Food & Beverage Canada is launched

February 27, 2018

A new organization representing food and beverage manufacturers in Canadahas been launched. “United to nourish the world”, Food & Beverage Canada (F&BC) will work to be the national voice for this vital sector of Canada’s economy.

“Food & Beverage Canada is bringing businesses together from coast to coast to seize an unprecedented opportunity,” said Daniel Vielfaure, F&BC Co-Chair and Managing Director, Bonduelle Americas Long Life. “This is Canada’s agri-food century. Canada’s food and beverage manufacturers can play a pivotal role in feeding the world, while growing jobs and economic sustainability for communities in rural and urban Canada.”

F&BC will work with governments to effectively shape public policy and industry actions for the benefit of Canadians. Leading issues include:

Ensuring smart regulations that serve the public interest while maintaining a competitive environment

Building a healthier, more sustainable and ethical food system

Promoting innovation in food and beverage manufacturing processes and practices

Creating global trade opportunities for products

Protecting and informing consumers while enabling consumer choice

• Providing skilled jobs and rewarding employment for Canadians

Food & Beverage Canada is an association of seven regional food and beverage manufacturing associations from coast to coast plus leading industry and stakeholder members. The organization is committed to collaborative relationships and constructive communications with federal and provincial governments.

“There are a lot of important issues on the table right now,” said Michael Burrows, F&BC Co-Chair and CEO Maple Lodge Farms. “We believe that, working together, we can contribute positively to Canadians’ quality of life and deliver value for our members. We can strengthen the competiveness and productivity of the businesses we represent while being a key engine to power sustainable growth in Canada’s economy.”

The founding Board of Directors is comprised of the following Executive members:

Co- Chairs – Michael Burrows, CEO, Maple Lodge Farms & Daniel Vielfaure, Managing Director, Bonduelle Americas Long Life
Vice chair – Sylvie Cloutier, CEO, Conseil de la transformation alimentaire du Québec (CTAQ)
Secretary: Rosemary MacLellan, VP Strategy & Industry Affairs, Gay Lea Foods
Treasurer: Joe Makowecki, President & CEO, Heritage Frozen Foods
Director at Large: Rory McAlpine, Sr. VP, Government and Industry Relations, Maple Leaf Foods

About the Canadian Food and Beverage Manufacturing Industry 
The food and beverage processing industry is the second largest manufacturing industry in Canada in terms of value of production with shipments worth $112.4 billion in 2016 accounting for 18% of total manufacturing shipments and 2% of the national GDP. The food and beverage manufacturing industry invests about $2 billion annually in capital expenditures, about 80% of which is in machinery and equipment.

The industry’s 6,900 businesses are the largest manufacturing employer providing direct jobs for over 257,000 Canadians, employing more Canadians than the auto and aerospace industries combined. The industry supplies approximately 70% of all processed food and beverage products in Canada and is the largest buyer of the food Canadian farmers grow. Exports of processed food and beverage products to 192 countries continue to increase and stood at $33.5 billion in 2016, an increase of 7% over 2015; accounting for 29.8% of production value. 87% of these exports went to three major markets in 2016 – United States (74%), China (7%) and Japan (6%).