriculture companies. CFIN will deliver the funding through Food 4.0, its plan to move processors onto Canadian-built automation, AI and digital tools while backing the domestic companies that develop them. “Canada’s food processors are working hard to keep prices in check, but many are doing it with equipment and systems that haven’t kept pace with their global competitors. Food 4.0 is CFIN’s plan to close that gap by helping manufacturers and processors adopt Canadian-made automation, AI and digital tools and by backing the homegrown companies that build them. With the Government of Canada’s support, we can help our food sector produce more here at home and compete with the best in the world,” said CFIN CEO Dana McCauley.

Read source: Vegconomist