CFIN, Ontario Genomics reveal winners of cell-ag funding competition

The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) and Ontario Genomics reveal the winners of the $900K-worth Accellerate-On competition. Accellerate-On is Canada’s first regional cellular agriculture competition, supporting the research and development of novel and innovative viable food production methods with the intent to drive economic growth and Ontario’s global leadership in this new and sustainable way to produce food.

The four genomics and engineering biology projects were chosen for their potential to drive food innovation, address industry opportunities, solve challenges, and benefit the cellular agriculture ecosystem and food and beverage industry in Ontario.

The Accellerate-On funding recipients are:

• Ardra for developing fermentation-based production of heme as a natural flavour ingredient;
• Cell Ag Tech for scaling up the manufacturing of fish muscle stem cells from a 2D to 3D culture system with proteomic assessments of the cells;
• Evolved (formerly Caro Meats) for creating cultivated pork belly that is identical to conventional pork belly; and
• The University of Toronto, Dr. Michael Garton in collaboration with MyoPalate for establishing the foundational tools for cultivated pork production.

The successful projects are jointly funded by Ontario Genomics and CFIN and will be completed within 12-18 months.

“It is very clear that cellular agriculture is garnering the interest and dollars of the global investor community. Today’s announcement will help Ontario’s most innovative food start-ups and researchers get to the next level by supporting product development, job creation and revenue generation. By leveraging our existing strengths, this partnership between CFIN and Ontario Genomics is a critical step to growing Ontario’s cellular agriculture ecosystem,” said Dr. Bettina Hamelin, president and CEO, Ontario Genomics.

“Transformative innovation is the only way we can solve global food challenges. These four homegrown projects represent a unique and sustainable approach to feeding a growing global population while demonstrating the potential of Canadian food innovation,” added Joseph Lake, CEO, CFIN.