Food 4.0
Catalyzing Food Sector Productivity to Bolster Canada’s Global Competitiveness and Economic Resilience
The Challenge Facing Canada
As Canadians face rising grocery costs and food manufacturers struggle to be profitable, business leaders are under pressure to find new ways to grow their food businesses and address key market gaps. Canada’s food sector is dynamic and comprised of innovative companies, big and small, aspiring to become more productive, competitive, and sustainable. Each segment of the industry brings its own exciting opportunities for growth. And at the Canadian Food Innovation Network, we support them all.
While there is a benefit for every size of company to embrace innovation as a key growth strategy, CFIN has identified small and medium-sized food enterprises (SMEs) as a key driver for Canada’s future. By supporting their growth, we can help strengthen our economy, create new jobs, and feed more people in a more sustainable way.
Canada’s small and medium-sized food businesses are full of potential, but most need more support to embrace innovation. Tight budgets and limited bandwidth prevent leaders in SME food companies from staying abreast of innovation and the high cost of importing foreign equipment and ingredients can make new solutions feel out of reach. Some businesses try to tackle challenges by adding more people, while others dive into implementing new technologies without the right tools or guidance. It’s not that they don’t want to grow and adopt cutting-edge innovation; it just isn’t always seen as accessible or practical for smaller businesses.
The opportunity is clear: innovation isn’t just a good idea, it’s a smart investment. When food businesses are equipped to push boundaries and explore bold ideas, the entire industry thrives. Innovation fuels progress, drives competitiveness, and positions Canada’s food industry to compete globally and build lasting resilience. CFIN wants to make it happen and we want you to be involved!
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Food 4.0 is CFIN’s proposed action plan to boost productivity, drive long-term industrial transformation, and spark innovation, especially for small and medium-sized businesses which are the largest segment of companies in food and beverage manufacturing and foodservice.
Our idea is simple: help SMEs level up to Industry 4.0 standards while de-risking large-scale innovation to make Canada’s food sector a model for the rest of the world. How? Encourage them to adopt innovation through funding, expert support, and deeper connections within the sector. For this plan to succeed, we’ll also help burgeoning foodtech innovators grow and scale, so more Canadian-made technology gets used here at home and around the world. The outcome?
More jobs
More investment
More homegrown solutions to food-sector challenges.
CFIN’s Food 4.0 Action Plan builds on Canada’s strengths - such as our talent, tech, and tools - while creating new opportunities for learning, collaboration, and growth across the entire ecosystem.
By embracing smart technologies, food businesses will have the opportunity to modernize production, expand domestic capacity, respond more quickly to change, and adopt more flexible, efficient ways of working. But the path forward isn’t the same for every business. Not all food companies are at the same stage of digital readiness, and that’s a starting point we understand.
To drive meaningful and lasting change, CFIN will meet companies where they are, understand their unique challenges, and create practical, step-by-step plans that support progress at a pace that’s both financially and operationally realistic. When we recognize that one size doesn’t fit all, we make innovation more inclusive, more sustainable, and ultimately more successful for everyone.
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Canada needs an economic growth strategy that prioritizes sectors with existing economic significance and considerable untapped potential. Food is one of them—deeply tied to national prosperity, security, and sustainability, yet largely absent from Canada’s core innovation agenda.
The food sector is a vital part of Canada’s economy, culture, and everyday life. It contributes over $145 billion to the national GDP and provides more than two million jobs across the country, from value-added ingredient production to processing plants to grocery stores. As one of the world’s leading food exporters, Canada plays a crucial role in global food security, ensuring a stable, affordable food supply at home and in other countries. The sector also supports rural communities, offers opportunities to lead in sustainable practices that protect our environment, and is critical to maintaining Canada’s industrial and skills capacity in times of economic or crisis pressure. More than other businesses, food businesses in Canada connect people, reflect our diverse cultures, and shape healthier futures for all.
Strengths & Opportunities
Canada is already a global food powerhouse, ranked 7th in the world for the size of our food and agriculture exports. And momentum is building.
However, Canada currently ranks 11th in global food sector competitiveness, showing there’s a clear opportunity to do better. With our rich resources, skilled talent, and strong entrepreneurial spirit, the pieces are there to leverage the sector as a strategic industrial advantage for Canada’s long-term economic resilience.
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Ingenuity & Skill
A surge of innovators are translating research excellence into transformative solutions.
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Innovation Ecosystem
Rapid growth in foodtech, supported by expertise in AI, biotech, and advanced manufacturing.
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Robust Support
Access to Accelerators, non-dilutive funding, R&D facilities and materials, services, and technical partners.
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Established SME Base
Over 4,500 small and medium-sized food processors are driving activity across the food sector
Opportunities Ahead
Connect the Dots
There’s a clear opportunity to better link SMEs, startups, researchers, and service providers to accelerate innovation.
Fuel Growth
Food sector business leaders are actively seeking new growth strategies and are ready to adopt innovative products and solutions that will help them stay competitive, adapt to global trade pressures, and diversify into new markets.
Scale Impact
Canada knows how to build startups, but scaling them successfully is where the gap lies. By supporting collaboration and investment—and by advancing large-scale R&D, commercialization, and technology adoption initiatives—Canada can transform small businesses into economic and global leaders.
The bottom line?
The ingredients for increased success are already in place; now it’s about combining them with the right recipe to unlock the full economic potential of Canada’s food sector.
What is Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 is transforming the way we make and move things. Often called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, this globally embraced goal is all about bringing smart technology into manufacturing and industrial operations.
Think of tools like the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics; working together to make factories and supply chains more connected, efficient, and adaptable. That’s the promise of Industry 4.0.