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50 Food and Beverage Programs – Roundup

Canada is home to a diverse and dynamic food and beverage industry, supported by educational programs that train the next generation of chefs, brewers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. This roundup highlights 50 standout programs across the country, from top culinary schools and hospitality management courses to cutting-edge research initiatives and sustainability-focused training. Whether you're an aspiring professional, educator, or industry enthusiast, these programs provide valuable insights into the evolving world of food and drink in Canada. BC & Yukon Vancouver Community College UBC BCIT LaSalle College (Vancouver) UBC: Food, Nutrition, and Health Okanagan College Vancouver Island University University of Fraser Valley Northern Lights College North Island College Yukon University Selkirk College Thompson Rivers University Kwantlen Polytechnic University Prairies Saskatchewan Polytechnic University of Alberta University of Saskatchewan University of Manitoba SAIT NAIT Manitoba Institute of Trades & Technology International College of Manitoba Ontario Niagara College Humber College Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa George Brown College Fanshawe College Brock University University of Guelph Toronto Metropolitan University Loyalist College Georgian College Conestoga College Durham College Centennial College Canadore College Algonquin College Trent University St. Lawrence College St. Clair College Sault College Lambton College Confederation College Quebec McGill University LaSalle College Bishop's University Atlantic Canada University of PEI Memorial University Cape Breton University

Community ManagerMar 13, 2025

50 Food & Beverage Programs - Vancouver Island University

Crafting a Career in BC ’ s Wine Industry: VIU ’ s Wine Business Program The Wine Business program at Vancouver Island University is a comprehensive one-year certificate course designed for those passionate about pursuing a career in the BC wine industry. The program combines practical experience with academic learning in viticulture, wine business practices, marketing, and tourism. Program Highlights: As a student, you ’ ll have the chance to immerse yourself in hands-on experiences at local vineyards and wineries, gaining insights into the entire winemaking process. This practical foundation is then complemented by academic courses in viticulture, wine business practices, marketing, and tourism. A standout feature of this program is its flexibility. Whether you ’ re looking to study full-time for a year or prefer a part-time option spread over two years, VIU has you covered. Located in picturesque Nanaimo, BC, VIU provides an ideal setting for your wine education journey. With a curriculum designed to integrate viticulture essentials with business acumen, VIU ’ s Wine Business program offers a holistic understanding of the wine industry. Students can also earn credits that can be applied toward a Bachelor of Business or a Hospitality and Tourism Management program, opening doors to a wide range of future career prospects. The program includes seven courses and focuses on the broader aspects of the wine industry. In addition to viticulture and winemaking, students delve into wine marketing, exporting, and the vital role of wine tourism. C ourses cover a wide spectrum, from wine marketing and appreciation to beverage theory and the management of wine tourism. The program also offers elective courses in consumer behavio u r, entrepreneurship, and festival management . What You’ll Leave With: Upon graduation, a world of opportunities awaits you in BC ’ s wine industry. Whether you dream of managing a vineyard, excelling in wine s ales and marketing, or even opening your own restaurant, VIU ’ s Wine Business program provides the knowledge and skills to make your wine-related ambitions come true. Career options span winery/vineyard management, retail sales, wine marketing representation, hotel management, culinary arts, a gri - tourism development, and s pecial events coordination. V ideo/Social / Media : VIU YouTube Video

Community ManagerAug 6, 2024

Cellular Food in Canada

The past few years have proven how susceptible Canada’s food industry is to world events, supply chain disruptions and climate changes. New food production technology, such as cellular agriculture, has the potential to alleviate some of these challenges, while creating commercial opportunities and building a more sustainable, resilient food system. What is it? Cellular food – also known as engineering biology, synthetic biology or cell-cultivated products – is the production of food and textile products without using animals or land. Cell cultures harvested from animals, plants or micro-organisms are grown in the lab through tissue engineering or precision fermentation to produce: Cultivated proteins such as chicken, beef and seafood Fermented products like dairy, eggs, honey and chocolate Ingredients to add to products to create hybrid foods including proteins, enzymes, flavour molecules, vitamins, pigments and fats Textiles such as leather, silk and wool Why you should care As global population continues to grow, so does demand for protein, while access to land and other resource inputs become more scarce. Alternative agriculture could be an answer to food scarcity, concerns about animal and environmental welfare, cost inflation and resource challenges due to climate change. Compared to conventional agriculture, cellular agriculture production, is much less energy intensive, produces less greenhouse gas emissions, and has a much lower overall carbon footprint. With our strong food infrastructure, reputation for food safety, biotechnical expertise, and federal support for alternative protein production, Canada is well positioned to become a leader in cellular agriculture. The 2021 report Cellular Agriculture: Canada’s $12.5 Billion Opportunity in Food Innovation from Ontario Genomics and the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley found that the international cellular agriculture market will reach US$100 billion by 2032. Canada’s food industry has the potential to take $12.5 billion that market, while creating up to 142,000 high-paying jobs. Opportunities in Canada Engineered plant proteins are already in the Canadian market, and by all estimates, precision fermented products are expected to appear before cultured meat products. Current Canadian regulations consider food produced through cellular agriculture as a novel food, and products are approved on a case-by-case basis. Here are a few Canadian start-ups making headlines: Because Animals – This Toronto-based pet food company uses cultured ingredients such as probiotics and nutritional yeast to create nutrient-rich cat and dog food designed to help digestive issues. Future Fields – Edmonton, AB-based Future Fields is a R&D producing growth media products that can be used to create commercialized cultivated proteins in a safe and sustainable manner. Cell-Ag Tech – Toronto’s Cell-Ag Tech is doing R&D on cell-cultured fish and seafood. New Harvest International non-profit research institute New Harvest , which promotes the science behind cultured meat through research, funding and a conference , now has a Canadian branch.

Community ManagerJan 2, 2024

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Member Picks – Isabelle Marquis

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . In the past we’ve highlighted what CFIN staff are reading, listening to, and posting about. This time we’re checking in with CFIN member and YODL collaborator Isabelle Marquis to uncover a few of her favourite picks. Isabelle Marquis is a nutritionist, food marketing and innovation expert . According to Isabelle, “F ood is not just at the heart of my work; it’s a passion. Simply said, I’m very curious and love every aspect of food: what it’s made of, where it comes from, what it tastes like , what’s the story and history behind it , what we can do with it, who’s processing it and selling it, how and why . F or me, each food product is like a little miracle . H ealth and sustainability are of particular in terest for me these day s.” What are you reading? Climate changes being a great concern, I’m trying to learn and understand what got us to this point and what can we do about it, individually and collectively. The Carbon Almanac is a great reference to gain knowledge as well as tools and motivation to be part of the solution. Another great book I just started is What your food ate . I have always believed that the way we grow food and raise animals influence their nutritional value. With the rise of health issues in populations all around the globe, scientists are digging into this more and more, and it seems like my intuition was right! I predict that the nutrition facts table we present on food packaging today will change in a few years to better reflect the reality. One last pick, lighter this time: l’Encyclopédie du chocolat! I LOVE chocolate, real top-quality chocolate. I have a bunch of books about chocolate and this is one of them. When I have time to spare, I grab one of my books and read a couple pages about the history, the techniques, or a recipe. All this, of course, while enjoying a piece or two! What are you listening to? Most of what I listen to is in French (my mother tongue). The podcast On s ’appelle et on déjeune , hosted by my colleagues and friends Catherine Lefebvre and Bernard Lavallée, is always fun to listen to. It’s a 30-minute relaxed yet very thoughtful conversation between two friends that reflect on anything related to food. When I’m in my car, if I don’t listen to music, I like to listen to Moteur de recherche , a radio show that tackles all sorts of questions about consumption, technology, science, environment and health. I love when questions come from kids and teenagers . They are so clever and curious at that age! M usic is by far what I prefer to listen to. When I want to change my mind, relax, sing, or dance, I put on classics from the 19 30s to the ‘ 60s . Who are you following? I’ll be honest, I lack time to regularly follow people and companies. One organi z ation that attracts my attention these days is Team for th e planet . If groundbreaking, audacious innovations are your cup of tea, you want to follow these guys! And why not participate in one of their project s? Besides that, entrepreneurs like Helle Bank Jorg e nsen , Sébasti e n Angers , Guil l aume Cantin , and my colleague Linda Montp e tit are great inspirations. What are you watching? Because I watch my computer screen all day, I try not to spend too much time in front of a screen when my work is done. I prefer to watch the birds flying around in my backyard ! We are lucky to have many species living in the area, and I find it funny and interesting to discover their habits or even their personality (yes, birds have a personality). And when I watch TV, I like to watch shows about design or National Geographic and BBC documentaries . Finally, here are two of my favourite food movies: the Pixar classic Ratatouille , and the brilliant French movie Delicious . What are you posting about? In the past year, I have mostly posted about the events I have participated in or the interviews on innovation I do for CFIN each month called Parlons d’innovation . (Note to myself: I should make time to post more often!) When I have the time, I like to share a fresh look at a news or an interesting initiative, like that of the Dutch supermarket Jumbo , which dared to go against the grain by setting up "slow" checkout lanes. Have a story you want to tell us? W ant to get more involved with CFIN? Contact one of our Regional Innovation Directors .

Community ManagerAug 25, 2023

CFIN Funded Projects: One Year Updates – Henry's Tempeh

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . CFIN has provided funding for many projects over the past two years. Now we’re catching up with the Canadian companies leading CFIN-funded projects to chat about how their innovations have advanced in the year since funding. In this video Tyson MacInnis, CFIN's Regional Innovation Director for Atlantic Canada, talks with Jason Jurchuk, president of Kitchener, ON-based Henry's Tempeh, to discuss the company's progress in creating an automated incubation system.

Community ManagerAug 24, 2023

50 Canadian FoodTech Resources – TransBIOTech

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . Canada has an extensive range of research centres, food incubators, accelerators and labs supporting food and beverage innovation through the research they do and/or the services they offer. Each week throughout 2023, we’ll be highlighting an organization that’s supporting food innovation in Canada. Name: TransBIOtech Location: Levis, QC Mission: TransBIOtech is a multisectoral research centre that helps small and medium-sized business es innovate by providing access to cutting-edge expertise in biotechnology. Focus: The centre’s research professionals in chemistry, biochemistry, biology and pharmacology help companies manage and carry out the various steps of a project . Services: TransBIOtech has a $16-million, state-of-the-art laboratory and a newly renovated, federally approved animal facility at its applied research and technology transfer cent re . As well as project management and f inancial support, it offers R&D and technical expertise in immunology, mass spectrometry, analytical chemistry and biochemistry, microbiology, cellular biology, animal models, and bioanalysis (ADME) to create solutions for natural and nutraceutical products, biopharmaceuticals, pre and probiotics, cosmeceutic al s , and digital health. What you need to know: The centre is a member of several professional and sectoral associations, including BIOQuébec , ADRIQ, CTAQ, BIOTECanada and BIO.org . Notable News: TransBIOTech has collaborated with companies such as Bio-K+ , Feldan Therapeutics , BD Canada and SiliCycle . Get Involved: Contac t TransBIOtech at info@tbt.qc.ca or (418) 833-8876, or reach out to our Regional Innovation Director for Quebec Julie Daigle .

Community ManagerAug 23, 2023

Let’s talk innovation: Packaging innovation, beyond design and functionality

Welcome to Let’s Talk Innovation with Isabelle Marquis, a French-language video series covering all areas of food innovation. Today, Isabelle speaks with Stéphane Crevier, Vice-President, Brand Strategy and Growth, at Pigeon, about innovation in packaging. Packaging was long considered an expense, but that is clearly no longer the case. New materials and new technologies now allow brands to tell their stories and establish an ongoing, dynamic relationship with their consumers.

Community ManagerAug 22, 2023

IN 30: Packaging Innovations

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . Sometimes, all it takes is 30 minutes to learn the ins and outs of new food technologies and trends that are transforming the food and beverage industry. In this series, we’ll dig into a food innovation topic and link you to content and resources so you can become a master on the topic in 30 minutes (or less!). This week, we’re looking at packaging innovations designed to reduce plastic waste and extend shelf life. The Overview YODL - Innovation in the circular economy of plastic packaging I nnovative packaging solutions continue to be introduced as alternatives to trad itional plastics, to reduce landfill waste , and to lessen the impact on the environment. Mintel – Global Packaging Trends for 2023 The macro-environmental factors impacting the packaging industry in 2023 and beyond. YODL - From biowaste to sustainable packaging Lobster shells left over from processing are being used to create a biopolymer that can be incorporated into environmentally friendly packaging with antimicrobial properties. YODL - Plastics Packaging Innovation – Nine Strategies Transforming the Food Industry Today Design interventions and innovative approaches that are more in line with circular economy principles and evolving recycling systems. YODL - Packaging Misconceptions Unwrapped The consumer conscience is shifting in favour of sustainable packaging , affecting purchase decisions. The Canadian Connection YODL – The Canada Plastics Pact The Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) is an independent, not-for-profit organization working with Canadian businesses, policymakers, associations and NGOs to create a circular economy for plastic packaging by 2030. YODL – Copol International North Sydney, NS-based Copol International Ltd. manufactures cast polypropylene film for the flexible packaging industry, mostly for food packaging and often for high heat applications such as sterilizing. YODL – Rapid Aid Corp Rapid Aid's TempAid division specializes in design and manufacturing of highly engineered packaging solutions for shipping temperature-sensitive goods. Social Media Friendlier (Facebook) – Guelph, ON-based Friendlier offers low-cost reusable containers for foodservice in more than 200 locations across Ontario and Western Quebec. MySuppli (Instagram) Toronto, ON-based Suppli makes it easy for food vendors to swap in high-quality reusable food containers for their single-use containers in a way that drives additional revenue. Relocalize (LinkedIn) Montreal, QC’s Relocalize Inc. hyper-localizes packaged food manufacturing with autonomous factories that eliminate middle mile logistics and CO 2 emissions, while reducing product costs and cutting waste. Overtime If you’ve got more than 30 minutes, these are for you: YouTube - The future of plastic in food packaging CFIN’s Isabelle Marquis speaks with Isabelle Des Chênes , executive vice president of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, on the innovations being developed to make plastic packaging more efficient and eco-responsible.

Community ManagerAug 21, 2023

Staff Picks – Curtis Wong

Community ManagerAug 18, 2023

Canadian FoodTech Trends: Interest and Curiosity in Cellular Food Continues to Grow – Three Key Takeaways

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . Cellular food technology has the potential to dramatically alter how we produce, purchase and consume food, while offering enormous financial opportunities to Canadian producers and exporters. CFIN worked with Moncton, NB-based data science company Fiddlehead Technolog y to develop Canadian FoodTech Trends: Interest and Curiosity in Cellular Food Continues to Grow , a report providing insight into the potential adoption of cellular meat in Canada. The report examined interest in cellular meat, as well as the progress of and research and development in the sector by Canadian companies. What it found was that although Canada lags behind countries like the U.S. and Singapore, research and interest in cellular food has jumped dramatically since 2000. Here are three key takeaways from the report: 1. Researchers are prioritizing cellular food Food scientists and engineers world wide are diving into the cellular food sector . Fiddlehead found that there were 22,800 academic papers related to cultivated meat published in the past five years, roughly the same number of papers published in total before 2000. 2. Patent applications for cellular meat are increasing The U.S., where cultivated meat recently hit the market, had 596 patent applications for c ellular meat in 2022, compared to just 48 before 2000. By comparison, there were no Canadian patent applications for cellular meat before 2000, and just 22 by 2022. At the same time the number of Canadian companies producing cultivated meat continues to grow. 3 . Regulatory hurdles still exist While countries like the U.S. and Singapore already have regulatory approval for the sale of lab-grown meat, products for sale in Canada will need to go through the lengthy approval process for novel foods, as well as meeting requirements for food safety, labelling, marketing and other existing regulations. That could mean products will be slower to hit the market, while Canadian regulators re-examine the framework for cultivated meat and develop new regulations specific to the category. Find out more by downloading the report here . Read more about cellular food , regulations covering cellular food, and commercialization of cellular food.

Community ManagerAug 17, 2023

50 Canadian FoodTech Resources – Perennia Food and Agriculture Corporation

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . Canada has an extensive range of research centres, food incubators, accelerators and labs supporting food and beverage innovation through the research they do and/or the services they offer. Each week throughout 2023, we’ll be highlighting an organization that’s supporting food innovation in Canada. Name: Perennia Food and Agriculture Corporation Location: Bible Hill, NS Mission: F or Nova Scotia is to be a recognized world leader in producing innovative, environmentally responsible, safe food of impeccable quality. Focus: Perennia Food and Agriculture Corporation is a provincial development agency with the mission to support growth, transformation and economic development in Nova Scotia’s agriculture, seafood, and food and beverage sectors. Services: The agency offers a wide variety of resources to advance projects and provide assistance to food and agriculture entrepreneurs, including talent, publications, fact sheets , videos, labs and a commercial pilot plant. It can also help companies connect with other resources. Technical and lab services include: Product and process solutions Food and beverage development Customized support and scale up Pilot-scale processing Wine and winemaking services Food and beverage lab services including food chemistry, microbiology, and food allergens and toxins Shelf-life evaluations Labelling and packaging What You Need to Know: The Perennia Food and Beve ra ge Innovation Centre is a 25,000-sq.-ft. green pilot processing facility for food and food-based product development, improvement and processing. Notable News: The agency also offers a mobile bottling service for still wines and spirits, as well as a mobile filtration service. Its bottling trailer offers a product pump, loading tables, rinser and sparger, filling, capping or corking, labelling with sleeve application, and offloading table with a capacity of 1,500 bottles per hour. Get Involved: Contact Perennia at info@perennia.ca or at 902-678-7722 , or reach out to our Regional Innovation Director for Atlantic Canada Tyson MacInnis .

Community ManagerAug 16, 2023

An Interview with Land Lovers

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . Nestor Gomez, CFIN's Chief Technology Officer, speaks with Huan Xia, co-founder and CEO of Land Lovers (Alchemeat). The innovative company produces high-protein, plant-based meat alternatives with the flavour and texture of steak. kfdjlsdkafj

Community ManagerAug 15, 2023

IN 30: BC’s Food Ecosystem

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . Sometimes, all it takes is 30 minutes to learn the ins and outs of new food technologies and trends that are transforming the food and beverage industry. In this series, we’ll dig into a food innovation topic and link you to the best content and resources so you can become a master on the topic in 30 minutes (or less!). This week, we’re looking at food and beverage innovation and resources in British Columbia. The Overview Food Network Canada - Must-Try Cuisine from British Columbia From seafood to fruit, t here’s lots to savour in British Columbia. Government of BC - B.C. food security strengthened as Province helps food processors expand A new food processing growth fund of $20 million will help B.C. food and beverage processing businesses increase productivity, economic opportunities and competitiveness . Government of BC - Historic investment in food security supports British Columbians The Province is investing more than $200 million in food security to ensure people have better access to an increased supply of affordable, local food. Government of BC – What’s from BC? An overview of BC’s agriculture and food industry. Resources Alacrity Cleantech Based in Victoria, BC, Alacrity Cleantech is a government-funded program that helps emerging cleantech companies in BC and Western Canada scale up and access resources so they can grow internationally. The BC Beverage Technology Access Centre The Penticton, BC-based centre work s with the food and beverage industry toward sustained economic and intellectual growth. BC Food Hub Network The BC Food Hub Network aims to foster growth and innovation in the processing sector through improved industry access to facilities, equipment, technology, technical services, and business supports. BC Food & Beverage Association The BC Food & Beverage Association is a not-for-profit industry a ssociation represents food and beverage manufacturers in BC. Centre of Seafood Innovation at Vancouver Island University The centre, located in Bowser, BC, is an innovation hub that helps companies extract more value from sustainable seafood harvests. Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC The Victoria, BC-based organization offer s support and funding opportunities to BC companies in the agriculture and food sector. Companies you Should Know Burnaby, BC-based TrendiTech upcycles food waste to produce nutrient-dense products. Cascadia Seaweed is a vertically integrated company located in Sidney, BC. Vancouver, BC-based Cibotica is a technology company automating the food-making process with robotic solutions. Vancouver ’s Freshline provides e-commerce software that allows food distributors to receive wholesale orders digitally to streamline their processes and save on labour costs. Events The BCFB Awards 2023 take place October 11, 2023. The Retail Council Canada’s Retail West Conference takes place November 2, 2023. Overtime If you’ve got more than 30 minutes, these are for you: YouTube - Surrey named the 'next great food city' by Food and Wine magazine Food and Wine magazine named Surrey, BC the next great food city, along with six other cities.

Community ManagerAug 14, 2023

Member Picks – Cheryl Appleton

Community ManagerAug 11, 2023

Meet a Member - Mingyang Sun

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partners , resources , and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today . Since launching in 2022, CFIN has grown to more than 3, 3 00 members, which includes professionals from every sector of the food industry. This series highlights the many different CFIN members across Canada who visit YODL to learn, make connections, find funding, and discover new ways to grow their businesses. Mingyang Sun Co-foun d er and CEO, B ioboost Synbio Port Coquitlam , BC Tell us about your job I’m a jack of all trade s. How Is YODL helping you do your job ? YODL helps me to look for and to connect with potential strategic partners and funding. It also helps me to keep updated on the current trends and challenges others have in the food space How often do you visit YODL ? Once a week . Can you tell us something you have learned on YODL? I connected with individuals that are knowledgeable about biosynthesis/precision fermentation. From there I learned about the demand of growth factors in the artificial meat industry, which helps us to decide what product innovations we could bring. What type of connection partners are you looking for? Players in cellular agriculture. Ideally the big players that would like invest in cutting - edge alternative protein production. What Is your favorite aspect of YODL? Community engagement. People with diverse background s in the food space are helping each other on the platform. What area of food innovation are you most interested in ? A lternative protein via precision fermentation and biosynthesis. What's your favo u rite food and beverage ? Sashimi/Beijing soy paste noodle . Missed a Meet a Member article? Here are links to profiles of CFIM members Richard Baker , Leonardo Calcagno , Rebecca Prime , and Mary Ellen Schaafsma. Interested in participating in our Meet a Member series? Contact your Regional Innovation Director for more information! CFIN Members get exclusive access to funding opportunities , five Regional Innovation Directors , and YODL . Learn more about what it’s like to be a CFIN Member and how you can join our growing community of food professionals.

Community ManagerAug 10, 2023

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