Government of Canada invests in Canadian innovators developing solutions to improve food safety and plant health

The Government of Canada is investing in Canadian small businesses to develop innovative tools, products and services that are vital to the keeping Canada’s food, plants and animals safe.

Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honorable Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced that $500,000 will be awarded to a Canadian small business, iFood Packaging Systems Corporation (Summerland, British Columbia) through the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program’s phase 2 prototype development challenge. As methyl bromide- the current phytosanitary treatment method to control plant pests and pathogens- gets phased out due to its ozone depleting properties, this funding will be used to develop an innovative phytosanitary treatment solution that is more eco-friendly.

Through ISC, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency also launched a new challenge related to developing a portable test to detect domoic acid in marine waters. Acute poisoning can be life threatening and cumulative low doses over time can cause cognitive disability or illness. Therefore, the intent of this device will be to inform harvesters of potential domoic acid risk in real-time which will help enhance food safety initiatives and save resources associated with food safety investigations, recall, and costly product destruction activities.

These ISC challenges provide opportunities for business-research collaboration between Canadian small businesses and the Government of Canada. Through these partnerships, we can support the advancement of science, innovation, and enable evidence-based decision-making to safeguard Canada’s food, plants and animals, and consequently the health of Canadians and our environment.