Regina, Saskatchewan, Sept. 24, 2026 – Tariffs and trade disruption are shifting the outlook for Canada’s food and beverage manufacturers from resilience to risk management, according to a mid-year update from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Economics. Sales rose four per cent in the first half of 2026, but new U.S. trade restrictions, Canadian counter-tariffs and renewed energy and freight volatility are putting pressure on margins.

Canadian food and beverage manufacturing sales reached $88.1 billion in the first half of 2026, with the gain driven largely by higher prices rather than stronger volumes, the update shows. After adjusting prices, real sales were flat compared to the same period last year.

“The first half of 2026 shows the sector remains resilient, but the headline sales number does not tell the whole story. For manufacturers, the key issue is not just whether sales are growing, but what is driving that growth,” said Craig Johnston, vice-president and chief economist at FCC. “When gains are tied more to prices than volumes, it can signal that companies are still operating in a cautious demand environment while also managing higher and less predictable costs.”

Results varied significantly across the sector. Grain and oilseed milling, fruit and vegetable processing and animal food manufacturing recorded some of the strongest gains, while sugar and confectionery manufacturing, breweries and distilleries posted declines.

The operating environment has also become more challenging. Energy and freight volatility, higher input costs, U.S. trade restrictions and Canadian counter-tariffs are creating additional uncertainty around production costs, export opportunities and margins.

Margins are expected to improve modestly in 2026 after a difficult year, but the recovery is expected to remain fragile as trade and cost pressures build later in the year. FCC Economics’ estimates suggest the direct impact of the new trade measures will be limited in 2026 because most take effect only in September.

“As margins remain tight, diversification will become an increasingly important long-term strategy for food and beverage manufacturers,” Johnston said. “Reducing interprovincial trade barriers and expanding internationally can help open broader market opportunities. Helping the food and beverage manufacturing sector to achieve 3 per cent growth over the next decade could contribute an additional $40 billion to Canadian GDP over the next decade, while supporting 217,000 new jobs, $16 billion in wages and benefits and $1.3 billion in tax revenues.”

The mid-year update follows FCC Economics’ annual food and beverage report and examines how sales, costs and margins are evolving across Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing sector.

By sharing economic knowledge and forecasts, FCC provides insight and expertise to help those in the business of agriculture and food achieve their goals. For more economic insights and analysis, visit FCC Economics at fcc.ca/Economics.

Shibuya Hoppmann, a global leader in aseptic filling and automation systems, will exhibit at PACK EXPO International 2026, taking place October 18–21 at McCormick Place in Chicago. At Booth 2845, the company will debut its patent-pending FS-70-HS High-Speed Feeder, demonstrating a new high-throughput feeding solution operating at speeds of up to 800 parts per minute (bpm).

PACK EXPO visitors will have the opportunity to see the FS-70-HS in operation and speak directly with Shibuya Hoppmann’s technical team about high-speed part-handling requirements. The feeder will be displayed as a standard unit, allowing attendees to explore its capabilities and discuss how it may be applied within their own packaging, assembly, labeling, and processing operations.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their parts to Booth 2845 for testing during the show. This hands-on opportunity will enable manufacturers to evaluate potential part-handling performance and discuss the feasibility of a Shibuya Hoppmann feeding solution for their specific application.

The debut of the FS-70-HS underscores Shibuya Hoppmann’s continued focus on helping manufacturers improve efficiency, reduce manual intervention, and support consistent performance in demanding production environments. In addition to the new feeder, visitors can learn about the company’s broader portfolio of automation solutions engineered to support a range of industries and product-handling challenges.

To see the FS-70-HS High-Speed Feeder in action and discuss part-testing opportunities, visit Shibuya Hoppmann at Booth 2845 during PACK EXPO International 2026.

Siemens and Procter & Gamble (P&G), one of the world’s largest consumer goods manufacturers, are expanding the deployment of an AI-based quality inspection solution across P&G’s manufacturing operations worldwide. The system inspects products in real time during production, delivers comprehensive inspection coverage at full line speed and helps improve quality consistency. Depending on the product, scrap rates have been reduced by 10 to 20 percent.

The Visual Inspection Cockpit (VIC) is used in high-speed consumer goods manufacturing, where products consist of delicate, textured materials that naturally shift, stretch or wrinkle at high production speeds. Traditional vision systems often require extensive reconfiguration when materials, packaging designs or production environments change. By using Industrial AI, VIC can adapt more effectively to these variations and maintain inspection performance across a broad range of products.

Developed jointly by Siemens and P&G, the solution combines P&G’s deep learning models with Siemens’ Industrial Edge computing platform, industrial PCs powered by Nvidia GPUs and AI hardware and software. Siemens supports the industrial computing infrastructure, software scaling capabilities and long-term operation of the system across production sites.

"Our Industrial AI and Industrial Edge capabilities deliver what high-speed production demands: full inspection accuracy for thousands of products per minute, scalable from a single line to a global footprint. This collaboration demonstrates what we mean when we say we’re making industrial AI real," said Rainer Brehm, COO for automation and CTO at Siemens Digital Industries.

"We engineered this solution to solve a myriad of industry challenges traditional vision systems couldn't touch: accurate characterization of overlapping components, the subtlety of low-contrast defects, the complexity of highly decorated products and packaging, tight time coordination, real-time PLC integration with single product reject at high production rates with continuous inspection," said Paul Thomas, Director of Machine Vision and Applied AI at Procter & Gamble.

The Visual Inspection Cockpit (VIC) analyzes live camera images in real time and inspects every product passing through the production line. Unlike conventional rule-based vision systems, the AI-based approach can handle a wide range of product variations without the need for frequent reprogramming. The solution includes the Visual Inspection Engineering Tool, which enables plant engineers to configure, train and update inspection models directly, without requiring dedicated data science resources. This makes quality control more flexible and easier to maintain in complex production environments.

Inspection results are processed close to the production equipment on Siemens’ Industrial Edge and integrated directly into manufacturing operations. The system can automatically trigger actions such as alerts or the removal of defective products from the production line. Quality data can also be collected and analyzed over time, helping production teams identify trends and support continuous improvement efforts.

VIC is part of Siemens' broader machine vision and industrial AI portfolio, which includes the Industrial AI Suite. These solutions are delivered as standardized applications on the Industrial Edge platform. Together, they provide a consistent framework for deploying AI-based solutions at scale, regardless of whether the AI model is a custom development or Siemens-owned.

Because VIC is delivered as a reusable Industrial Edge application, new deployments can be commissioned five to ten times faster than traditional bespoke vision systems. With established infrastructure, DevOps processes and integration patterns, P&G can replicate the solution across plants, products and inspection scenarios with minimal overhead. The inspection data feeds into P&G's broader digital manufacturing ecosystem, providing real-time visibility into process stability and continuous improvement opportunities.

September 15, 2026 - METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection Group introduces its M50 R-Series AdvancedLine metal detectors to North America at Pack Expo booth 2122. This advanced generation of metal detectors is designed to support food manufacturers facing increasing demands around compliance, traceability, data connectivity and line performance.

"The launch of the M50 R-Series reflects how closely we have listened to our customers. We understand the pressures that food manufacturers face every day: balancing productivity with growing expectations around compliance, traceability and digital connectivity. As production lines become faster and more complex, maintaining that balance becomes even more challenging," said Jaison Anand, Market Manager - Metal Detection at METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection. "The M50 R-Series has been developed to help address these challenges, delivering advanced detection performance alongside intuitive operation and future-ready connectivity, supporting manufacturers not only today but as their requirements continue to evolve."

The M50 R-Series introduces a range of new innovations developed to increase detection sensitivity and support product safety across different applications. These include the eDrive PLUS, which, when combined with a 900 kHz frequency, improves the field strength to deliver the highest sensitivity to detect the smallest wire and non-spherical metal contaminants. Cutting-edge algorithms such as the 3S PLUS combined with AI-based machine learning help achieve maximum sensitivity, minimizing the risk of product recalls and helping manufacturers produce safer products.

Metal detectors in the series include:

M55R – Optimized for detecting significantly smaller, irregularly shaped metal contaminants in dry products such as pasta, savory snacks and deep-frozen produce (where thawing does not occur).

M55RB – Optimized for bulk products such as large sacks, bags of powder and cartons. Radio frequency interference (RFI) shields filter out external interference in large-aperture applications, increasing metal detection sensitivity. The innovative coil geometry delivers consistent detection performance in busy production environments.

M56R – Optimized for challenging applications such as chilled, wet, dry, deep-frozen/thawing and metalized film-wrapped products. It incorporates multi-simultaneous frequencies, an enhanced 3S PLUS algorithm to minimize the active product signal and an AI-based machine learning process to improve sensitivity on wet or conductive products and virtually eliminate false rejects. The inclusion of a 900 kHz tuned frequency provides excellent performance on dry products, making it a highly versatile solution for manufacturers with diverse products on the line.

The M50 R-Series has been designed to maximize uptime and simplify daily operation. A new 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen provides clear visualization and intuitive navigation. The interface responds like a smartphone or tablet screen, even when the user is wearing gloves or the screen is wet, to support faster setup and more confident use than traditional resistive touchscreens.

The introduction of the INFINITY Electronic Test System represents a significant advancement in routine testing. Automation in production performance monitoring simplifies test routines, improves consistency and accuracy and is up to three times faster than manual testing. The M50 R-Series can also run tests automatically without operator intervention.

Embedded Wi-Fi supports secure and simplified connectivity, giving users rapid access to system information through QR code functionality. Combined with improved Condition Monitoring software and simplified data transfer, the M50 R-Series supports continuous operation and reduced disruption on the line.

Brand protection is also enhanced through new radio-frequency identification (RFID) access control, which supports individual user logins and access management for superior security. Detailed access records are stored locally or transferred through multiple communication protocols, including OPC-UA and EtherNet/IP.

Manufacturers have the option to take product safety and data security to the next level by integrating ProdX™ data management software from METTLER TOLEDO. By connecting all METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection devices, ProdX monitors and records all inspection activities in real time and safely stores the data indefinitely.