Minister Bibeau announces Food Waste Reduction Challenge semi-finalists for the Novel Technologies Streams

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced the 18 semi-finalists selected under the Novel Technologies Streams to find new solutions to food waste

Minister Bibeau met virtually with the semi-finalists and listened to their innovative food waste reduction solutions.

Every year, over half of Canada’s food supply is wasted, and nearly $50 billion of that wasted food is avoidable.

The Challenge, launched in November 2020, aims to deliver high-impact solutions to food waste in Canada. The Novel Technologies Streams is focused on technological solutions to food waste to extend the life of perishable food, transform food waste and accelerate their advancement in the Canadian market.

 

 

“The Food Waste Reduction Challenge is bringing together innovators from across the country who have new ideas and perspectives for creating a more sustainable food system in Canada“ 

 

 

With the Government of Canada’s investment for this initiative under the Food Policy for Canada, the second round of the Challenge attracted 238 applications from innovators across Canada and around the world. The 18 semi-finalists’ entries span a diverse range of areas including green chemistry to create natural additives, edible coatings, or bioplastics.

“The Food Waste Reduction Challenge is bringing together innovators from across the country who have new ideas and perspectives for creating a more sustainable food system in Canada,” Bibeau stated. “Every submission received has tremendous potential to help tackle the problem of food waste head on.”

Each semi-finalist will receive $100,000 and move on to the prototype development stage of the Challenge. Over the next eight months, semi-finalists will build or complete an existing prototype of their technology and report on their solution’s effectiveness. A total of six finalists for the Novel Technologies Streams will be selected, each receiving up to an additional $450,000, with finalists competing to win one of two grand prizes of up to $1 million.

“I would like to congratulate all the semi-finalists and wish them best of luck as they compete in the next phase of the Challenge.”

For the list of the Novel Technologies Streams’ semi-finalists, please see the Backgrounder or visit the Food Waste Reduction Challenge website.