Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced more than $97 million under the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program. This funding will support 162 projects across Canada. Minister MacAulay made the announcement at Folly River Farms Limited, a 74-year-old family-owned dairy farm in Debert, Nova Scotia. The farm operation received $49,280 under the Adoption Stream of the ACT Program to purchase and install a solar energy system. This project uses solar energy to replace electricity from the grid, significantly reducing the farm’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  ..read more

After hitting a record $165 billion in food and beverage manufacturing sales last year, 2024 is expected to see sales moderate in sync with slowing inflation and tighter household budgets. Despite sector-specific headwinds and changing consumer shopping habits, the overall outlook is more positive. Population growth and stabilizing input costs are two reasons margin improvement is expected in 2024. “High inflation and interest rate increases over the past two years have put pressure on household budgets, leading to changes in consumer spending habits,” said FCC chief economist, J.P. Gervais in ..read more

An Ontario-based powdered milk manufacturer says it has the green light to start making baby formula. Canada Royal Milk in Kingston says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved its application to produce infant formula. The company says it always intended to manufacture the product, but was held up by an approval process involving both Health Canada and the CFIA that took nearly two years. Canada Royal Milk had complained about the lengthy process last year after a formula shortage in the United States spilled over into Canada as there were no manufacturers north of the border. The co ..read more

Join Manufacturing AUTOMATION, Plant and MRO on April 10 for an educational webinar on strategies for ensuring worker safety around constantly moving machinery. Manufacturing factory floors today comprise of a variety of machines in motion, including assembly lines, robots and AMRs, to name a few. However, working alongside these machines poses inherent risks. Understanding safety protocols is paramount. Industry experts Michael Wilson a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) and safety consultant at WSPS and Melissa Gould a CRSP, CHSC and CMSE and director of EHS for Linamar, will gu ..read more

Organized by Annex Business Media’s manufacturing brands, the event brought together industry leaders, professionals, and advocates to recognize the invaluable contributions of women in the manufacturing sector. Inspirational success stories of women excelling in various roles within the manufacturing industry were showcased, including the story of the keynote speaker, Anika Sawni, founder and chief brand officer of Grüvi. “No matter your role, how you got there, there’s always going to be moments where we are challenged, where we are pushed to our limits, and ultimately, we become more resili ..read more

Working with three of the world’s largest shipping companies, Nestle will move the equivalent of half of its global shipping needs to alternative, lower-emission fuels with immediate effect. By switching to cargo ships that use fuels made from waste, such as used cooking oil, the company aims to reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by around 200,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent ..read more

The  government of B.C. is contributing as much as $2.07 million through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, supporting three capital projects and one planning project, to help food and beverage manufacturers grow by upgrading equipment and facilities, while creating more than 125 new jobs. In Surrey, Dr. Ma’s Laboratories, which manufactures more than 800 natural health products, will receive as much as $1.25 million to establish a second processing facility and complete facility upgrades. Upgrades will accommodate scaling up and automation of production to meet increasing demand. The food ..read more

Natural Products Canada (NPC) invests $1.1 million in 11 products through its strategic Commercialization Programs.  The recipients represent a diverse range of sustainable, natural product innovations from industrial dyes and asphal to bioplastics and poultry feed. NPC’s contributions will enable a total of $3.1 million in strategic initiatives designed to help each client tackle the critical next step in their commercialization journey. The latest announcement includes start-ups and research institutes from across the country, including F&B-related companies such as AltaGreen, Climi ..read more

Photo: Gonzalo / adobe stock Canada’s food and beverage processing industry, like many other industries in the sector, is going through a transformation. A new wave of energy, innovation and creativity is crucial to driving this change. The force that can help drive this change is our youth – the next generation of thinkers, innovators and leaders. Youth are the catalysts to propel the industry into the newly charted territories of Industry 4.0 and sustainable practices, especially in the food and beverage processing industry With food and beverage being one of Canada’s largest manufacturing ..read more

Credit: Co-author Madeleine Milne doing research at the University of Toronto. A new study led by researchers at Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto found microplastic particles in 88 per cent of protein food samples tested. The samples were drawn from 16 different protein types destined for U.S. consumers. Protein types included store-purchased breaded shrimp, minced pollock, fish sticks, white Gulf shrimp (headless/shell-on), Key West pink shrimp (headless/shell-on), Alaska Pollock fillets (skinless), chicken nuggets, top sirloin steaks, pork loin chops, chicken breasts, plant ..read more