SIAL Canada & SET Canada 2017: A Record-Breaking Edition Is On Its Way

Toronto – SIAL Canada and SET Canada are already sold out, with 11 weeks still left before the show! These results have already surpassed those from Toronto in 2015, which was itself a record year and had posted nearly 15% growth compared with the year that had preceded it. In fact, it seems that the Canadian agri-food industry as a whole has grasped the importance of taking part in this annual gathering, whether it’s held in Montreal or Toronto. Never has the businesses presence from Ontario and the rest of Canada been as strong as it is now!

This excitement is due to SIAL Canada’s unique positioning which has something to offer all agri-food professionals (from the retail, food-processing, and food-service sectors) and which makes this the only international show in North America that offers up solutions for the entire food industry.

A Unique, Trailblazing, Expertise-Filled Show!

“SIAL Canada is a true meeting point for trends and innovations—it’s obvious that’s what’s at the heart of the show. Our role isn’t to do what others already have, but instead to use our broad, unique expertise to blaze a trail by providing every industry business with advice and assistance regarding future opportunities!” explained Xavier Poncin, the show’s Executive Director. “Each of the growing sectors, new consumption trends, innovations and key issues, which make our industry one of the world’s most competitive, are covered to benefit our clients! This year will, without any doubt, be the finest edition in our short history—without even mentioning the outlook on a macro-economic level, since this will be the first major international show in any sector to honour the EU following the signing of CETA! We’re always ahead of the curve!” SIAL Canada has the tremendous pleasure of welcoming the European Union as its honoured guest for the 2017 edition in Toronto.

Renowned Experts at Your Disposal

As part of this 14th edition, in the Experts’ Village located at booth 627, SIAL Canada will ensure that visitors and exhibitors will be able to take advantage of the expertise of many high-level professionals from a variety of industry sectors.

• Tia Loftsgard, Executive Director at the Canada Organic Trade Association – ORGANIC expert
• Gurth Pretty, specialty-cheese buyer at Loblaw – CHEESE expert
• Dana McCauley, food-trend consultant – INNOVATION expert
• B.K. Sethi, ethnic-product specialist and consultant – ETHNIC PRODUCT expert
• Jane Dummer, Founder of Jane Dummer Consulting – HEALTH FOOD market expert
• Saad Kadiri, Industry Managed Services Lead at GS1 Canada – SUPPLY CHAIN expert
• Franco Naccarato, Program Manager at Greenbelt Fund – BUYING LOCAL expert
• Carol Zweep, Manager of Packaging & Food Labelling Services at NSF International – PACKAGING expert
• Bob Bauer, President of the Association of Food Industries – FDA compliance expert

All Kinds of Unique, Not-to-Be-Missed Conferences!

There will also be a varied program of conferences that features major topics within contemporary agri-food and deals with the sector’s issues and opportunities.

Here are a few of those topics:

•  The Canadian Grocery Industry – What Does the Future Hold?
•  The Future of Canadian Food Retailing
•  Panel: Growing Your Organic Opportunity – Navigating Growth and Export Opportunities in the Food Sector
•  Feast On – Delivering an Authentic Taste of Ontario to Consumers
•  CETA: Create New Opportunities for Your Agribusiness!
•  Where Does Innovation Come from in the Food Business?
•  Celebrate the Brand: Thoughtful Strategies for Design in Packaging
•  The Canadian Organic Consumer: Consumer Demographic and Market Insights
•  Key Issues and Challenges Facing Food Manufacturers and Processors: 2017 Updates
•  Risks in a Perishable Supply Chain
•  How to Navigate the Canadian Foodservice Sector
•  The Canadian Halal Market: Insights and Opportunities
•  Developing a Supply Chain Program for USFDA Foreign Supplier Verification Program Compliance
•  Food Waste and Sustainable Packaging
•  Canadian Food Loss + Waste: Focused on Solutions
•  How to Open Millennial Mom’s Wallet
•  Recent Canadian Industrial Agri-food Forecasts
•  Regulatory Reality vs. Commercial Reality
•  Food for Thought: How the Latest Census Is Redrawing the Map
•  Navigating the Canadian Grocery-Sector Landscape
•  How to Create Unique Food Products That Sell

The media will have access to all the talks for free. The schedule is available on the sialcanada.com website.

A wide range of speakers will be in attendance, including: David Wilkes, Sylvain Charlebois, Paul Uys, Tia Loftsgard, Rebecca Mackenzie, Winnie Chiu, Ted McKechnie, Michael Wolfson, Brian Hircock, Paul Medeiros, Dana McCauley, Joe Malen, Ruth Snowden, Keith Mussar, David Clark, Pat Crilly, Salima Jivraj, Jo-Ann McArthur, Kim Onett, Carol Zweep, Cher Mereweather, Cheryl Grishkewich, Linda Fox, Jean-Charles Le Vallée, Bob Bauer, Joshua Levi, David Clark and many more!

First Edition in Toronto for SIAL Food Hub!

Following the success of its first edition in Montreal, on May 2nd major international summit SIAL Food Hub will be held for the second time ever at the show, and will be presented in partnership with Canadian Grocer. Canada’s multicultural food market is booming. Research shows it is expanding by about 14% annually, and 16% of Canadian consumers buy ethnic food weekly. That numbers jumps to 35% when you zero in on Ontario consumers. Roughly 70% of the growth in Canadian consumer spending will come from visible minorities. Therefore, SIAL Canada is using its platform to welcome a panel of experts on a pressing topic, MULTICULTURALISM: In Search of Authenticity.

Among the presentations, of note will be:

A Transition in Taste: Vikram Vij, Chef, restaurant owner, cookbook author, and television personality as well as The Multicultural Consumer: Gary Berman, Managing Director, Multicultural Customer Experience, LLC.
La Cuisine Event Presented by Foodservice and Hospitality

SIAL’s La Cuisine will take on 3 topics that have an impact on all of food: buying local, ready-to-eat meals, and food wastage. The day will kick off with a panel of experienced culinary professionals, and will be followed by demonstrations where visitors will be invited to cook a recipe with a chef. This activity will be a way of learning more about the approaches favoured by chefs who have made their mark in a rapidly changing environment. Among the guests will be Jason Parsons from Peller Estates in Niagara, Jonathan Gushue from restaurant The Berlin in Waterloo, Martin Kouprie who heads up The Globe Rosemont, and Gary Wildman from Longo’s. A highlight of the day will be a culinary challenge in which the goal will be to incorporate the unused food from earlier sessions! This activity, which is organized by La Tablée des Chefs, will address a key issue in our sector.

CTAQ and SIAL Canada

The Conseil de la transformation alimentaire du Québec is another of SIAL Canada’s key partners, and for several editions now, has supported the show and its activities.

About SIAL Canada

SIAL Canada, which includes the SET equipment and technology section, is an integral part of the SIAL network, the leading global network of shows dedicated to the food industry, with eight shows (SIAL Paris, SIAL Canada in Montreal and Toronto, SIAL China, SIAL Middle East, SIAL InterFOOD Jakarta, and SIAL ASEAN Manila) that bring together 14,000 exhibitors and 330,000 visitors from 200 countries. Established in 2001, SIAL Canada is the fruit of three agencies' labour, all of whom are shareholders in the event: the ADA (Association des détaillants en alimentation du Québec), the Agri-Food Export Group Quebec-Canada, and Comexposium. SIAL Canada is the only show supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, MAPAQ, and OMAFRA.

Source: CTAQ and SIAL Canada