Time for another quarterly catch-up with your co-hosts, Christine Farkas, RSE, CRC and Lara Tiro!

In this “snackable” roundup, we share the key moments, community gatherings, and future-forward forums that shaped our spring in food innovation.

From Vancouver to Ottawa, we’ve been learning, connecting, and facilitating growth across the food and beverage industry. Here’s a taste of what we’ve been up to:

•  Peer-to-peer power: BC Food & Bev Peer Group and Vancouver Island’s dynamic R&D meetups
•  Food tech futures: CFIN’s Fasten the Future of Food Tech and BCFB’s Thrive Conference inspired deep dives into innovation and scale-up strategy
•  Retail readiness: Farm Food Drink’s Getting into Grocery  Connect Series + Lara's Labelling workshop spotlighted what it really takes to land on shelf

•  Sugar reduction spotlight: Insights from IFT’s Sugar Reduction webinar with Crush Dynamics, and what’s next in sweet science

•  Regulatory radar: Highlights from the CHFA Regulatory Forum in Ottawa
•  Exporting smarter: Export Navigator's Technical Specialist Pilot Program offers practical advice for going global with purpose
•  Regional connections: We explored themes of collaboration and ecosystem building at the Southwest Food Innovation Summit

Whether you missed these events or want to relive the energy, this episode is your Q2 rewind.

 Hit play, grab a snack, and let’s reflect, recharge, and gear up for Q3!

BC Food & Beverage: https://bcfb.ca

CHFA NOW Toronto: https://www.chfanow.ca/toronto/

Export Navigator TSP Program: https://exportnavigator.ca/tsp/

IFT Sugar Reduction Webinar: https://www.ift.org/events/event-listing/2025/may/reducing-sugar-without-compromising-taste-2025-04-24

CFIN Future of FoodTech Report 2025:

 https://cfin-rcia.ca/yodl-content/cfin-reports/foodtech-in-canada-2025-ecosystem-report

Getting into Grocery - Label Regulations 

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/label-regulations-new-front-of-package-rules-tickets-1307212430569?aff=odcleoeventsincollection