Canada has an extensive range of research centres, food incubators, accelerators and labs supporting food and beverage innovation through the research they do and/or the services they offer. Each week throughout 2023, we’ll be highlighting an organization that’s supporting food innovation in Canada.
Location: Charlottetown, PEI
Mission: To support food and beverage companies with customizable services that add value at any stage of a product’s path to market.
Focus: Canada’s Smartest Kitchen is a food product development centre specializing in moving projects from concept to commercialization. It is also the research division of the Culinary Institute of Canada and an NSERC Technology Access Centre.
Services: The centre offers food product development services, market insights, sensory and consumer studies of products, food styling, quality control and product analysis, and corporate chef services. The facilities offerings include a demonstration kitchen, smart boardroom, sensory lab, research and development kitchen, and photo studio.
What you need to know: The centre’s proprietary “Smart” process for food development includes a strategic business review, market assessment, accelerated concept ideation, research and development, and technical scale up.
Notable News: Chef Jennifer Bryant, a food product developer at Canada’s Smartest Kitchen, was named Chef of the Year in 2022 by the PEI Canadian Culinary Federation.