Regina, Saskatchewan, February 10, 2026 – Farm Credit Canada (FCC) today announced it has convened a coalition of more than 20 investment organizations collectively prepared to deploy up to $5 billion into Canadian agriculture and food innovation by 2030. This milestone reflects a generational investment opportunity in Canada’s agriculture and food sector.

This new coalition pledge builds on the momentum of the May 2025 commitment by FCC’s investment arm, FCC Capital, which pledged $2 billion by 2030 to drive innovation across the agriculture and food industry. As part of this commitment, FCC Capital is already on track to deploy $325 million in new capital during its fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. With the pledge announced today, combined with FCC’s commitment in May 2025, this represents $7 billion of new investment into Canadian agriculture and food by 2030.

These commitments will bring new innovation to Canadian farmers through investments in innovative Canadian businesses, construction and project finance opportunities, and early-stage ag-tech companies.

This announcement marks a major step in expanding Canada’s capacity to scale world‑leading agriculture and food innovation. In 2021, total estimated investment in agricultural innovation stood at $270 million annually according to RBC Thought Leadership. Today’s coalition helps position Canada to dramatically increase this figure and accelerate commercialization of breakthrough technologies and productivity across the entire value chain.

Together, FCC Capital’s pledge and the commitments made by this coalition of investors represent a clear and meaningful statement to the strength and long‑term potential of the Canadian ag and food industry at a pivotal moment for the sector.

“Canada’s farmers, producers, and processors are already among the most innovative and entrepreneurial in the world,” said Darren Baccus, executive vice-president, Agri‑Food, Alliances and FCC Capital. By bringing this coalition together, we’re crowding in the capital needed to scale breakthrough solutions and deliver the next generation of innovation directly to Canadian producers. This work strengthens our food security at home while accelerating Canada’s rise as an ag and food superpower. FCC remains rigorously focused on supporting Canadian farmers and ensuring our work delivers tangible, measurable impact for them.”

“Agriculture is one of the most important and investable sectors of our economy,” said Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Heath MacDonald. “This landmark investment will strengthen Canada’s leadership in agriculture and agri-food innovation, while charting a course for long-term growth, competitiveness, and resiliency for generations to come.”

Investment organizations that are part of the coalition include:

Area One Farms
Arterra Growth
Bonnefield Financial
District Ventures Capital
Emmertech
Glengarry Farm Finance Corporation
InvestEco Capital Corp.
Maverix Private Equity
Nàdarra Ventures
Northleaf Capital Partners
NYA Ventures
Power Sustainable Lios
Radicle Growth Food and Agriculture Venture Capital
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
S2G Investments
Seminal Capital Holdings, LLC
SVG Ventures
Tall Grass Ventures
Tikehau Capital
Yaletown Partners

The VeriGreen® Plus by , a world-first ‘self destructing’ cup made from bio-based materials, is set to make waves at its UK debut when it appears at .

Engineered to be recyclable, the cup also features a time-delayed biotransformation feature that activates should it fail to find itself in the recycling stream, disintegrating within two years. While this feature remains dormant, the material – a polymer made from recycled cooking oil – behaves exactly like a conventional plastic. After the transformation is triggered, however, it breaks down into a powdery wax that will quickly biodegrade.

An innovation with the potential to revolutionise single-use materials, the cup also utilises a QR code design that consumers can scan to access useful information about disposing of the product, supporting crucial public education initiatives in the process. The product has significant implications for the foodservice, catering, and live event sectors, and could be a watershed moment in the conversation around single-use plastic.

Caroline Wiggins, Chief Executive of eGreen, says VeriGreen Plus represents more than just a product. “It’s a single-use product but made from fossil-fuel-free material,” she explains. “If you follow COP every year and all the global conversations, you’ll know the world is moving towards fossil-fuel-free, carbon-free materials. At the moment, all plastics come from oil. This material doesn’t. It’s made from recycled cooking oil that’s turned into a polymer, and then we include a technology that ensures if the product is left in the open air, it biotransforms and returns to nature.

“The priority is always that cups are collected and recycled. But we know 80% of plastic that ends up in rivers and oceans comes from land. If a product escapes the recycling stream, the self-destruct technology means it will biotransform when exposed to heat, air, sunlight, and moisture, transforming it into a harmless wax. That’s particularly important in environments with large crowds and a low collection rate. It’s not an excuse for littering, but it provides a safety net.”

The news only builds anticipation for an already eagerly awaited showcase, and cements the show’s position as one of the most high-profile and impactful ways to launch a major new product line.

And, with several major customers across Europe already on board with the Verigreen Plus, attendees to Packaging Innovations can be among the first in the UK to experience this potentially game-changing innovation. Free tickets for the event, held at the Birmingham NEC on 11 & 12 February 2026, are available now at.

Milwaukee, WI – PFlow Industries, the pioneer in vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) technology, highlights its VRCs, including the M Series and F Series, for food facilities. From food-grade design and durable construction to continuously reliable operation, PFlow Industries ensures that food manufacturers have the vertical lifting solutions necessary to drive efficiency, maintain safety, and support growth in this highly competitive market.

PFlow VRCs can be designed with sanitary, washdown-ready finishes that support food-safe operations. They integrate seamlessly with automated conveyor systems and material-handling vehicles to reduce manual touchpoints, minimize contamination risk, and maintain efficient throughput. The result is durable infrastructure that simplifies compliance, decreases forklift traffic, eliminates cross-contamination points, and sustains the hygienic workflows essential to safe, efficient food manufacturing and packaging.

The M Series 2-Post Mechanical Material Lift supports loads up to 10,000 pounds and is available in straddle or cantilever configurations. Engineered for high-speed, high-cycle environments, it offers superior safety, efficient load transfer between multiple levels, and compatibility with advanced automation. Its robust design reduces manual handling, eliminates cross-contamination points, and improves productivity across demanding food processing and packaging applications.

The F Series Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor is engineered for the unique demands of large-scale food manufacturing environments, providing robust performance and the highest flexibility in carriage size and loading access. With a standard capacity of 50,000 pounds and customizable for loads of over 200,000 lbs, and effectively unlimited carriage size, the F Series accommodates oversized loads, bulk materials, and high-volume palletized shipments across multiple levels, indoors or outdoors. Four-sided loading and unloading, advanced washdown or corrosion-resistant finishes, and flexibility in traffic patterns make it ideal for food manufacturing applications where size, speed, and sanitary design are paramount.

PFlow VRCs are more than standalone equipment; they are integrated infrastructure serving as a permanent part of facility design that delivers long-term operational resilience. PFlow VRCs can be constructed with high-grade materials and corrosion-resistant finishes that endure frequent cleaning, chemical exposure, and wash-down conditions common in food and beverage processing /manufacturing environments. Each lift offers 24/7 operation capability, minimal maintenance, and durability built for decades of continuous use. Safety and compliance with ASME B20.1 conveyor standards are central, with every solution supporting OSHA, FDA and USDA standards and ASME B20.1 conveyor standards.

“For food and beverage processors, choosing a PFlow VRC is an investment in long-term efficiency,” said Dan Hext, National Sales Director at PFlow Industries. “PFlow VRCs are easy to integrate during new construction or retrofit projects, are generally less to install and service than freight elevators, and help facilities maintain the cleanliness and uptime essential to food safety.”

A new examining the cost implications of reducing plastic packaging for fresh produce sold in Canada provides insight into how the produce sector approaches packaging decisions. While the study focuses on economic and functional considerations, reviewing its findings through an environmental lens raises questions about how sustainable packaging decisions are made in practice.

This blog provides an environmental perspective on selected aspects of the study, including the example of switching apples from plastic packaging to paper and the recommendation to further examine reusable plastic crates (RPCs).

Packaging serves important functions, including protecting products, supporting transportation and logistics, and helping to reduce food waste. However, packaging decisions cannot be viewed in isolation.

As the study itself acknowledges, today’s retail environment – shaped by larger grocery stores, multiple retailers, global supply chains, and growing demand for consumer convenience – means the same product can now be packaged, or not packaged, in multiple ways. These real-world factors increasingly influence how food is packaged and sold.

At the same time, plastic packaging remains pervasive. In 2024 alone, an estimated  were generated, and without major changes, , reaching around 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060. When it comes to plastic packaging for produce, the report shares the following data (see Tables 3-2a and 3-2b):

That seems like a substantial amount of plastic associated with just one segment of the food system. For additional context, a found that 45% of plastic food packaging could be replaced either by transitioning to alternative packaging or by selling products loose.

PPEC’s commentary does not question the importance or function of packaging for fresh produce; rather, it questions whether all packaging currently used is required for product protection.

With that context in mind, the following sections examine aspects of the federal study to illustrate how packaging decisions are shaped by retail practices, consumer behaviour, as well as broader system-level and policy considerations.

Apples and Material Substitution

Using apples as an example, the report notes that Canadian retail store audits showed loose apples were priced 39% higher by weight than packaged apples, and further estimates that switching apples from plastic packaging to paper packaging could increase retail prices by approximately 42 per cent.

This example raises a question that extends beyond pricing alone: why are apples packaged in the first place? Apples have historically been sold loose and generally do not require primary (consumer-facing) packaging for protection. Yet the report’s cost comparison reflects a retail environment in which plastic-packaged apples are priced lower than their loose counterparts.

PPEC is not commenting on retail pricing strategies. Rather, this example illustrates how efforts to reduce plastic packaging can be complicated by existing market and consumer practices. If the objective is to reduce unnecessary packaging, it becomes important to distinguish between packaging required for product protection and packaging that exists for other reasons within retail systems.

PPEC is not looking to debate packaging decisions for every individual fruit or vegetable. However, we are observing an increase in pre-packaged produce. These formats appear to be driven by downstream retail practices and consumer expectations. This is not a critique of business decisions, but a reminder that packaging choices can sometimes run counter to environmental objectives.

This example reinforces the need to look beyond material substitution and consider how packaging decisions are shaped by modern retail practices and consumer behaviour.

Reusable Plastic Crates (RPCs)

Corrugated packaging has played a role in the fresh produce sector for decades. In Canada, corrugated cartons are part of a well-established recycling system, with strong end markets, including PPEC members that purchase and recycle used corrugated packaging from grocery and retail sectors.

Against this backdrop, it may seem counterintuitive that a study examining the implications of measures to address plastic packaging waste also explores replacing corrugated cartons with reusable plastic crates (RPCs). While RPCs may be presented as a circular option, they remain plastic, , whereas corrugated packaging is already part of a mature circular system. Although referred to as “single-use” in the study, corrugated containers are typically recycled and reused multiple times.

In practice, many packaging materials are used once by consumers, but they differ significantly in how effectively they are recovered and recycled. Paper packaging is a clear example of a material with established recycling systems and strong end markets that enable repeated reuse of fibres.

This raises a broader question about how plastic packaging reduction is being defined: does replacing recyclable fibre packaging with RPCs meaningfully advance efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and plastics?

Further, while some RPC providers cite environmental benefits such as high reuse rates and recyclability, these outcomes are dependent on system design and performance. Claims of recyclability often reflect technical recyclability within controlled or closed-loop systems, rather than real-world recycling systems across jurisdictions.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the federal study serves as a reminder that produce packaging decisions are complex and cannot be viewed in isolation. As governments consider policy and regulatory changes, and businesses make packaging decisions, asking questions that reflect real world considerations – including whether packaging is necessary for product protection or has developed in response to changes in how food is purchased and consumed – is critical to advancing meaningful and scalable plastic reduction efforts.