TORONTO — The Canada Int. Meat Exhibition (MeatEx Canada) was held recently at Toronto’s Enercare Centre — the first time the event, which originated in Europe, was held in Canada.
The three-day event brought together key Canadian and international players who highlighted ways the meat, poultry and seafood industries are moving into the future. From high-tech processing facilities to the latest packaging and food-safety trends as well as growing expectations of product quality, the exhibitors showcased innovative solutions to meet the demands of its foodservice consumers.
Along with a trade show, MeatEx Canada offered three days of educational sessions, including an overview of the Canadian meat industry presented by Canadian Meat Council and featuring Jorge Correa, vice-president, Market Access and Technical Affairs, Canadian Meat Council. During the invitation-only Industry Insights and German-Canadian Networking event, attendees had the opportunity to network with German companies and associations leaders in the meat sector.The event was organized by Adexia inc. on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
On day two of the show, Francis Chartrand, VP Sales for Marel Canada, and Alexander Feld, Innova software sales consultant presented a session on Digital Transformation in Meat Processing. Day three featured Innovation in Meat Quality-Control Machinery presented by Mathieu Bosse of Lizotte Machine Vision.
The Canadian meat industry is among the top 20 in the world, with approximately $5.1 billion in imports and $6.4 billion in exports (red meat, poultry, seafood and deli products). Exhibitors at MeatEx showcased products and services in three major areas: products (fresh and processed); machinery/industry and retail/butcher equipment.
“This is the first international meat-industry exhibition in Canada with exhibitors from across Canada, U.S.A, Germany, China, Italy and Denmark,” said Sallya Habibollahi, Farasoo Holding Corporation, organizer of Canada Int. Meat Exhibition, during the show’s opening ceremony. “And we are expecting around 1,000 visitors also from all around the world. Canada has the potential to become the hub of the meat industry for North America and we’re excited to have international producers and buyers come together to support this important industry.”
