The Canadian Food Innovation Network is funding five food-tech startups, the national support network revealed today.
CFIN is funding the five startups through its Foodtech Next Program, which the organization describes as a “unique funding opportunity for early-stage Canadian technology firms who seek to be part of, or sell to, the wider food industry.”
“By investing in the development and commercialization of cutting-edge agri-food solutions, we are strengthening Canada’s food supply chain, supporting sustainable economic growth, and creating high-quality jobs for Canadians,” posits federal minister Melanie Joly. “This funding will help ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of global food innovation.”
The Foodtech Next Program allows companies to demonstrate and pilot “Food 4.0″ projects in operational environments to prove the validity of solutions and validate return on investment for the food sector, with an overarching goal to accelerate the commercialization of Canadian innovation.
“These five projects demonstrate Food 4.0 in action,” believes CFIN chief executive Dana McCauley, pointing to “industry-led innovation that is reshaping how food is processed, packaged, and shared.”
“Each solution tackles real-world challenges with tremendous potential to scale,” the CEO stated.
This round, CFIN is investing a total of $1.2M, including $250K into one project based in British Columbia.
The B.C. project is being headed by FoodPM, a division of Univerus Development Platform Software, with Fritter House noted as a partner.
The project, titled “Piloting Sub-Vertical Manufacturing Software for Agile Canadian Food Processors,” will see UDP pilot FoodPM, an AI-powered platform designed to digitize and optimize food processing operations.
At the core of FoodPM is is an intelligent manufacturing resource planning engine that works alongside a customizable learning system to improve inventory control, production scheduling, workforce training, and regulatory compliance—and, being built specifically for Canada’s food processors, the system also integrates CRM, food safety documentation, HR and payroll, and end-to-end supply chain tools.
“At UDP Software, we are thrilled to be building FoodPM into a world-class food manufacturing ERP,” remarked Terry Ridyard, who serves the company as COO.
Canada’s food processors “face unique challenges in productivity, compliance, and labour,” Ridyard says, “and our vision is to equip them with intelligent tools that not only solve today’s problems but also position them for the future.”
UDP’s is pilot “represents an exciting step toward redefining how Canadian manufacturers harness data, automation, and AI to drive efficiency, reduce waste, and remain globally competitive,” according to the COO.
Founded in 2021, CFIN has over 7,000 members from across the food value chain. The organization is supported by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund and the Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program.
To date, 18 projects have secured over $4.2M in funding through Foodtech Next.
Across all funding programs, CFIN has awarded more than $22M to 108 Canadian foodtech projects.
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