NSF-GFTC to Host Canada Food Industry Event

GUELPH, Ontario and ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Oct. 29, 2013) – Food industry professionals can gain strategic information and insight into emerging issues and trends at State of the Industry: A Canadian Food Industry Forecast on November 7 at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton, Ontario. Canadian food industry experts will provide an in-depth look at critical issues at this event hosted by NSF-GFTC (formerly GFTC, the Guelph Food Technology Centre), part of NSF International’s Global Food Division.

Two keynote sessions tackle the economic future of the Canadian food and beverage industry and how asking the right questions can help business leaders change their companies. Expert speakers will weigh in on consumer behaviour and trends, innovation in the food industry and strategies for preparing a business for sale.

In addition to attending these presentations, participants will have networking opportunities with peers in operations, sales, marketing, technical services, government and agri-business. Attendees will also receive access to the following research reports, recently released by the Conference Board of Canada’s Centre for Food in Canada (CFIC):
•    Pathway to Partnership? Private Food Standards in Canada
•    Toward Performance Metrics for Canada’s Food System
•    Seeds for Success: Enhancing Canada's Farming Enterprises
•    Liberalization’s Last Frontier: Canada’s Food Trade
•    Fast and Fresh: A Recipe for Canada’s Food Supply Chains
•    Reducing the Risk: Addressing the Environmental Impacts of the Food System
•    Enough for All: Household Food Security in Canada
•    Cultivating Opportunities: Canada’s Growing Appetite for Local Food
This biennial event is part of NSF-GFTC’s Strategic Symposia Series and is sponsored by BDO. For more information or to register, visit the NSF-GFTC event website.
Session Details:
Industry experts will provide two keynotes and three sessions:
•    Douglas Porter, Chief Economist for BMO Capital Markets, will present the morning keynote, Economic Outlook: The Glass is Half Full. Porter will discuss where the Canadian economy is headed in a global context. He’ll provide national, regional and financial market outlooks against the backdrop of a currency near par, fiscal restraint, a cooling housing market and record levels of household debt.
•    Amanda Lang, CBC Reporter and author of the Power of Why, delivers the afternoon keynote, How Questions and Curiosity Fuel Innovation. She’ll explain how asking the right questions has changed the world and how it can change your business, using insight from innovation gurus, little known research, the experiences of business leaders and her own candid stories of life off-camera.
•    Grant Robinson, Director of The BDO SuccessCare Program at BDO Canada, will present Business Transition – The Ultimate Long-Term Strategic Direction. About 70 percent of today’s businesses will change hands within the next five to 10 years, but only 25 percent have a plan to ensure they can exit under their own terms. Robinson will share how to integrate longer-term strategy with a proven approach to preparing the business for sale.
•    Dr. Jean-Charles Le Vallée, Senior Research Associate at the Conference Board of Canada’s Centre for Food in Canada, will present Innovation Performance in the Canadian Food Industry. He will share how Canada’s food industry is performing with respect to innovation in the global marketplace, and the effects of innovation on health and well-being, the economy, the environment and society.
•    Carman Allison, Director of Consumer Insights at Nielsen, will present Consumer Behaviours and Trends.  He will share forecasting data on consumer, business and shopping behaviour for Canada’s food and beverage industry. He will also explore how social media, rising energy prices and consumer confidence impact food costs.