Food News, December 2008

SEASON’S GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2009

Food Processing Development Division

Services that are Available to Agri-Food Processors through the Food Processing Development Division (Programs and Operations Branch):
The Food Processing Development Division provides research, development, and commercialization facilities for a wide range of food products to encourage the growth and expansion of value-added agricultural processing. Each of the four units is uniquely situated to provide research, development, and commercialization facilities for agri-food processing companies.

Food Processing Development Centre (Leduc)

• The Food Processing Development Centre is a fully equipped product development laboratory and pilot plant facility, which focuses on the development of value added food products and applied and adaptive research from crops and livestock
• Contact Karen Erin at 780-980-4864 or karen.erin@gov.ab.ca

• The Food Science and Technology Centre operation focuses on product/process development on horticulture and special crops and extrusion processing technology with an emphasis on pet food/livestock rations.
• Contact Darcy Driedger at 403-362-1339 or darcy.driedger@gov.ab.ca

• The Sensory Evaluation Centres are housed in state of the art computerized facilities in Leduc and downtown Edmonton, which provide comprehensive product evaluation services including consumer acceptability and trained panel sensory testing.
• Contact Karen Erin at 780-980-4864 or karen.erin@gov.ab.ca

• The Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator is a multi-tenant, CFIA registered facility that is dedicated to assisting new food processors scale up and commercialize new products and technologies.
• It is comprised of eight fully serviced processed bays, with centralized shipping and receiving and shared cold storage and staff welfare areas.
• It officially opened May 16, 2007
• Currently, five bays have been leased and are in production
• Contact Robert Gibson at 780-980-4866 or robert.gibson@gov.ab.ca

• Setting a Profitable Price Workshop: Grande Prairie – January 28, 2009: Airdrie – March 3, 2009: Leduc – March 5, 2009 - Contact Elaine at 780-835-7531, Register at 1-800-387-6030, Cost = $25 +GST
• Partnering and Collaboration: How to Reach Retailers - Part of the Value Chain Series: Grande Prairie – February 17, 2009 - Contact Kelly or Sherry at 780-538-6208
• Product Development: Are you Ready? - Part of the Value Chain Series: Camrose – March 12, 2009 - Contact Margurite at 780-968-3513
• Customer Focused Collaboration: Mastering Value Chain Implementation : Burnaby, B.C. – February 24-26, 2009 - Contact Margurite at 780-968-3513, Register at 1-800-387-6030
• Food Professionals Management Program: Saskatoon, SK
  Module 1: January 14-15, 2009: Module 2: February 11-12, 2009: Module 3: March 11-12, 2009: Module 4: April 15-16, 2009: Cost: $1500 per participant, Contact Lesley at 306-975-6847