It’s been another hectic (and exciting) two weeks for food innovators! From groundbreaking industry reports and funding announcements to a fresh batch of eye-catching job postings, here is everything you need to know about.
Highlights from this edition include:
💡 CFIN’s inaugural Foodtech in Canada 2025 Ecosystem Report
💰 Nova Scotia expands its precision fermentation hub with $1M investment
🛠️ New food innovation jobs at Maple Leaf Foods, Loblaw, and Earth’s Own
🧠 The fascinating story of how refrigeration reshaped our entire food system
Let’s dive in!
CFIN Publishes Foodtech in Canada 2025 Ecosystem Report
It has arrived! This week, CFIN released our inaugural Foodtech in Canada 2025 Ecosystem Report, offering the most comprehensive overview of Canada’s foodtech ecosystem to date. The report outlines the Canadian foodtech sector’s growth and investments between 2014 and 2024, as well as its key challenges and opportunities ahead.
Nova Scotia expands precision fermentation hub with $1M investment – Vegconomist
The Government of Nova Scotia is investing $1M CAD to expand The Verschuren Centre’s fermentation plant—enhancing automation, increasing capacity, and creating skilled jobs. This move strengthens Canada’s position in precision fermentation and will support a new training program in partnership with local colleges.
How Calgary-based startup Knead tackled the NFL draft’s food waste with software – BetaKit
Discover how Calgary-based Knead Technologies helped redistribute 100,000 pounds of surplus food at the 2024 NFL Draft and recently closed an $800K pre-seed round. Knead’s platform connects food donors with food rescue organizations and has already rerouted over 2 million pounds of surplus food to those in need.
Program Info Sessions for CFIN’s Innovation Booster and Foodtech Next Programs – Applications open late February
Join Alex Barlow, CFIN VP of Programs for two Info Sessions, one for the Innovation Booster on Feb 24 and another for Foodtech Next on Feb 25, to learn about our latest funding calls and have your application questions answered.
Discover all the F&B industry opportunities and events on the horizon over on CFIN’s Events Page!
Here’s a few cool new food innovation jobs that caught our eye:
New Platform Innovation Manager – Maple Leaf Foods – Mississauga, ON
Food Scientist - Agri-Food Innovation – Loblaw Companies Limited – Brampton, ON
Director of Food Technology – Earth's Own Food Company – New Westminster, B.C.
Have an open position you’re looking to fill? Be sure to post it on the Food Innovator Career Hub!
Catch up on some of this week’s top YODL highlights…
Product Development Experts - Please reach out!
Seeking plant-based protein powder manufacturer
Intellectual Property Essentials for Food Innovators – Webinar Recap
If you’re hungry for some additional food for thought, here are some podcasts, books, and videos that we've been enjoying lately.
🎙️ Forever Fresh – Radiolab
This Radiolab episode features Nicola Twilley, author of 📖 Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, for a fascinating conversation on the science of cold, the secret to fruit’s "eternal youth," and why the humble salad bag might be the unsung hero of modern grocery stores.
📺 Is Canada’s food system broken? – TVO
Featuring Food Cycle Science CEO, Bradley Crepeau, this short TVO documentary explores Ontario’s food waste problem, and profiles the community organizations, local businesses, researchers, and municipalities that are working to tackle food waste while improving food access.
Do you have something worth including in our next Friday Food Innovation Roundup? Reply to this post to let us know about your news, events, or job openings!
Thanks for reading!