New Program Boosts Workforce Opportunities by Championing Disability Inclusion in Canada's Food and Beverage Manufacturing Sector

Oct 16, 2024

Food Processing Skills Canada launched FoodAbility, a new program that recognizes more than 800,000 people with disabilities in Canada have the potential to find meaningful employment, but are not employed.

The Canadian food and beverage manufacturing industry is a top employer in the country, with a workforce of more than 310,000 people in 2023. However, due to industry growth and retirements, the demand for new hires requires an addition of almost 12,000 new people annually. Building the diversity and inclusion of the industry's workforce, which already outperforms the general labour force in employing New Canadians, is a top priority, as is tapping into the potential of engaging individuals with disabilities.

"The Canadian food and beverage manufacturing industry is underperforming when it comes to people with disabilities or functional limitations in the workplace. Approximately 1 in 3 Canadians identify as having a disability, but that is not representative of the industry's workforce," said Jennefer Griffith, Executive Director of Food Processing Skills Canada. "We know businesses are ready to address barriers in hiring people with disabilities and engage in the education necessary to drive successful employment, but they need support. FoodAbility is the first industry-targeted program for Canadian food and beverage manufacturers dedicated to connecting hiring businesses with individuals with disabilities."

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?