Canada’s value-added food sector is one of the country’s largest employers. There is tremendous opportunity to grow this sector and to increase Canada’s international and interprovincial trade, inspire innovation and break down barriers to economic growth across the country.

But what, exactly, is the value-added food sector?

Members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry sat down to share what they learned about this evolving sector throughout the course of the committee’s study.

Senator Diane Griffin, Chair of the committee, was joined by committee members Senator Colin Deacon and Senator Stan Kutcher to share the final report on the value-added food sector with industry experts and researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. There, they talked about challenges and opportunities for the value-added sector and outlined their vision for what it could mean for all Canadians.

The committee also travelled to British Columbia and Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec to learn more about how Canadian companies are already changing the value-added food sector. Senators learned about barriers to trade, hurdles to filling vacant postings and the challenges facing companies looking to expand within the sector, either by launching a new initiative or growing a successful business, among other things.

By studying this sector now, the committee hopes to encourage the fulfilment of value-added food’s untapped potential. 

To learn more about the value-added food sector, read the report Made in Canada: Growing Canada’s Value-Added Food Sector and watch the video below.