The Partnerships
The promise of an emerging, potentially $12.5 billion a year industry in cellular food is driving CFIN to create new opportunities through partnerships in this field. Recent research has shown that cellular agriculture – the science of creating food ingredients and products through precision fermentation and cell cultivation -- could support up to 86,000 jobs in Canada by 2030.
To help raise awareness and grow understanding of the potential of the cellular food opportunity, CFIN worked with New Harvest and CULT Food Science on food innovation-focused communications initiatives. This includes New Harvest’s participation in CFIN’s 2023 Virtual Experience – Cultivating Success: Canada’s Big Biomanufacturing Opportunity. This documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look into Canada’s cellular food industry and how we’re well-positioned to become a global leader in this space. . This documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look into Canada’s cellular food industry and how we’re well-positioned to become a global leader in this space.
CULT Food Science, CEO Lejjy Gafour, participated in a panel discussion on technology and food industry innovation last fall, hosted by CFIN Chief Experience Officer Dana McCauley. These thought leadership efforts supported CFIN’s 4th Food Innovation Challenge call -- Cultivating a Resilient Food Future: Developing the end-to-end Cellular Food Capacity for Canadian Global Leadership. The call received requests for more than $6M in CFIN funding and winners will be announced in late September.
Meet The Partners
CULT Food Science, Vancouver BC: CULT Food Science Corp. is the first publicly-traded company of its kind in North America, pioneering the investment, development, and commercialization of cellular agriculture technologies and products. Through its global portfolio of companies and its venture studio, CULT Food Science provides investors with unprecedented exposure to the most innovative start-up, private or early-stage cultivated meat, cell-based dairy, and other cultured food companies around the world.
New Harvest, Edmonton AB: a global non-profit organization founded in 2003, anchored in Canada, US, and the Netherlands focused on building the field of cellular agriculture. New Harvest’s field building efforts through funding critical research and multistakeholder work has catalyzed over $2B in follow-on private investment and $20 million in follow-on public research dollars. New Harvest, through New Harvest Canada, is focused on building a uniquely Canadian cellular agriculture ecosystem, beginning with the establishment of the country’s first Institute of Cellular Agriculture at the University of Alberta.
The partnerships with these two organizations are part of CFIN’s ongoing efforts to stimulate a wide range of innovation across the Canadian food sector. It’s proactive activities and collaborations in cellular food are contributing to CFIN’s rapidly growing reputation as a thought leader in this field in Canada.
Market Adoption/ Global Opportunity
Cellular food represents a brand-new area of opportunity for the food industry in Canada and around the world, from makers to marketers. Research has shown that the market potential in Canada for this new category of products is significant, but education and awareness – like the activities stemming from innovative CFIN partnerships – will be critical to building market share and acceptance.
CFIN, New Harvest and CULT Food Science’s efforts to establish Canada as a leader in cellular food are contributing to the groundwork for the country to be a significant player globally for exports of these products as well as associated technology and expertise.