Granby - The Quebec Food Processing Council (CTAQ) is delighted that its digital, food and collaborative system (SNAC) is being extended to other provinces in order to create a map of the Canadian industry ecosystem. food. This new project is called Convergent Food Innovation (ICA), also known as Food Convergence Innovation (FCI).
The current platform identifies and promotes the networking of 2,200 businesses in Quebec, that is 1,495 businesses in food processing and 610 businesses in 32 sectors of the biofood industry value chain. Ultimately, this platform will offer a circular economy module that will allow the various stakeholders in the sector to interact together by allowing them to display and search for specific products, services and partners within given geographic parameters. 15,000 companies in the food and beverage industry will be connected to each other.
COVID-19 has revealed that businesses need to respond quickly to disruptions in the supply chain. The speed of change has shown the limits of a very compartmentalized industry that must collaborate and continually adapt to a changing environment. With this in mind, the platform will allow the creation of commercial links between the various stakeholders, allowing both more flexibility and more solidity to the value chain.
“The CTAQ is happy and proud that its SNAC platform is now deployed nationally. The Canadian food industry is taking a new step by equipping itself with a tool that allows connectivity between the actors in the value chain. This platform will contribute to food security in Canada, to the diversification of the food offer, and will promote the circular economy as well as the creation of new business opportunities between our companies ”, rejoices Sylvie Cloutier, President and CEO of the CTAQ.
The development of the CTAQ platform began in 2018 and it has been operational since 2020. In 2021, circular economy exchange functionalities were added thanks to funding from MAPAQ.
“The government and its partners are working to increase our food self-sufficiency, an essential element in strengthening the supply chain. The SNAC makes it possible to develop a strong synergy between companies while improving connectivity with other links in the biofood chain. It represents one more step towards the creation of an ecosystem promoting the circular economy and the optimization of resources, ”said André Lamontagne, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Minister responsible for the Chaudière-Appalaches region and Minister responsible for the Center-du-Québec region.
This project is also possible thanks to funding from PIC (Protein Industries Canada), a supercluster created by the federal government. In addition, the national association of processors, Food and Beverages Canada, as well as 5 provincial associations, in collaboration with the University of Ottawa, McGill University and Bivizio, are involved in the project, which will ensure the integration of companies. on the platform.
Source : CTAQ