Agriculture & Food
What is Agricultural Biotechnology?
Manitoba’s Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals
View the Manitoba Functional Foods Industry Showcase Video.
This agricultural biotech sector as a whole applies life science knowledge and biotechnologies to the processing of agricultural goods and production of organic and agricultural chemicals.
With a growing global population, increased concerns about food safety and nutrition and the continuing impact of climate change it’s one of the world’s most important industries. Canada has been innovating in this sector for more than a decade. Products being developed across Canada include fertilizers, pesticides, sustainable lubricants and oils, herbal supplements, nutraceuticals, functional foods and feed additives.
In Manitoba, primary innovations to date have been seen in the functional foods and nutraceuticals sector:
- A functional food is similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food that is consumed as part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, that is they contain bioactive compound.
- A nutraceutical is a product isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with foods. A nutraceutical is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against chronic disease.
- Functional Ingredients are the standardized and characterized preparations, fractions or extracts containing bioactive compounds of varying purity, that are used as ingredients by manufacturers in the food (human and pet) and preparations, fractions or extracts containing bioactive compounds of varying purity, which are used as ingredients by manufacturers in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors.
Nutraceuticals and functional food producers have created opportunities to improve the health of all Canadians, aid in the reduction of health care costs and support economic development in rural communities.
Globally, the market for nutraceuticals and functional foods is growing at a rate that is outpacing the traditional processed food market.
Canada has emerged as a leading world supplier in this growing market. Key success factors include Canada's world-class research into the health benefits of foods and bioactives, occuring at universities, government research labs and institutes, as well as innovations in ingredients, technologies, packaging and formulations occuring at food technology centres and contract manufacturing firms.
The Global View
More than 13.3 million farmers around the world use agricultural biotech processes. Since their introduction in the 1990s, biotech crops have been grown on more than 2.3 billion acres of farmland worldwide. In 2005, the rice genome was mapped, and projects to sequence soybean, corn, cattle and pig genomes were announced. As scientists continue to increase their understanding and knowledge of plants through genome sequencing projects we will see continued improvements in yield and quality of food crops, including enhanced disease and insect resistance and improved performance under drought, saline or heat-stressed conditions.(Source: BIOTECanada)
Agricultural biotech holds great hope for a hungry world. Innovations in this sector can increase crop yields, provide food security, preserve and improve soils, help control disease, weeds and pests and produce better, healthier food.
Manitoba Perspective
The Manitoba Agri-Health Research Network
Manitoba Agri-Health Research Network is a global centre for research, production, marketing, development and commercialization of agricultural products for health. In partnership with world-class facilities that anchor Manitoba’s fast-growing functional foods and nutraceuticals sector, it is focused on promoting and building on this singular bioactives cluster. Built on the unique strengths of world-renowned experts in research, development, and commercialization, this exciting collaborative initiative will advance the role of functional foods and neutraceuticals - in Canada and around the world.
Unique in Canada
Making up Manitoba’s thriving bioactives cluster are three internationally recognized facilities – Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine (CCARM), the Food Development Centre (FDC), and the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (RCFFN).
The strategic links between these agriculture and health sectors enable this cluster to offer research and product development capacity that is unique in Canada. Combined, the three facilities provide testing and assessment of plant and animal-based bioactive compounds from the producer through clinical proof of safety and efficacy, to product development and commercialization.
Richardson Center for Functional Food
The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals is in the midst of exciting and ongoing research. Located in Smartpark Research and Technology Park, University of Manitoba, the Centre is dedicated to the discussion, discovery, and development of functional foods and nutraceuticals, with a focus on the crops of the Canadian Prairies
CCARM
CCARM’s mandate is to perform research on the health related effects of FFN and to provide the scientific community and the general public with reliable, scientific evidence-based information concerning FFN.
Jointly developed by St. Boniface General Hospital (SBGH) and the University of Manitoba (UMB), CCARM has been designated a strategic initiative of the UMB, the provincial and federal governments and SBGH. CCARM is unique in Canada as the only FFN research group of its size situated in a medical research facility. For more information: www.sbrc.ca
Food Development Centre
Developing an agri-food product for commercial distribution is an exciting and complex process! At the Food Development Centre (FDC) we guide and support your efforts to bring your product to market. Our Product and Process Development (PPD) consultants work with clients to prepare products for commercial marketing that meet the demands of consumers in the retail or foodservice market.
As a special operating agency of the Manitoba government, the Food Development Centre is a pilot plant for the production of processed food. Involved in the development of grains and oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, meat and bakery products for the supermarket shelf, as well as agricultural products for health, aimed at the FFN industry. Under licence from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, FDC provides opportunities for businesses to produce and market products onsite, for sale across Canada and around the world. For more information: www.manitoba.ca/agriculture/fdc
Our Competitive Industry
Manitoba has a unique set of business advantages including:
- a productive, well-educated and multilingual labour force;
- an extremely favourable business cost environment,
- including competitive office and land costs, low construction costs and affordable taxes;
- one of North America.s lowest electricity costs with highly reliable, renewable and environmentally
- responsible hydro-electricity;
- an extensive network of research and development facilities, supporting innovation and technology
- diffusion;
- a convenient mid-continent location in the North American central time zone; and
- cost-effective transportation links and intermodal facilities providing shipping by road, rail, air and sea.