Protein Industries Canada Funds New Training Program to Close Food Sector Skills Gap

Protein Industries Canada has committed $760,000 toward a new skills training program developed with BC Food & Beverage, the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and Cultivated Food Labs. The consortium is designed to address a shortage of skilled workers across Canada’s food production and value-added agriculture sector, with a total project value of $1 million.

“Food innovation does not move forward on good ideas alone”

Joel Gfeller, President of Cultivated Food Labs, framed the initiative around the practical constraints facing food companies. He stated, “Food innovation does not move forward on good ideas alone. Canada has incredible crops, ingredients, research capacity and food companies, but products still need to be formulated, processed, packaged, tested, scaled and brought to market. CFL works in that practical middle between idea and launch, where technical decisions can make or break a product.”

Addressing a workforce gap

Protein Industries Canada, one of Canada’s five federally funded Global Innovation Clusters, has previously tied its funding decisions to its Road to $25 Billion initiative, which targets growth of the country’s plant-based food, feed, and ingredient sector. This project instead focuses on talent development, combining academic coursework from UBC with applied technical training and industry mentorship from BC Food & Beverage and Cultivated Food Labs.

The program will run in a modular, blended-delivery format over four to twelve weeks, a structure intended to accommodate both students and working professionals. According to Protein Industries Canada, the broader domestic food and agriculture opportunity represents up to $25 billion in potential GDP and roughly 17,000 new jobs, a gap the partners argue current training pathways are not equipped to fill.

Protein Industries Canada Funds New Training Program to Close Food Sector Skills Gap — © Cultivated Food Labs

Three organizations, one program

BC Food & Beverage represents the province’s food and beverage manufacturing sector, connecting processors across scales with resources to expand production. UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems contributes research and coursework spanning food safety, nutrition, and agricultural sustainability. Cultivated Food Labs, a product development company operating a pilot-scale processing and testing facility in Burnaby, works with food and ingredient companies on formulation, scale-up, and commercialization challenges.

“Building a resilient and innovative food sector depends on developing the talent needed to meet challenges and opportunities across the value-chain. LFS supports the food system from farm to fork, connecting growers, processors and consumers through interdisciplinary teaching, research and innovation,” said Dr. David Kitts, Dean pro tem at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems.

James Donaldson, CEO of BC Food & Beverage, noted the organizations aim to “drive value-added innovation and competitive advantage in the industry” through the collaboration.

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Addressing a workforce gap

Three organizations, one program

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