What you can't measure, you can't improve—that principle is transforming operations at Tony's Meats. With the installation of a new real-time monitoring system to its Nova Scotia processing facility, the family-owned meat processor and fixture in Atlantic Canada's food sector for over 50 years, can now track water use and emissions sources throughout their facility, helping identify and address inefficiencies that were previously invisible.
For Atlantic Canada's food sector, sustainability initiatives like these go beyond business, it's personal, inspired by the region's deep connection to land and sea. Here, the connection between food systems and environmental vulnerability is not an abstraction, but part of daily life. As fishing communities adapt to warming ocean temperatures and farmers navigate unpredictable growing seasons, manufacturers across the region like Tony's Meats are reimagining established processes to support the landscapes and producers that their businesses depend on.
Among the sector leaders driving this transformation is PEI-native Tyson MacInnis, Regional Innovation Director for Atlantic Canada at the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN). Drawing on decades of experience as both an entrepreneur and advisor, Tyson is helping local food businesses convert their environmental aspirations into actionable change.
Identifying the Need for Sustainable Practices
Despite mounting consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, increasing pressure from regulators, federal commitments to net-zero emissions, and an internal desire to make improvements, many companies struggle to take meaningful steps toward sustainability. Tyson has seen these challenges firsthand: smaller businesses (which constitute 98% of Canada’s food sector) often lack in-house expertise or dedicated sustainability teams, while others face financial constraints that limit their ability to invest in new technologies or conduct comprehensive environmental audits. For many, resource inefficiencies and waste streams remain invisible, making it difficult to identify the best starting point.
“What stands out to me is how committed these businesses are to improving. They’re ready to innovate but often lack the resources or the roadmap to begin,” Tyson explains. “My role is to help them find that starting point, whether it’s connecting them to funding opportunities or facilitating partnerships that give them the tools to move forward."
Planning Foodtech Atlantic: A Platform for Collaboration
Eager to harness a growing enthusiasm for sustainable innovation, Tyson spearheaded Foodtech Atlantic, an event designed to unite food innovators, sustainability experts, and industry leaders under one roof. Collaborating with partners like Ignite Atlantic, F&B Atlantic, NS Department of Fisheries, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Tyson and the group created a program that offered practical insights and actionable advice for businesses eager to embrace new innovations and processes in areas like emissions reduction, sustainable packaging, and upcycling.
“We didn’t just want to put on a conference. The goal with Foodtech Atlantic was to create something that gave businesses clear takeaways and new connections they could act on immediately,” Tyson says. “That’s where the real impact happens.”
The event was a showcase of regional success stories like RFINE Biomass Solutions and Smallfood, startups at the bleeding edge of food innovation. Foodtech Atlantic also aspired to connect Atlantic Canada businesses to sustainability experts and service providers, enabling attendees to forge partnerships that extended far beyond the regional business ecosystem.
Join the Community!
Facilitating Cross-Regional Partnerships
In the months following Foodtech Atlantic, CFIN announced a new funding program for Atlantic Canada. Unpuzzling: Greening Your Food Manufacturing Operation Program, with support from ACOA, helped companies in Atlantic Canada pursue projects alongside sustainability experts from throughout Canada specializing in energy efficiency and waste management. “Our goal is open up new possibilities for change,” Tyson says. “When we connect businesses in the Maritimes with local and national expertise, we’re helping them solve their specific business problems while simultaneously building a stronger, more innovative national food sector”
These partnerships have already yielded measurable results. For instance, through Unpuzzling funding and connections made via CFIN, Benjamin Bridge Winery is working with consultants to create a sustainable operations plan focused on aligning the winery with its newly minted status as a certified B Corp.
"Tyson supported our goal to audit and analyze our business' energy and emissions through the Unpuzzling funding,” says Keltie MacNeill, Benjamin Bridge’s Director of Sustainability & Community Engagement. “We were able to hire a local engineering firm specializing in sustainability (EastPoint) to help understand our emissions and bring clarity to what initiatives would be most impactful, including our new bag-in-box wines that are 60-90% more eco-friendly than traditional glass bottles. We now have a tool to track our own data and a better understanding of what is truly sustainable.”
Driving Long-Term Change
Tyson views Foodtech Atlantic and the Unpuzzling program as more than one-off initiatives, but rather part of a broader effort to embed sustainability into the fabric of the Atlantic Canadian food sector. By connecting businesses with the right partners and resources, Tyson is helping them achieve both environmental and economic goals.
“Every company we support becomes part of a larger movement,” he says. “When businesses prioritize more sustainable practices, it strengthens not just their bottom line but also pushes the industry as a whole to iterate and improve.”
Looking ahead, Tyson plans to build on this momentum with future events and initiatives that deepen collaboration and expand access to sustainability expertise. His vision is clear: a thriving, interconnected food innovation ecosystem that benefits all of Canada.
“There’s an eagerness in the food sector to rethink how things are done,” Tyson says. “The drive to innovate and build more sustainable practices is inspiring, and it’s rewarding to help turn that energy into real progress.”
Join the Community!