Fueling Canada's Agri-Food Future:

A Global Blueprint for Success 

Rising demand for sustainable, resilient, and innovative food systems worldwide presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Canada is at a pivotal moment. While we’re still a major player in the global food market, our position has slipped. But with global challenges like climate change and food security creating new demands, Canada has the resources, ingenuity, and land to become a world leader. In fact, with strategic investment in innovation, we can capture a 30% larger share of the global market and secure our domestic food supply for generations to come. 

The Food 4.0 Action Plan is our roadmap to achieving this goal, built on proven strategies from the world's most productive food sectors. Here’s how we’ll get there together: 

  • Cultivating Homegrown Innovation

    To be a leader in food, we must also be a leader in food technology. Like the Netherlands' Food Valley CFIN is  creating a vibrant ecosystem for Canadian foodtech startups to ensure Canada is not only a producer of food, but also transformative foodtech solutions that modernize production and strengthen our AI ecosystem. The Food 4.0 Action Plan provides crucial late-stage support that will help innovators demonstrate their solutions and get them into the hands of food producers, overcoming the critical hurdles to commercialization. 

  • Showcasing Canadian Solutions

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • Driving Strategic Collaboration

    Progress accelerates when we work together. Germany’s success in food processing is built on powerful partnerships between industry, government, and academia. The Food 4.0 Action Plan also fosters vital collaborations, uniting stakeholders around a clear set of priorities to leverage cutting-edge technologies like AI, biotech, and robotics for maximum impact on business productivity and competitiveness. 

  • Empowering the Entire Sector

    To transform our food sector, Canada needs to engage players of all sizes. While partnering with major firms is important, the beating heart of  the food sector is small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), which make up 98% of the market. Many countries are partnering not only with their biggest firms (consider Unilever and Food Valley co-locating on a campus in the Netherlands) but also developing programs that focus on technology adoption by small- and medium-sized businesses. Our plan will support business both big and small, ensuring they have the tools and technology to grow and compete at every level. 

By embracing this global playbook, Canada will reclaim its leadership position, strengthen our domestic food chain, and build a more prosperous and sustainable future.