Thank You to Everyone Who Made the 2024 FBA Conference & Awards a Success!
From our amazing attendees and generous sponsors to our incredible suppliers and the dedicated FBA team—thank you for making Scaling Smart such a success.
We’re already looking forward to next year and to keep pushing the boundaries of Atlantic Canada’s food and beverage industry together!
Congratulations 2024 FBA Award Winners!
We’re thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievements of our award recipients at this year’s Food & Beverage Atlantic Conference! These industry leaders have inspired us with their innovation, resilience, and dedication to excellence.
Thank you for setting the bar high and showing the power of passion and hard work in Atlantic Canada’s food and beverage industry! Cheers to your success and the impact you continue to make!
- The Cultured Coconut – Linda Peers – Innovation Award
- Saltwinds Coffee Company – Laura Richard & Brad Rideout – Rising Star Award
- Nutracelle – Melanie Wildman – Foodie’s Choice Award
- Good Robot Brewing Co. – Josh Counsil – Storyteller Award
- The Pump House Brewery – Rich Gould & Scott McLeod – Mover & Shaker Award
This year, we’re thrilled to celebrate Food & Beverage Atlantic’s 25th Anniversary!
This incredible milestone reflects the strength of our Atlantic Canadian food and beverage community, which continues to grow and thrive.
We owe our success to the unwavering support of our dedicated members, the commitment of our funding partner ACOA, and the visionary leadership of our past and present board directors and colleagues.
Together, we’ve built an organization that champions collaboration, innovation, and excellence across our industry.
Here’s to 25 years of achievements—and to many more to come! Thank you for being part of this journey with us.
Join the celebration! We’re overjoyed to introduce the latest companies joining us to strengthen and energize the food and beverage scene across Atlantic Canada. Together, we’re unstoppable!
- Dunn Right Sauce – Riverview, NB
- Nabuurs Gardens Ltd – Montague, PEI
- Red Ochre Cafe – Western Bay, NL
- Fuel Your Body – Healthy Meal Delivery Inc – Kingston, PE
- Preowned Barcodes Ltd – Bedford, NS
- Shreem Breeze – Fredericton, NB
Important Update: Membership Renewal Process Changes
We want to inform you about an important change to our membership renewal process. Starting January 1, 2025, all memberships will be renewed annually on this date. To ensure a smooth transition, renewal reminders will begin going out via email as early as December 1, 2024. If you have a credit card on file, we’ll automatically apply the renewal fee.
We greatly appreciate your support during this transition and are here to assist with any questions you may have.
Please direct any questions to admin@atlanticfood.ca or 506-227-8328.
Calling Marketing Service Providers
FBA will soon invite qualified vendors to submit proposals for our key marketing services. These include Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media, Graphic Design, and Website Management.
We will be seeking partners who can help us achieve our goals of increasing brand awareness, driving membership, and promoting our events. Vendors with experience in these fields and a proven track record are encouraged to apply.
Detailed submission requirements, timelines, and evaluation criteria will be posted at https://atlanticfood.ca/proposals-rfps/.
The Team is Here For You!
The team at Food & Beverage Atlantic is here to service your needs, make connections and provide unbiased advice.
Nancy Brace, Janelle Castilloux, Dwayne Boudreau, Tammy Brideau, Jackie Skinner
FBA Members: SAVE 25% on Food Safety Training
That’s right! FBA Members can now SAVE 25% on any Perennia food safety training. This discount can be stacked with provincial programs for up to 75% coverage.
Is there a Food Safety topic you need training on but don’t see covered? Email us and we can work on incorporating it in 2025!
Introducing: Perennia Academy
We’ve heard you: you need to find Perennia resources quickly, and you want more learning options that can be completed from anywhere.
That’s why we built Perennia Academy. It’s a powerful free site that allows you to easily search for, save, and refer to resources like fact sheets, guides and checklists developed by specialists. Plus, find eLearning courses created especially for food and beverage business owners and team members like you, so you can learn wherever you are, whenever you want.
Resources Library
Save fact sheets, webinars, templates, checklists and guides to your library, all developed by Perennia’s expert Food Scientists, Regulatory Food Safety Specialists and Quality and Food Safety Specialists. Pre-curated searches get you on your way to learning quickly.
Food Safety Fundamentals
We’ve created 7 new eLearning courses you can follow at your own pace, from home, the office, or anywhere you have an internet connection. These courses help you learn the basics of food safety – and beyond – to help you and your team members build a solid foundation and thriving food safety culture in your facility.
Did you say… free?
That’s right. Perennia Academy is free to join. While some products on the site may have a cost associated with them, we have done our best to keep it affordable. All resources, however, are free to access, save, and download.
FBA Members: SAVE 25% on Food Safety Training
That’s right! FBA Members can now SAVE 25% food safety training. This discount can be stacked with provincial programs for up to 75% coverage.
Is there a Food Safety topic you need training on but don’t see covered? Email us and we can work on incorporating it in 2025!
FBA-ABA Members:
Note to Members: If there are additional colleagues that you would like to ensure receive our News from Ottawa, please forward their e-mails to FBC-ABC.
Reminder: Member Survey on FBC-ABC’s News from Ottawa
In line with FBC-ABC’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, we are seeking feedback from members regarding the usefulness of our News from Ottawa newsletter. Your responses are anonymous and will help us enhance the content and format of the newsletter. Please submit your comments by November 8, 2024.
Additional information about the October 21, 2024, changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Additional guidance has been released regarding the changes announced on October 21, 2024, to Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirements under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP):
· Wage threshold for high and low-wage streams: Starting November 8, the provincial and territorial wage thresholds used to determine whether an employer applies for an LMIA through the high or low-wage stream will be increased by 20% over the current level. As of November 8, employers will be able to consult the updated reference table available on the TFWP website to find out about the new applicable thresholds. This change does not apply to LMIA applications received prior to the start date.
· Supporting documents required for the LMIA: As of October 28, 2024, and applying to LMIA applications received before October 28 that are still under assessment, attestations from CPAs or lawyers will no longer be accepted as supporting documentation to demonstrate the legitimacy of the employer’s business. However, attestations from official representatives of regulated financial institutions will still be accepted, but only to substantiate the following: The business has the ability to fulfill terms of the job offer.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program: Employer Compliance Information Session – November 25, 2024
FBC-ABC invites members to join Service Canada officials for an information session on compliance obligations under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The session will be conducted in English, with bilingual slides provided. A French session will also be scheduled if there is sufficient demand.
Session contents include: The inspection process, and how to be prepared; statistics for the 2023-2024 fiscal year; the difference between the high-wage and low-wage streams; key compliance expectations and reminders; and a Q&A session. This session is open to members of FBC-ABC and the provincial and regional associations. To register or submit questions in advance, please e-mail FBC-ABC.
Upcoming Political Update Call – Tuesday, November 5 at 12:00pm EST
FBC-ABC’s next Political Update Call, hosted by our CEO, will provide members with insights into the latest political developments in Ottawa, alongside updates on recent announcements and legislative matters. If you or a colleague are interested in joining, please reach out to FBC-ABC.
FBC-ABC’s November 8 Plastics Presentation with Officials
FBC-ABC will host a presentation and roundtable discussion on Plastics and the Supply Chain on November 8, 2024. This event, part of our Plastics Policy and Advocacy Campaign, will gather industry leaders from sectors such as meat, dairy, baking, and fruit and vegetable processing alongside representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Health Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. This collaboration will foster discussions on sustainable packaging solutions aligned with both industry and government priorities.
Legislative Updates: Bills C-282, C-293, S-254, C-252
· Bill C-282: An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (Supply Management): The Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee conducted two recent hearings, engaging with witnesses both for and against the bill. FBC-ABC will monitor for additional Committee meetings.
· Bill C-293: An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness: Bill C-293 remains at Second Reading in the Senate, pending referral to Committee.
· Bill S-254: An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning label on alcoholic beverages): Currently with the Senate Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee, with no meetings yet scheduled.
· Bill C-252: An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children): Similarly with the Senate Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee since May 30, 2024, with no meetings scheduled to date.
Government of Canada announces 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan
The Government of Canada recently announced the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which includes controlled targets for temporary residents, specifically international students and foreign workers. With reduction measures announced over the past months, the Government intends to reduce Canada’s temporary population to 5% by the end of 2026.
The Embassy of Canada in Mexico, through its Trade Commissioner Service, invites you to an informative session for Canadian companies interested in exploring the growing opportunities within Mexico’s agri-food sector.
Webinar: “Exploring Opportunities in Mexico’s Agri-food Sector”
Thursday, November 14th, 13h00 EST
Register here
In preparation for Canada’s participation in Expo ANTAD & Alimentaria 2025,this webinar will provide valuable insights. The session will cover:
Mexico Market Snapshot
Key market trends and consumer landscape
Opportunities for Canadian exporters
Key food processing companies
Benefits of participating in Expo ANTAD & Alimentaria 2025