The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is partnering with Good to Grow, to create a regional Food Innovation Hub to support the growth and success of local food processors. Good to Grow is a company that supports food companies that care about ingredients, communities, and a vibrant local economy, through a variety of courses, coaching, mentoring and financial advisory services.
Supporting local
The BC Food Hub Network is part of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Feed BC mandate, which is committed to encouraging more food and beverage processing in British Columbia. This will support local economies, job creation, and farming families throughout the province.
“We are very excited to support the sustainable growth and innovation of BC local food processors.” says Dr. Kim Dotto, Dean, BCIT Applied Research and Centre for Applied Research and Innovation. “Integrating applied education and research with industry sets BCIT apart and inspires our faculty, staff and more importantly our students.”
Faculty, students, and graduates will work with Good to Grow to help small and emerging processors develop and commercialize new food products using efficient production practices that meet their quality, food safety, and business requirements.
How BCIT is involved
Three BCIT areas of expertise will collaborate on this project, including the Natural Health and Food Products Research Group (NRG), the School of Health Sciences (Food Technology) and the School of Business (Operations Management). These multi-disciplinary teams will have the ability to develop innovative processes and offer expertise in food safety training and food safety and quality risk assessments.
“The vision for the B.C. Food Hub Network is to provide resources to help food and beverage processors throughout B.C. innovate and commercialize new products to bring to market,” said James Donaldson, CEO, BC Food Processors Association. “I think the communities selected will be able to make these important resources more accessible to the businesses that will benefit most from them.” From Ministry of Agriculture media release on July 30, 2019.
For more information about BCIT’s role in this project, please reach out to Rebecca Robertson, BCIT Research Associate – Natural Health & Food Products Research Group (NRG), Centre for Applied Research & Innovation (CARI).