Recently, Saskatchewan鈥檚 agri-food industry celebrated the grand opening of the new Agri-Food Innovation Centre (AFIC), a 43,000-square foot facility that will diversify the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre鈥檚 (Food Centre) capacity to develop and process products from concept to commercialization.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains, and former Premier Brad Wall joined representatives of the Food Centre in officially opening the $17.5 million facility in Saskatoon.
The Food Centre is the primary source of food product development and commercialization for the Saskatchewan food industry. The creation of the AFIC supports the expansion of Saskatchewan鈥檚 agri-food processing sector and introduces a dedicated multi-tenant food processing incubator, extrusion line, expanded drying capabilities and fermentation technologies. It will also house new labs, a pilot plant for product and process development, and expanded capacity for pulse and cereal processing. The Food Centre will continue to operate the federally inspected pilot plant housed on the University of Saskatchewan campus. 鈥淭he Government of Canada is committed to growing a strong economy,鈥� said Goodale. 鈥淐entres of innovation, like this one in Saskatoon, will play a key role in creating jobs and new opportunities for Canadian farmers and agri-businesses, growing the economy and the middle class.鈥�
鈥淥ver the last decade, Saskatchewan has been either the number one or number two Agri-food exporter among the provinces, and the Food Centre helps us diversify what we export,鈥� Wall said. 鈥淭he Centre already produces 鈥渕eat鈥� products made from plants, like ginger beef and chicken fingers, and through the years has helped Saskatchewan companies like Three Farmers and Zak Organics commercialize their products. This expansion will mean the development of even more products, the creation of more jobs and the further diversification of our economy.鈥�
Saskatchewan鈥檚 value-added food processing sector has grown tremendously in the last decade and now includes 300 companies that export $4 billion worth of goods annually and employ 5,000 people.
鈥淭he new Agri-Food Innovation Centre will broaden the capabilities of the current Food Centre and open new opportunities for Saskatchewan鈥檚 agri-food sector,鈥� Food Centre President Dan Prefontaine said. 鈥淚t will assist Saskatchewan producers and processors to bridge the gap from development to commercialization and introduce higher value-added agricultural products into the global marketplace. With support from our industry and these enhanced services, the Agri-Food Innovation Centre will position our industry to be strong leaders in innovation and technology for the food processing sector.鈥�
Construction of the AFIC was made possible with $9 million through Growing Forward 2, the federal-provincial agricultural policy framework, and $4.35 million from Western Economic Diversification Canada. Additional support came from SaskPulse, SaskCanola and other industry organizations and the Food Centre鈥檚 capital reserve. Since its inception in 1997 as a not-for-profit organization, the Food Centre has worked with clients representing various sectors of the food industry and developed more than 800 products.
More than 300 food processing companies in Saskatchewan produce a wide range of cereal, meat, dairy and bakery products, and food ingredients. These processors ship goods valued at approximately $4.3 billion annually.
