The Canadian Food Innovation Network has announced several investments under its Food Innovation. Challenge and Innovation Booster programs.  

Two of the Innovation Booster funding recipients work in the fruit and vegetable food chains.

-  COMPOSTABLE FRUIT LABELS: Ag-Tronic Control Systems Inc. (Lakeshore, Ontario) will receive $100,000 to finish the development of globally certified-compostable pressure-sensitive label materials (PSMs) as well as the final printed PLU labels.

-  ANTIMICROBIAL SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE: Groupe Foodarom Inc. (St. Hubert, Quebec) will receive $99,834 to develop and validate a solution composed of one or more natural ingredients with antimicrobial properties to eliminate multi-resistant fungal contaminants that are often found in concentrated fruit syrups and purees.

The Innovation Booster provides flexible and rapid support to Small or Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as they address food innovation challenges or technical hurdles that have created barriers to achieving their commercialization goals. 

“The CFIN funding will help us to prove that our newly developed compostable fruit labels will meet global compostable packaging standards and food safety regulations around the world,” says Derek Sorrell, operations manager, Ag-Tronic Control Systems Inc.

The Innovation Booster fund is open for submissions, closing July 7, 2022.

The Food Innovation Challenge has launched its second call for proposals, focusing on digitization and digitalization solutions that create safer, more secure, and more agile food supply chains with letters of intent being accepted June 1 to July 7, 2022. 

Applicants must be members of the Canadian Food Innovation Network. Membership is free and open to anyone in the Canadian food sector.

Source:  Canadian Food Innovation Network May 31, 2022 news release