Confectionary producer launches division to produce masks

June 10, 2020, Port Coquitlam, B.C. – Inno Foods Inc., a global confectionary producer and distributor, has co-developed a mask-producing machine with manufacturers in South Korea.

The machine arrived on May 26 and full production of consumer masks has started. The company is waiting for lab test results in order to begin production of medical-grade masks such as N95 or equivalent.

Multiple designs and types can be produced from one machine and the companies have plans to develop more mask machines.

As suppliers to many wholesale stores worldwide like Costco, Walmart and Loblaws, Inno Foods is used to meeting and exceeding global food safety standards. The team at the company will now leverage its extensive safety training in order to convert to medical grade procedures, allowing them to quickly pivot from food production into medical mask and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) production.

While the company applied for government grants to help fund the project, management believed the need was too great to wait for the grants to be processed, so decided to use their own money to help Canadians in this time of crisis. A new division called Inno Lifecare was launched to produce the masks.

Inno Foods worked with a team in South Korea to co-develop a machine that produces masks that meet North America standards, and also modified it to be versatile, so it can produce consumer and N95 or equivalent masks.

“Although we are all going through a difficult time, our mentality is to find a way to still thrive in whichever situation we are in, so that not only our company, but also the whole community can get through this challenge together,” said Jae Park, CEO at Inno Foods. “We want to contribute our small part to both the community and the economy.”