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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.
Mission: FIRSt is a Technology Access Centre that supports the food and beverage sector with research and development services.
Focus: The lab works with clients to troubleshoot product development challenges and help bring new ideas to market.
Services: FIRSt helps companies with recipe and product development; product validation and support through consumer sensory research, focus groups and in-plant trials and pilot testing; and testing and compliance services such as shelf-life validation, nutritional analysis, and review of claims, regulatory issues and packaging. The centre specializes in:
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Dips and spreads
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Soups and sauces
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Baked goods and mixes
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Carbonated and alcoholic beverages
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Snacks such as protein bars
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Frozen desserts and ice cream
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Coffee and tea
What You Need to Know: The team at FIRSt includes food scientists, chefs and industry professionals. The 4,000-sq.-ft. facility features a test kitchen, factory-scale processing equipment, and a quantitative sensory testing facility.
Notable News: The centre has worked with a wide range of Canadian food and beverage companies, including Aware Beverages, Healthy Crunch Company, Imago Foods, and NONA Vegan Foods.