Future of Food

Mark McEwan Roger Mooking

One of the first jobs that I had was in a restaurant in Buffalo, New York called Mindy’s Wine Cellar. At a very young age, I saw the inner workings of a restaurant and found it to be such a pleasurable place to be. I got to experience good food being cooked, interesting clients, and interesting drinks coming off the bar.

After that, I continued to work in restaurants while in school, but I said to myself one day, “Why don’t I take a year off and book into a hotel, start an apprenticeship program, and see if I like it?” And I got involved and never looked back. I found myself immersed in it.

The pandemic has forced my business to pivot in a bunch of ways. We’ve focused a lot of our efforts on growing our retail business through e-commerce and home delivery. We recently partnered with INABUGGY to launch a 3D virtual shopping portal — a first of its kind in Canada. The portal enables customers to visually shop for groceries, enhancing engagement for McEwan Fine Foods shoppers and beyond. We’ve also broadened our food offerings and have worked hard to make them diverse and interesting for our clients. The pandemic certainly opens your eyes and imagination as to what you might need to do to survive. You can’t be complacent. You have to keep reinventing.

Culture is the framework for any endeavour. We enter every situation with our cultural roadmap as a guiding principle. My family is filled with and embraces so many nationalities, and I draw on this dynamic reference point in all aspects of my culinary career. Whether I'm testing or developing recipes, travelling with an inquisitive spirit, or working on marketing campaigns, I bring an open and inclusive mindset showcasing how dynamic and powerful our world is. Selecting, preparing, and sharing a meal is very intimate and every tradition has its own practices. Embrace new experiences, enjoy, and keep an open mind.

Twist

are travellers. We've had to take significant measures to protect those who still need to travel for a variety of reasons. We've done this through the implementation of additional safety and cleaning protocols, social distance separators, removing tables for additional social distancing, contactless menus, reducing the number of menu items, and staffing appropriately for the unpredictable number of customers at the various stages of health and safety mandates. It’s like being on a rollercoaster in a tornado with the knowledge that one day the storm will pass.

How did you get your start cooking?

I was born Italian and into a food-obsessed family. My earliest memories are about food, which was always front and centre in our home. As a result, you learn from seeing your mom and Nonna prepare those great family Sunday pranzo or lunches. So, on some level, food was always part of my childhood and upbringing and is where I learned from osmosis or just being in the environment.

Travel is an integral part of what food means to you. How have you adjusted to the lack of travel during the pandemic?

Over the course of the last 10 years I have, on average, travelled 20 weeks of the year, so the pandemic was quite the adjustment. Being home and spending that much time without

having to hop on a plane was a nice change of pace, which also inspired my kids to pick up a camera and begin filming us cooking. That inspired us to create Dolce Homemade our latest series filmed right from our home. The other exciting opportunity that came up for me as a direct result of being home from the pandemic was the decision to create a new venture, David Rocco — Bar Aperitivo, a cicchetti and aperitivo bar opening in Yorkville this summer. I’ve always said, “If I ever opened a restaurant, it would be an aperitivo bar.” This new project will be a small bar serving vino, prosecco, Negroni, and spritz, and little bite-sized snacks to go along with your cocktail. It’s how my wife Nina and I would eat in Italy when we lived and worked there.

BLACK FOODIE is a versatile digital media platform and agency that celebrates and explores Black food culture. We love storytelling and using food as a channel to explore themes like identity, culture, history, and more. Our interactive content leaves our community feeling seen, represented, and empowered to explore our recommendations.

We change the global conversation around Black food culture by centering Black voices. At BLACK FOODIE, we create content, events, and campaigns that bring joy to our community and help us preserve Black food traditions and we’re not afraid to address the many ways racism plays out

in the food world. We’re committed to creating opportunities and making space for our community.

How can Canadians support local Blackowned food businesses?

Have an open mind and be ready to try something new. There are so many new flavours, dishes, and ingredients to try. I encourage folks to also think outside the takeout box.

Now more than ever, we need to support our local Black-owned restaurants, but there are plenty of other tasty and easy ways to support Black-owned food businesses. Try buying Black-owned food products, shopping at your local Black grocery store, and hiring Black caterers.

Publisher: Sierra Nardella Business Development Manager: Julia Colavecchia Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Content and Production Manager: Raymond Fan Designer: Lauren Livingston Web Editor: Karthik Talwar

Front cover photos courtesy of The McEwan Group, Align Creative Minds, Francesco Lastrucci, and Reynard Li. All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited.

What sparked your passion for food and can you tell us a bit about how you got into the food industry?

How has the pandemic forced your business to pivot?

Tell us about BLACK FOODIE and your focus on changing the global conversation around Black food culture.

How has culture played a role in your culinary career?

As a restaurateur, how have you adapted to the massive shift in dining habits since the pandemic started?

by Roger Mooking is inside of Pearson International Airport and our customers

David Rocco Eden Hagos

How Food Banks Reduce Food Waste and Support Canadians in Need

Each month, food banks across the country help hundreds of thousands of Canadians living with food insecurity because they can’t afford the nutrition they need. More than a third of those relying on food banks are children, and nearly half are from single-person households.

Food Banks Canada is the national charitable organization that represents the food bank network across the country. The charity collaborates with more than 750 affiliated food banks, 4,001 food agencies, and 10 provincial associations to feed Canadians.

Leaders in food recovery and transformation

According to the National Zero Waste Council, almost 2.2 million tons of edible food are wasted each year, costing Canadians more than $17 billion.

Food recovery is a significant and important part of Food Banks Canada's mission to relieve and prevent hunger. In the past 10 years, the charity has recovered more than 1.4 billion pounds of food from retailers, manufacturers, growers, and processors.

For four decades, food banks have been valuable solution partners in helping the food chain reduce waste and transform food. Through its National Food Sharing System, Food Banks Canada acquires fresh, nutritious, and good-quality food to share with its network of local food banks.

Many of Food Banks Canada’s affiliate food banks also run innovative food transformation programs. The UHC: Hub of Opportunities in Windsor, ON takes surplus agricultural foods to make nutritious soups, Harvest Manitoba recently expanded its Urban Agricultural Program to provide dehydrated, protein-rich soups across the province, and Loaves & Fishes Community Food Bank in Nanaimo, BC runs the Food 4U Food Recovery program, providing meals to those in need across Vancouver Island.

The role of partnerships in moving the needle One of Food Banks Canada’s most innovative partnerships is with The For GOOD Foundation, a charitable organization that sources manu-

facturing and food opportunities at no profit or discounted rates, and then develops high-quality food. It works with Food Banks Canada to deliver that food to those in need.

Another critical partnership exists with policymakers. Each year, Food Banks Canada publishes research, analysis, and recommendations to reduce hunger and poverty, with an emphasis on advocating for government policy and legislation changes. These findings are used by government parties, academia, and members of the public interested in making a real difference.

Response to the COVID-19 crisis In the early days of the pandemic, food banks across Canada saw a massive surge in visits. They faced unprecedented challenges, with reductions in volunteers, shortages in food supply due to disruptions in the supply chain, and a decline in public donations. New public health protocols meant food banks had to adjust quickly to provide PPE and implement new guidelines and processes to deliver food safely to those in need.

Food Banks Canada’s COVID-19 Response Fund was established to help community organizations recover from the challenges of the pandemic. One initiative was securing food and volunteers to prepack nutritious hampers that were sent to food banks across the country. Another was redistributing food destined for restaurants (which was left unsold due to supply chain disruptions) to food banks across the country. Looking ahead, the organization hopes the pandemic was a lesson that new, permanent income support models and other social policies need to be implemented so Canadians can be food secure.

Learn more about how Food Banks Canada is relieving hunger today and preventing hunger tomorrow at foodbankscanada.ca

This page was sponsored by Food Banks Canada.

Melissa Vekil

Helping Canadians Stay Connected Through Food Is at the Heart of Everything at Gay Lea Foods

It goes without saying that the last year or so has been difficult, to say the least.

Life as we knew it completely changed and our day-to-day lives became very different overnight.

But some things improved for the better. Many of us are spending more time at home with our families and loved ones. And we're spending a lot of our time in the kitchen, cooking and eating delicious food. Baking decadent goodies is something we are still doing a lot of, too. How great is that?

As you may have experienced in your homes, connecting with each other over good, homemade food is making a comeback. And recently, when I discussed this with Mike Renton, our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, he told me that, “People are connecting over food – either in-person or virtually – like never before.”

As a proudly Canadian dairy processor, that’s something we need to watch closely.

We have a captivated dairy audience right now and an opportunity to connect with our customers in a way we haven’t seen in a very long time.

“We have the undivided attention of our customers right now,” says Renton. “It’s important for us to tune in.”

Spreading comfort and joy

As a Canadian brand and a co-operative that’s been around since 1958, now owned by over 1,400 farming families in Ontario and Manitoba, we know that paying attention to our customers is a top priority. That’s how we’ve become who we are today and that’s how we will continue to win the hearts of our customers.

We’ve listened closely and they’ve told us what’s important. No shortcuts to quality. Access to real foods. Supporting local. Reputable business practices. They care about our co-operative’s values and they hold us to them.

products that they didn’t even know they wanted until they tried.

One example is our newly relaunched IVANHOE NOTHING BUT 100% real, dehydrated Canadian cheese snack. It’s real food, made in a thoughtful way, that’s delicious and meets their needs.

We learned that people are looking for a healthy alternative and an on-the-go snack. They need fuel for their adventures and their busy lifestyles. Snacking is big these days, especially as people get out and explore more. So, we launched the snacks in three varieties – Cheddar, Smoked Gouda and Monterey Jack with Red Bell and Jalapeno Peppers –because cheese is just that good.

Putting community first “Concern for Community” is one of our co-operative values and a driving force in why we do what we do. It’s not just who we are. It’s ingrained in our roots as a co-operative.

We truly operate with a “Born on the Farm” mentality and the farming families in our co-operative are part of the communities that we constantly aim to nurture, grow and support.

But community goes far beyond our dairy farming community. We are aware of the urgent needs of people around the world, so in 2014, we created the Gay Lea Foundation, dedicated to supporting education, poverty relief, co-operative development and community well-being projects in our communities and in developing countries around the world.

We are deeply committed to nurturing the communities in which we live and operate and have tried to do our part to both celebrate them and be there in times of need.

products, we also know that it’s the uniqueness of some of these products and our innovations, that keep them coming back for more.

In fact, we recently released our new line of premium specialty butters and the response from our customers has been overwhelming. We’ve even received letters from our customers letting us know how it’s blown them away.

“Our customers are paying attention to how we innovate and the industry is taking note too,” says Renton. “Just last year we launched a line of specialty butters that feature a depth of flavour and texture simply not achievable with regular butter. Somehow we made butter better!”

revolutionary

Building and connecting communities is how we started this co-operative and it’s truly at the heart of everything we do.

Innovate now

At Gay Lea Foods, we’re fortunate to have many dedicated and loyal customers. While we know they’re drawn to us because we are 100% Canadian and offer delicious and honest dairy

And, instead of launching one variety, we launched eight: Grass-Fed (unsalted & salted), Sea-Salted, Bakers Gold, Organic (unsalted & salted), Farmhouse and Garlic Parsley.

We also recently won the “Best New Dairy Product” award from the Retail Council of Canada’s 28th Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards gala for this line. We couldn’t be more proud.

Innovating and helping to foster a thriving Canadian dairy industry is really important to us and we’re happy to be doing our part.

Connection

It’s true. Our story began in 1958 when a group of farmers came together with a common vision to build a better future for themselves and their communities. But our story continues to unfold.

Along the way, we’ve learned that staying connected to our farmers, our customers, and the dairy industry as a whole is a recipe for success. And, over the past year, we’ve also learned that maintaining those connections is important now more than ever.

So, thank you for supporting us over the last 60 years and especially during the last few. We look forward to connecting with you, innovating for you and listening to you in the years to come.

article was sponsored by Gay Lea Foods.

Photo courtesy of

Michael Barrett

Gay Lea Foods, a Canadian co-operative around since 1958 and owned by over 1,400 farming families in Ontario and Manitoba, is innovating and helping to foster a thriving Canadian dairy industry. Here’s how.

Mike Renton Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Gay Lea Foods

Michael Barrett President & CEO, Gay Lea Foods

Canadian Chicken Farmers Deliver on Animal Care All Day, Every Day

An animal care program that gives Canadians peace of mind

The program is the only one that is applied across every chicken farm in Canada, and boasts a strong set of program requirements, mandatory regulations, third-party audits, and enforcement measures.

The program is based on a code of practice that was developed through the National Farm Animal Care Council. It takes place under a committee structure, which has diverse stakeholders representing government, farmers, animal welfare advocates, food processors, transporters, veterinarians, researchers, restaurants, and retailers. Public consultation is also part of the process.

Canadian chickens are raised in climate-controlled barns where they are free to roam and have unlimited access to food and water.

Visit letstalkchicken.ca to learn more about the Canadian chicken sector’s progressive approach to animal care.

Chicken and chickpeas just aren’t comparable. Understanding different sources of protein and how they affect the body is essential.

If you’re striving to eat well, a good understanding of protein is essential. All proteins aren’t created equally, so it’s important to understand your protein options and to make sure that your choices are healthy ones.

25g of protein

Canada’s Food Guide recommends filling a quarter of your plate with a protein source, and considering that the average Canadian requires about 25 grams of protein per meal, lean meats like chicken make nutritional sense.

Visit chicken.ca to learn more about the different types of protein and how to make sound nutritional choices.

Canada’s chicken farmers follow some of the strictest regulations in the world when it comes to caring for their birds.

Many Canadians are surprised to learn that every single chicken farmer in Canada is mandated to follow a national animal care program that enforces strict standards for the care and handling of chickens.

Tania Amardeil

The Canadian Chicken Industry's Leap Toward Sustainability Excellence

In 2017, Chicken Farmers of Canada launched its first life cycle assessment of the Canadian chicken value chain to measure the environmental and social performance of Canadian chicken production.

The results highlight 40 years of continuous environmental improvement. From 1976 to 2016, the carbon footprint of Canadian chicken decreased by 37%. The carbon footprint of chicken is lower than other North American livestock.

There has been a 37% decrease in nonrenewable energy consumption and a 45% decrease in water consumption since 1976. Of the energy it takes to raise a chicken from gate to plate, 63% comes from renewable resources.

The Canadian chicken industry is an important part of the Canadian economy, contributing over $8 billion to Canada’s GDP and paying $1.9 billion in taxes annually. The industry sustains over 101,000 jobs across the supply chain.

Chicken Farmers of Canada works hard to ensure that over 2,800 farmers in every province across the country produce the right amount of fresh, safe, high-quality chicken to meet Canada’s needs.

Over 90% of Canadian chicken farmers pay their workers a salary above the provincial minimum wage and about 70% offer their employees additional benefits.

Visit letstalkchicken.ca to learn more about the Chicken Farmers of Canada’s unique, holistic approach to sustainability.

Raised by a Canadian Farmer : What It Means and Why It Matters

Almost 84% of Canadians want to know what country their chicken comes from, but only 54% currently do. The vast majority (over 91%) believe that it's important that Canadian chicken be labelled as such. The fact is that Canadians want Canadian chicken.

Chicken Farmers of Canada’s mandatory and third-party audited animal care and food safety programs are now encompassed by the Raised by a Canadian Farmer brand. The brand represents the Canadian chicken industry’s commitment to sustainability excellence.

Chicken Farmers of Canada is encouraging restaurants, retailers, and processors to sign on to the brand and to include the logo on their products and menus.

Visit chicken.ca to learn more about Canadian chicken and why you should make sure that any chicken you purchase has the Raised by a Canadian Farmer label.

Canada’s chicken industry has a refreshing success story to tell with respect to sustainability and protecting the environment.

The Raised by

a Canadian

Farmer brand

is an important marker that informs Canadians about the origin and quality of their chicken.

Canadian consumers care about sustainability. They want to know where their food comes from and that the work behind producing it is sustainable in every sense: environmentally, economically, and socially. And our country’s chicken farmers deliver.

Tania Amardeil

Tania Amardeil

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHICKEN FARMERS OF CANADA.

KFC's Legacy Continues in 2021, Founded on Quality and Innovation

Canada’s favourite Finger

Lickin’ Good quick service restaurant has a proud history of quality and innovation, and its ongoing success is a testament to finding a recipe for success and sticking with it.

High-quality chicken and timeless recipes you can count on Kentucky may be a southern state, but the chicken you get at KFC Canada has a local postal code. KFC serves 100 percent Canadian farm-raised chicken, free of added hormones or steroids, delivered fresh to KFC restaurants throughout the week. Their partnership with Chicken Farmers of Canada’s Raised by a Canadian Farmer program highlights their commitment to serving only the highest quality chicken.

Our signature taste, quality, and affordability are at the centre of everything we do and purchasing locallysourced Canadian ingredients will always be part of our value equation.

“Consumers expect transparency in where their food comes from,” says Nivera Wallani, President and General Manager of KFC Canada. “Seeing this logo on our menu provides our guests with the reassurance that KFC’s chicken meets highly strict auditing guidelines and policies around sustainability, animal care, and food safety.”

KFC’s chief recipe — chicken that’s handbreaded by real cooks using the same 11 herbs and spices that have defined the company for generations — is another source of pride

for the restaurant. “Our success is a direct result of staying true to our founder’s original way of doing things,” says Armando Carrillo, Food Innovation Manager of KFC Canada.

“The Colonel had a manifesto called the hard way, which today we call the right way. It’s about being committed to quality and not cutting corners for convenience.”

Continuing a history of quality and innovation

KFC’s high-quality ingredients don’t end with its chicken. The company proudly uses high-grade ingredients with no artificial flavours or colours, including the highest-quality, Canadian-grown canola oil for frying and Canadian-grown and milled wheat that’s also packaged in Canada.

“Our signature taste, quality, and affordability are at the centre of everything we do and purchasing locally-sourced Canadian ingredients will always be part of our value equation,” says Wallani. “Supporting local helps to grow

From Sourcing to Packaging, KFC Is Leading the Way in Sustainability

— is helping to protect our planet.

the Canadian economy, ensure food quality and safety, and reduce KFC’s carbon footprint.”

While KFC is famous for its Original Recipe chicken, they are also well-known for their bold innovations, like their Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich. What makes their innovations successful are that they are grounded in the brand’s authentic identity and attention to quality while pushing the boundaries of consumer trends in unexpected and attention-grabbing ways. Take for instance PlantBased KFC, which sold out within six hours when first introduced in 2019.

“Plant-Based KFC was specifically developed in response to Canada’s evolving tastes and preferences,” says Carrillo. “It’s intended for those looking to try the Colonel’s famous taste in a plant-based, on-the-go, meat-free meal. Just as our chicken is 100 percent Canadian farm-raised, we’re proud that our plant-based sandwich is made by Lightlife in Canada.”

Protecting t he planet is one of KFC's core values, and over the last several years the company has made great strides in lessening its environmental footprint. From how it sources its ingredients and packaging materials to food-saving initiatives and energy-efficient operations, KFC’s impressive efforts in sustainability are leading the industry and setting a positive example for other quick service restaurants.

It all starts with ethical sourcing and great partners

“We’re on a continuous journey to lessen our environmental footprint and believe that, as one of the largest global restaurant brands, we can make a tremendous impact in our local communities and globally,” says Nivera Wallani, President and General Manager of KFC Canada.

KFC’s strict ethical sourcing standards starts with their ingredients. In addition to sourcing 100% Canadian chicken, their wheat is also Canadian-grown and milled, and packaged here in Canada. The bags in which the flour is packaged are also ethic-

ally sourced, and KFC uses only 100 percent Canadian-grown, crushed, and packaged canola oil.

“With over 25,000 restaurants across 145 countries and territories, we can make a tremendous impact in positively affecting the communities in which we operate. But we can’t do it alone,” says Wallani. “Partners are a critical part of the journey — from suppliers to franchisees to guests.” KFC’s partners can all trace their products down to the specific farmers growing the seeds.

KFC also takes food waste extremely seriously and donates its surplus chicken to charities within its local communities through its Harvest program.

A commitment to reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging KFC’s focus on making its packaging recoverable (recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable) and reusable is another major area where the company is leading the Canadian industry in change. KFC Canada recently announced that by 2025, all consumer-facing packaging will be fully home compostable, and the first home compostable bucket will begin piloting this year. This bold commitment will divert nearly 200 million

pieces of packaging from Canadian landfills each year.

“We’re the first quick service restaurant to make this commitment and we hope it encourages our peers in the industry to follow suit,” says Wallani. “Together, we’ll be able to have the greatest impact across the industry and our Canadian communities at large.”

KFC has been leading the industry in sustainable packaging since 2019, when it removed all plastic straws and bags from its restaurants. The company has also committed to sourcing 100 percent of its fibre-based packaging from sustainable sources by 2020.

KFC continues to honour its roots of sourcing high-quality ingredients and developing food innovations to meet the evolving preferences of Canadian consumers.

KFC’s impressive and growing list of sustainable practices — from ethical and local sourcing to environmentally-friendly packaging

This page was sponsored by KFC.

KFC’s ongoing innovations and commitment to high-quality ingredients are just part of the company’s famed history. You can learn more about KFC’s food commitments at kfc.ca/food

KFC is working hard to inspire its industry peers and make a difference. Follow KFC’s sustainability journey at kfc.ca/ environment

Tania Amardeil

Tania Amardeil

Nivera Wallani President & General Manager, KFC Canada

Armando Carrillo Food Innovation Manager, KFC Canada

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN CANADA COMPANY.

Digital Smart Labels™: What They Are and Why You Need Them

The retail landscape is changing rapidly in North America, with tech-savvy consumers demanding more from their shopping experiences — and grocery stores are no exception. Consumers want seamless convenience, impeccable customer service, and engaging experiences. Digitization plays a big role in this, and Danavation’s Digital Smart Labels™ are leading the way in reimagining grocery stores.

The smart new tech that's disrupting the grocery industry

Digital Smart Labels™ are micro e-paper displays that enable companies across various sectors, including grocery retailers, to automate their labelling, pricing, product information, and promotions in real time. The unique innovation is a product of Danavation Technologies Corp.™, a leading Canadian tech company that provides Digital Smart Labels™ to organizations across North America.

Digital Smart Labels™ are small but mighty. This state-of-the-art technology, driven by cutting-edge IoT automation technology and proprietary software developed by Danavation, is modernizing the grocery store landscape and disrupting the market. In boosting sales, cutting costs, engaging shoppers, and enabling quicker responses to competitor activities, Digital Smart Labels™ are well on their way to shaping the future of grocery.

Importantly, modern customers increasingly expect such experiences — ones that are seamless, convenient, and highly engaging.

Giving customers a convenient, beneficial, and engaging experience

Digital Smart Labels™ allow grocery retailers to give customers an enhanced shopping experience. More and more, customers are using this concept of experiences to differentiate between stores, brands, and products — when grocery shopping, they’re not just buying food anymore, they’re buying an experience. Grocers should consider how they can provide shoppers with experiences that teach and enrich them, making their lives better and easier.

“You can add things like augmented reality and QR codes to Digital Smart Labels™,” says John Ricci, Founder and CEO of Danavation. “For example, you could allow customers to scan a wine label and see a drone view of the vineyard, the grapes, and the wine-making process. Now they’re not just buying the wine — they’re buying the experience.”

Other details that are important to consumers can also be displayed on Digital Smart Labels™, including information about ingredients or dietary preferences, product reviews, in-store promotions, cross-promotion, and more.

Digital Smart Labels™ offer multiple benefits for grocery stores

Digital Smart Labels™ also increase grocers’

operational efficiency and free up employee time, so staff can focus on product education and offering valuable customer service — much more high-impact tasks than switching out labels manually. “You’ve got smart people working for you. Have them do things that are important to you rather than menial tasks,” says Ricci.

Digital Smart Labels™ sync with grocers’ ERP and POS systems, offering unprecedented speed and accuracy and vastly improving in-store efficiency and productivity. This cuts costs while also generating sales — an incredible boon for grocery stores, where profit margins can be low. Digital Smart Labels™ also allow grocers to avoid costly mispricing errors, to improve store organization and inventory control, and to streamline labour workflows.

Collaboratively Meeting Plant-Based Food Demand

Global demand for protein is growing, but it’s also changing. Consumers want foods that are convenient to make and eat, yet that still meet their health and nutrition needs while prioritizing environmental sustainability.

Plant-based foods and ingredients can meet those expectations. The global plantbased food market is expected to reach $250 billion by 2035. Canada, with its diverse crop selection and near-global market access, is in a prime position to supply at least 10 percent of the food and ingredients needed to meet that demand.

How Canada can meet global demand To get there, however, capital needs to be raised, infrastructure built, partnerships formed, and new ingredients and products developed.

“We really need to think about developing our innovation economy, creating a better line of sight between our ingredient manufacturers and consumer packaged goods companies, improving access to capital, and focusing on creating products that consumers enjoy eating,” says Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel.

Protein Industries Canada is helping move these actions forward through a variety of initiatives. One is by building collaboration within Canada’s plant-based food, feed, and

Catit Insect Protein Cat Food Is Revolutionizing the Pet Care Industry

Cats are carnivores, but traditional meat production emits more carbon than cars do. Using insect protein, Catit is revolutionizing cat food manufacturing.

Anne Papmehl

As carnivores, cats need animal protein for optimal health. But traditional meat production emits more carbon than cars do when you account for the impact of livestock feed. With nearly 500 million domestic cats on the planet, some pet food companies are reducing their ecological pawprint by substituting beef and chicken protein with sustainable insect protein.

Montreal-based Catit is one of them. Its Catit Nuna premium cat food comes in two flavours — Real Chicken and Atlantic Herring — and is made with up to 92 percent sustainable protein. That includes a generous measure of grubs.

Super healthy and sustainable protein High in protein, low in carbs, and easy to digest, these superfood insects are dried and ground into a fine nutritious flour before being mixed into a kibble recipe.

Each grub contains protein, vitamins,

omega 6 fatty acids, phosphorus, zinc, and other minerals. Catit Nuna is also rich in taurine — an amino acid that’s essential for a cat’s vision, digestion, heart muscle function, and immune system. Nuna is free of any corn, soy, rice, wheat, antibiotics, or growth hormones. The balance of Catit Nuna’s dietary fibre and protein content has a positive impact on stool quality and helps cats preserve good gut health.

New range of sustainable products, including recyclable packaging

By offering consumers a revolutionary dry cat food that's easily digestible and highly palatable, Catit offers cat lovers a chance to make a difference to the health of the planet.

Insect farms save vast amounts of arable land, save on water consumption, reduce carbon emissions substantially, and can even upcycle waste by consuming unused cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

Catit Nuna bags are made from low-

ingredients sector through its Technology and Capacity Building co-investment programs.

What’s been accomplished so far By combining forces, innovative companies throughout Canada are developing new, sustainably produced plant-based foods and beverages. Featuring protein ingredients made from Canadian-grown crops, these products are designed to taste better than their predecessors while meeting the convenient, environment-friendly standards consumers around the world are looking for — all of which is easier to accomplish thanks to the feedback loop created by collaboration, from farmer through to food manufacturer.

To learn more about how companies along the plant-based food, feed, and ingredients value chain are helping meet the growing demand for new products, visit proteinindustriescanada.ca/projects

This article was sponsored by Protein Industries Canada.

density polyethylene, which is fully recyclable. The company also recently launched its new Catit Go Natural line of plant-based cat litter. The line of cat litter, which is made from FSC-certified leftover lumber from sustainably-managed forests and through the recycling of empty pea husks that would otherwise get discarded.

Tania Amardeil

Digital Smart Labels™ are transforming the grocery shopping experience and giving grocers a cost-saving and efficient way to engage consumers.

This article was sponsored by Danavation Technologies Corp.

This article was sponsored by Catit.

Get in touch with the team at Danavation today to learn about how Digital Smart Labels™ can transform your grocery store by visiting danavation.com/ contact

John Ricci Founder & CEO, Danavation

Miranda Burski

Protein Industries Canada, an industry-led Supercluster focused on driving growth within Canada’s plant-based food, feed, and ingredients sector, is helping Canada meet global demand for this sector.

Bill Greuel CEO, Protein Industries Canada

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANAVATION.

Although we've faced so many difficulties during this pandemic, we as Canadians haven't had to face any systemic food supply shortages.

Although there were challenges, most Canadians never had to worry about a lack of food at the grocery store. This was due to the hard work and dedication of farmers, agri-food employees, food processors, retailers, truck drivers, and many more. In other words, while the food supply chain was tested, it remained fairly resilient.

In fact, according to the 2020 Public Trust Research Report released by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, 87 percent of consumers trusted that the food system would ensure the availability of healthy food for Canadians.

Most of us can consider ourselves fortunate, but that doesn’t mean we can be complacent. We must look toward the future to find new ways to reinvigorate our economy, embrace our obligations for environmental sustainability, and ensure that everyone has access to safe and nutritious food.

Canada boasts one of the most robust greenhouse produce sectors in the world. In Ontario alone, we have one of the highest concentrations of greenhouses in North

America, with over 220 farmers growing delicious food on over 3,300 acres. That’s over 2,500 football fields! When you consider that a greenhouse can yield over 20 times more per square metre, with less water and fewer inputs, all enabled by hightech production — especially compared to traditional field methods — you quickly realize how vital greenhouse vegetable production is to our resilient, prosperous, sustainable, and equitable future. Every year, Ontario greenhouse vegetable farmers grow over 476,000 tons of produce that feeds Canada and the world.

will showcase a broad scope of talent, with increasing demands for more S.T.E.M.based positions focusing on biosecurity, engineering, food safety, and robotics.

As technologies improve, greenhouses will become even more efficient, improving on their energy and water usage.

Canada boasts one of the most robust greenhouse produce sectors in the world.

The majority of Ontario greenhouses already utilize water recycling systems and many farms have incorporated cleaner energy sources such as solar power.

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Ontario alone, we have

Looking toward the future, the Ontario greenhouse produce sector is embracing new innovations in lighting and automation. Coupled with the protective environment of a greenhouse, this gives farms the ability to grow food 365 days a year and gives Canadians reliable fresh local produce all year long.

With these new technologies and longer growing seasons come new careers, adding to the over 13,000 people currently employed by Ontario’s greenhouses. These new careers

Growers continue to innovate on packaging, ensuring the safety of products while also addressing the need to significantly reduce plastic waste.

Developments such as a fully compostable pulp molded trays and 100 percent compostable cucumber wraps are some of the changes that are already being utilized.

Our growers take pride in what they do and together we'll re-build a province that we'll all benefit from and be proud of.

This article was sponsored by Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers.

Visit greenhousegoodness.com to learn how Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers is addressing what Canadian consumers want from their food — vegetables that are grown with the future in mind.

In

one of the

est concentrations of greenhouses in North America, with over 220 farmers growing delicious food on over 3,300 acres.