Bio-food
Fertile ground for success
Québec's long-standing commitment to the agricultural and food processing sectors has helped support the ongoing vitality and sustainability of the bio-food sector.
Profile
- Some 2,400 businesses specializing in food processing and beverage production.
- Almost 65,000 jobs.
- $23.1 billion in deliveries.
- Nearly 25% of all deliveries and 26% of all jobs in Canada’s food processing industry.
- Average annual investment of $430 million between 2007 and 2010.
- Over $5 billion of products exported beyond Québec’s borders, including to more than 160 countries.
Strenghts
The expertise Québec has developed over the years in food traceability, safety and hygiene has made it a world-class leader in these fields.
Ongoing research is being conducted by numerous specialists on a wide variety of plants, animal-based products and seafood products as well as the processing methods used for each. Furthermore, Québec’s emerging expertise in nutraceuticals and functional foods make it more and more attractive to businesses searching for a home for their operations in this leading-edge sector.
Québec chefs are particularly talented when it comes to showcasing local products in their culinary creations.
Examples of Québec products
Among Québec’s top food exports are:
- pork;
- veal;
- chocolate and other cocoa-based products;
- maple products;
- soy;
- alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages;
- seafood products and an extensive array of high-value-added and specialty items.
Dairy product manufacturing accounts for 20% of all sales of processed food products in Quebec. R&D in this sector is prolific in Québec, resulting in the development of a number of high-value-added products, such as milk fractions and nutraceuticals.
Getting ahead by sowing the seeds of success
Food processing support strategy
In an endeavour to boost the competitiveness of the province’s food industry, the Québec government has adopted a food processing support strategy
(French only) to help food and beverage manufacturers build on their strengths and tap into new markets.
The Québec edge
The Québec food processing industry boasts a number of winning advantages:
- abundant supply of drinking water and energy;
- lower operating costs than the U.S., France, Italy, Germany or Japan (according to a KPMG study on competitive alternatives);
- stable, skilled workforce;
- exceptional R&D network;
- favourable taxation environment.
Groups
Several food processing industry groupings exist to support member initiatives. These include:
- Conseil de la transformation alimentaire et des produits de consommation (CTAC)
- Association québécoise des industries de nutrition animale et céréalière (AQINAC)
- Agri-Food Export Group Québec-Canada (GEAQC)
- Conseil des industriels laitiers du Québec (CILQ)
