Canadian Food Innovation Network advances Canadian foodtech with latest funding round
September 16, 2025
By Food in Canada Staff
The Knead Technologies team. The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) is awarding $1,177,496 to five foodtech startups through its Foodtech Next Program. These projects aim to demonstrate how new technologies perform under real operational conditions and assess their potential for broader adoption and commercialization throughout the food sector. Industry partners will match the funding, bringing total investment to $2,354,992.
The 2025 Foodtech Next funding recipients are UDP Software, Gastronomous Technologies, Knead Technologies, Freshr Sustainable Technologies, and uDesign Solutions.
Project details
B.C.-based UDP Software is piloting FoodPM, an AI-powered platform designed to digitize and optimize food processing operations. Gastronomous Technologies (Ontario) is piloting a beta test to improve the reliability and functionality of its latest autonomous beverage makeline across multiple operational settings. Knead Technologies (Alberta) is piloting Matching Modules, a suite of features designed to streamline food rescue logistics by addressing inefficiencies in the donor-recipient matching process. Freshr Sustainable Technologies (Nova Scotia) is collaborating with Cooke Aquaculture to pilot FreshrPack, an antibacterial coating solution that is applied on film packaging to extend the shelf life of fresh proteins by 15–30 per cent. uDesign Solutions (Ontario) is developing a next-generation crate packing system to automate the final stage of the bottling line at Laiterie de l’Outaouais, a dairy producer in Quebec.
“These five projects demonstrate Food 4.0 in action—industry-led innovation that is reshaping how food is processed, packaged, and shared. Whether through AI-driven automation, compostable packaging, or digital food waste mitigation platforms, each solution tackles real-world challenges with tremendous potential to scale. CFIN is proud to support such visionary companies that are driving the transformative change Canada’s food sector needs to stay globally competitive,” said Dana McCauley CEO, Canadian Food Innovation Network.