Food Development Centre

CA

The pilot plant is a facility where the client can manufacture products for a market test or for commercial distribution. The pilot plant staff are skilled in processing and engineering to help clients develop a high quality product. Fees for support services and equipment rental are designed to create a cost-effective opportunity for clients to evaluate test markets before making capital budgeting decisions. Staff provide assistance to clients in developing cost-effective processes for products developed at FDC or in the client's facility. Staff operate and maintain the FDC pilot plant, where clients can produce food products for export markets. Consulting services are provided, including process troubleshooting, equipment sourcing, design and evaluation. When developing or optimizing a food process, the Process Development staff work closely with the client and Product Development consultants to ensure the scale of the process will be consistent with the cost objectives and with the needs of the target market. The pilot plant is an on-site federally accredited processing facility for food production and packaging for test markets and for established markets. The client has the opportunity to identify and to overcome many of the operational difficulties inherent in the scale-up process before making costly equipment expenditures. Clients become better informed to estimate processing input and costs, which is vital information to have prior to initiating a product launch or proceeding with major capital acquisitions. The FDC facilities and equipment provide the necessary flexibility to conduct a wide variety of development projects directed to vegetables and fruit, grains and oilseeds, nutraceuticals and functional foods, meat and dairy products. In April 2005 the FDC facility unveiled the results of the brand new pilot plant, renovations and capital acquisitions project. The pilot plant is federally registered for meat, processed products and industrial hemp processing. The pilot plant is also licensed for dairy processing and organic processing. FDC has specialized technology and staff expertise for fermentation, membrane filtration, crystallization, cryogenic freezing, modified atmosphere packaging, extraction techniques and dehydration. Product Development expertise includes shelf life studies, microbiological testing, nutritional labelling, product formulation and scale-up of formulations to commercial quantities. The FDC Library provides researchers, industry, small business, students, government and entrepreneurs with access to information and information services in the agri-food industry and food science. The FDC Library specializes in the provision of applied scientific and technical information for industry and research. An organizational newsletter, called 'agora, ' is published several times each year. HACCP traininng and plan development is a service provided by FDC for clients developing products and as an separate service.

In September 2003 government approval was granted for a $13.6 million dollar expansion, renovation and capital acquisitions project for the pilot plant at FDC. In April 2005 the project was completed and was officially opened. CFIA registration for meat and meat products, as well as for processed products, allows clients and research staff to develop and process products and ingredients for export. The new wing adds 18, 800 square feet to the previously existing pilot plant. New equipment includes supercritical fluid extraction and spray drying technology. Contact FDC for more information on new technoloy at the Centre.

Chief Executive Officer, General Manager, Process and Product Development Manager, Business Development Manager, Commercial Processing and Pilot Plant Manager, Manager of Administration Services, Librarian, Process Development Consultants, Product Development Group Leader and Consultants, Regulatory Affairs/HACCP Services Co-Ordinator, Marketing Co-Ordinator, Pilot Plant Maintenance Supervisor and Technicians, Administration Staff

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