CFIN awards $2.5M to eight foodtech projects
Summary
The program prioritizes projects focused on smart product and process development, food ecosystem sustainability, and agile and safe supply chains.The Food Innovation Challenge funding recipients are Theory Mesh ($1,287,025) and Vivid Machines ($810,920).TheoryMesh, Winnipeg, Man., is partnering with CubicFarm Systems Corp. and EcoDairy to create a traceable and transparent supply chain for beef and dairy. By connecting all the players and data points throughout the supply chain, consumers will be able to pull up sustainability data on grocery store products using a QR code and ensure the provenance of their food is verifiable at point of sale.Blockchain will be used to capture verifiable data at all points within the supply chain and machine learning will be used to optimize the supply chain for sustainability and ensure the quality and safety of consumer products.Vivid Machines, Toronto, is working with Algoma Orchard and Blue Mountain Fruit Company to create digital twins of orchards to better determine ideal harvest timings and ensure growers can meet the demands and needs of grocers and food processors. This added insight will also allow packhouses to offer better margins and end user pricing, while optimizing shipping, packing, and storage costs.This project will use a unique computer vision and intelligence system that collects and analyzes data across an entire orchard to digitize fruit crops in real time and create a more agile and transparent fruit supply chain.Liven Protein ($99,926), Rapid Aid ($99,471), Smallfood ($98,932), Earthware Reusables ($41,075), BioShur ($50,000), and Saltwinds Coffee Company ($57,681) are the recipients of the Innovation Booster funding.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.Liven Protein, Toronto, is upcycling food industry side-streams into animal-free collagen ingredients. Collagen ingredients provide functional properties and unique health benefits, which makes them highly valued in the medical, nutraceutical, and food industries. This project will explore how to scale the carbon capture system and will refine its composition and form for optimized long-term operation in industrial roasters.BioShur, Montreal, is scaling up the fabrication of a bio-based and backyard compostable cling food wrap film that can extend the shelf life of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, processed meats, and cheese by seven to 14 days.