Institute of Food Processing Technology Celebrates Its Grand Opening

Nov 16, 2012

Ontario’s Food and Beverage Manufacturing Sector Gets a Boost with Technology Centre

The food processing industry is hailed as Ontario’s largest manufacturing employer in the province. Given this status, it makes sense to invest in this sector. On Thursday, Conestoga College of Technology and Advanced Learning were pleased to have the grand opening of the Institute of Food Processing Technology (IFPT).

The opening of the IFPT was created in partnership with the Alliance of Ontario Food Processors (AOFP) and Conestoga College. The facility is a one-of-a-kind that seeks to focus on cultivating a skilled workforce – which will be unique to the needs of the sector.

The timing of the facility couldn’t have been better, as a recent study released by AOFP suggested that the food processing sector will face skilled workforce shortages by 2026. The creation of the IFPT will seek to address some of those future skill shortages and attempt to strengthen Ontario’s economy.

The new state-of-the-art facility will provide enhanced educational opportunities for students while meeting the needs of a growing food and beverage industry.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.