Watch a 4-minute interview with David
Sparling, Chair of Agri-Food Innovation and
Regulation at Ivey, on the food processing
industry in Canada
With
diet-related health concerns on the rise,
there’s a need to bring healthier food and
beverages to market, but red tape, high costs
and a lack of resources often stand in the way.
David Sparling, Chair of Agri-Food Innovation
and Regulation at Ivey, has been surveying
Canadian food processors about what innovations
have been made to date and what they will need
to meet their goals and become more innovative
and competitive in the next 10 years. Results
will be released at the upcoming
Food Industry Innovation Forum at the Metro
Toronto Convention Centre on May 12. The Forum,
launched in conjunction with SIAL Canada, a
global food trade show, will bring together
representatives from Canada’s food and beverage
processing industry, academia and government to
discuss how to develop an innovative strategy
for food innovation in Canada.
Sparling will use personal response systems
called “clicker technology” at the forum to
enable participants to further weigh in on what
innovations are needed to make the sector
stronger.
“Things need to change. We need to have
healthier food products than we’ve had in the
past. Society is demanding that,” he said.
“Efforts are being made to make healthier
products but the rising Canadian dollar is
putting pressure on food processors in terms of
costs and there’s competition from all around
the world.”
Initial results from his surveys show government
regulation, access to capital and, in some
areas, access to people, are all barriers to
food processors.
For more information on the forum and survey,
please visit
Agri-Food
@ Ivey.
