Annual Report 2023-2024
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2024–25 Objectives & Actions

Protein Industries Canada continues to work toward the long-term objectives of our strategic plan. The fiscal year 2024-25 represents the second year of our current five-year strategy. The objectives of the five-year strategic plan are aligned with the outcomes and recommendations of The Road to $25 Billion. Our overarching goal is to secure Canada’s position as a global leader in ingredient manufacturing and food processing, generating new economic growth for Canada, while also lessening the impact of emissions on the global food systems, providing new opportunities for farmers, and helping to secure Canada’s food supply chain.

The annual objectives and actions included throughout this page will help reach the long-term objectives below and those included in The Road to $25 Billion.

Protein Industries Canada will contribute to building a better Canada through:

  • Economic growth: we will support the prosperity of every Canadian by creating a reliable, sustainable and long-term industry for Canada’s economy that will be worth $25 billion by 2035 and will employ upwards of 17,000 Canadians from coast to coast;
  • Reduce GHG emissions: we will support innovation to decrease GHG reductions related to agriculture and food processing;
  • Scaling Canadian companies: we will support Canadian companies to grow and be successful, achieving $25 billion in annual revenue from Canadian innovation and intellectual property (IP);
  • Global impact: we will anchor Canada as a global force in the plant-based revolution—increasing recognition, investment, sales and leadership;
  • Food security: we will contribute to domestic and international food security by building out an integrated and resilient value chain that allows Canada to make our own ingredients and food and export high-value, nutritious products to countries around the world; and
  • Economic reconciliation: we will support the prosperity of Indigenous peoples through meaningful partnerships and mutually beneficial opportunities that lead to shared prosperity.
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Global Leadership

Canada is a partner of choice to secure the global food supply chain

OBJECTIVE

Canada’s value proposition for ingredient manufacturing is competitive and drives foreign investment

ACTIONS:

  • Undertake a jurisdictional review of Canada’s business competitiveness in value-added agriculture
  • Develop a recommended suite of incentives to increase foreign investment
  • Develop and execute an action plan to increase foreign direct investment from priority companies
  • Execute on the 2024 edition of Plant Forward
  • Support incoming trade and innovation missions

OBJECTIVE

Members commercialize and export Canadian ingredients, products and services

ACTIONS:

  • Share our knowledge with members about key international markets to support member’s export readiness
  • Conduct a jurisdictional scan of key markets to better understand opportunities and challenges in exporting to them
  • Complete an IP landscape for plant-based food and ingredient manufacturing in key global markets
  • Facilitate meaningful collaboration between Canadian ingredient manufactures and international food processors
  • Facilitate the commercialization of Canadian food, feed and bioproducts in international markets

OBJECTIVE

Domestic innovation is strengthened by international collaboration

ACTIONS:

  • Execute on the Innovate UK partnership agreement
  • Support members in international research and development collaborations

OBJECTIVE

Protein Industries Canada is the gateway for international relationships in ingredients and food

ACTIONS:

  • Create opportunities to showcase Canada and our members to priority international markets
  • Collaborate with GAC, TCS, Invest in Canada and AAFC to create demand for Canadian products in key international markets including coordination with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
  • Collaborate with international organizations on the development of policies and initiatives aimed at driving growth in the plant-based food sector
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Ecosystem Evolution

Canada has a competitive business environment for ingredient manufacturing and food processing

OBJECTIVE

Value-added agriculture—ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bioproducts—is a priority sector for Canada

ACTIONS:

  • Leverage The Road to $25 Billion to increase awareness of the opportunities, challenges and potential solutions to grow the sector
  • Develop and execute an engagement plan for all levels of government to implement the recommendations in The Road to $25 Billion
  • Engage with commodity organizations and industry associations to increase support for the recommendations in the Roadmap

OBJECTIVE

Canada’s regulatory system is responsive and supports innovation and commercialization of novel ingredients, food, feed and bioproducts

ACTIONS:

  • Execute on the first year’s work plan of the Centre for Regulatory Research and Innovation (CRRI)
  • Engage with technology project participants to proactively address regulatory and policy hurdles
  • Advocate for policy and regulatory changes that support sector growth
  • Drive the creation of data sets to support regulatory and policy changes

OBJECTIVE

Canada has the capital and invests to retain, grow and scale domestic companies

ACTIONS:

  • Develop and recommend a suite of incentives to support domestic company’s ability to scale up ingredient processing and manufacturing
  • Work to align current Government of Canada innovation and scale-up agencies and programs to support the ingredient manufacturing sector
  • Provide the capital community with relevant knowledge of Canada’s value-added agriculture sector
  • Collaborate with the capital community on solutions for ingredient manufacturers
  • Create meaningful connections between members and the capital community

OBJECTIVE

Canadian companies are improving productivity and addressing the labour and skill gaps through training and innovation

ACTIONS:

  • Work to develop technical expertise, PhD and post-doctoral fellowship exchanges with select universities and research institutions
  • Elevate value-added agriculture to increase support from federal and provincial government labour and skills programming
  • Encourage Technology Leadership projects to invest in technologies that improve productivity

OBJECTIVE

Members have access to research, innovation and scale-up infrastructure

ACTIONS:

  • Support companies in navigating domestic and international research and scale-up infrastructure
  • Collaborate with the private sector, equipment manufacturers and all levels of government to evaluate and build the business case for a Canadian-based ingredient innovation, scale-up and co-manufacturing facility

OBJECTIVE

Canada’s ingredient manufacturing and food processing environmental sustainability position is recognized and leveraged as an asset

ACTIONS:

  • Quantify the environmental sustainability of Canadian ingredients compared to other jurisdictions
  • Collaborate with other national initiatives to develop and implement an effective MRV system
  • Support Technology Leadership projects and members in measuring the environmental sustainability of products

OBJECTIVE

Under-represented groups benefit from the economic growth of the sector

ACTIONS:

  • Ensure all Protein Industries Canada-funded projects contribute to Economic Reconciliation
  • Use the Capacity Building Fund to support the development of projects that bring benefit to Indigenous people and new Canadians
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Member Prosperity

Our members are profitable and are investing for the future

OBJECTIVE

Members commercialize profitable products and services

ACTIONS:

  • Identify synergies and further partnerships to bring additional investment into member companies
  • Manage project portfolio to ensure alignment with our strategic plan
  • Manage towards outcomes of Technology Leadership projects to support commercialization of innovative Canadian IP

OBJECTIVE

Members have meaningful partnerships and collaboration opportunities

ACTIONS:

  • Seek follow-on partnerships for existing projects
  • Ensure project concepts that are viable but not supported by Protein Industries Canada are channelled to alternative funding sources
  • Organize member events, workshops and webinars to support member collaboration and learning
  • Increase awareness and usage of the member portal and IP Hub

OBJECTIVE

Members increase their Business Expenditure on Research and Development (BERD)

ACTIONS:

  • Identify gaps in current innovation funding programs and propose solutions to align existing programs with the needs of the sector
  • Deliver the Technology Leadership program with a focus on achieving the target IMF ratio
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Organizational Relevance

We are a catalyst for Canada’s economic growth

OBJECTIVE

Protein Industries Canada is positioned to continue to support the growth of the sector

ACTIONS:

  • Position Protein Industries Canada as a partner to deliver innovation and capital funding
  • Continue to develop expertise in ingredient manufacturing and food processing
  • Systemize data and insight of the ecosystem and our members
  • Evaluate additional revenue streams
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One Team

We have a shared vision and passion to strengthen Canada and create benefit for every Canadian

OBJECTIVE

A Board of Directors that establishes the strategic direction and provides strong governance oversight

ACTIONS:

  • Ensure the board has the tools and information needed to provide strategic direction and manage risk
  • Support the board to be champions for the organization
  • Ensure the board is equipped to assess, monitor and implement governance best practices

OBJECTIVE

Protein Industries Canada's decision-making framework operates in an effective control environment.

ACTIONS:

  • Ensure a secure IT environment that will respect the integrity and confidentiality of member information
  • Review and refine internal project audit process
  • Complete an annual review of all projects

OBJECTIVE

Protein Industries Canada provides a high level of service standards to our stakeholders (Board, ISED and Members)

ACTIONS:

  • Ensure timely, transparent and effective communication of our activities to all stakeholders
  • Conduct our business development activities in a timely manner that aligns with our strategic plan
  • Conduct all member interactions in a professional manner
  • Improve our CRM system to better understand member needs and sector-wide statistics

OBJECTIVE

Protein Industries Canada is a values-based, diverse and inclusive organization where differences are acknowledged and celebrated

ACTIONS:

  • Ensure all staff have the opportunity to participate in professional development activities
  • Implement new work planning process and performance management framework
  • Implement a new compensation program to support the long-term sustainability of the organization
  • Approach our work with a cross-functional, one-team approach
  • Be intentional in fostering an inclusive workplace environment
  • Build on the corporate-wide training (4 Seasons of Reconciliation) to further understanding among staff about Indigenous Reconciliation
  • Ensure job postings are more accessible to potential Indigenous candidates