A year-end message from Tyler Groeneveld, CEO

As we head into the final weeks of the year, I want to take a moment to reflect, and to say thank you.

This year did not unfold exactly as any of us expected. There were changes and challenges along the way. What I’ve seen, however, is a team and a sector that met those moments with professionalism, focus, and a shared belief in what we are building together. Because of that, Protein Industries Canada ends the year feeling confident, energized, and optimistic about what lies ahead.

Even amid change, our work continued to move forward in a meaningful way. Today, we have 98 projects completed or underway, involving 369 partners from across Canada’s food production and agriculture ecosystem. Together with industry, we have invested $767 million into strengthening Canada’s food and ingredient value chain, and those efforts have already resulted in the creation of 554 new intellectual property assets. That is real progress, and it reflects the strength of collaboration across this sector.

Beyond project investments, we continued to advance our broader mission to strengthen Canada’s food value chain and drive economic growth for Canadians. We once again hosted a successful Annual General Meeting, welcoming more than 170 attendees from across the country and around the globe. Through the Centre for Regulatory Research and Innovation, we continue to work to reduce regulatory barriers and improve how Canada supports innovation.

In August, we announced a new partnership with Nurasa in Singapore to help Canadian ingredient and food companies enter Southeast Asia — one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. The response from Canadian companies has been overwhelming, and we are excited to share more about the first cohort early in the new year.

We also launched the Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain Program to help companies respond to market disruptions by expanding processing, manufacturing, and production capacity here at home. The first group of companies was announced in September, and they are already making tangible progress by reformulating with Canadian ingredients. We look forward to sharing more success stories in the months ahead.

As we look toward 2026, there is a real sense of momentum. Awareness of Canada’s potential to lead in ingredients and food production has never been higher. There is growing recognition that exporting raw commodities alone leaves too much value — jobs, innovation, resilience — on the table. Making more here matters, not just for our economy, but for our long-term competitiveness and security.

That said, challenges remain. Access to capital, support for scale-up, and policies that go beyond innovation into full commercialization are still critical gaps. Addressing them will require alignment, advocacy, and a collective voice.

Protein Industries Canada is committed to championing this work — raising awareness, engaging decision-makers, and building the case for a stronger, more resilient food system. But we are most effective when we do this together. In the months ahead, we will be reaching out to engage our members more deeply and to build a broader coalition of those who want to help shape the future of this sector.

Finally, I want to sincerely thank the entire team at Protein Industries Canada for their dedication, adaptability, and resilience this year. And to our members and partners, thank you for your continued trust and collaboration.

I hope you can enjoy a well-deserved holiday season with family and friends. I look forward to continuing this important work together in the year ahead.