The Eastern Ontario Local Food Conference (EOLFC 2013) provided a great opportunity to share information, learn about success stories and gather information on innovative local food businesses, projects and best practices. The conference was organized by KEDCO (Kingston Economic Development Corporation) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs. The theme of the conference was Innovation Driving Local Food and it was held December 3, 2013 at the Ambassador Hotel in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Betsy Donald presentation on Experiences in Innovative local food processing.

1. Innovation in Local Food
Processing: how are we doing?
Betsy Donald, Queen’s University
“Eastern Ontario Local Food Conference: innovation driving local
food”, December 2&3, 2013
Kingston, Ontario

2. Innovation in Local Food
Processing
• Why Kraft to Craft? – an update
• What are the trends in local food processing?
• How can we do better?

3. Revisiting Kraft to Craft
• Ten years ago, “creative craft food” described elements of a
newer food system
• Creative craft food included specialty, local, organic, ethnic,
and fair-trade foods that had supply networks distinct from
mainstream ones
• Creative craft food offered innovative solutions to ecological,
social and health concerns
• Today we know much more about the complexities of
“creative food” chains
Donald (2009) From Kraft to Craft: innovation and creativity in
Ontario’s Food Economy

4. Old ‘Industrial Food’ Economy
Typical
Company
Source of
economic power
New ‘Creative Food’ Economy
Kraft – cheese products
Craft/artisanal cheese
Economic power is centralized
Economic power is diffused and
decentralized to individual, highly
creative workers, firms and extrafirm institutions
Quality is a measure of taste,
Source of quality Quality is a measure of added value
terroir, and talent of
and innovation
in highly-processed environments
entrepreneurs
Enterprise attitude
towards place
Little relationship between place and
product making.
Place becomes central to
quality food making, marketing
and consuming

5. Old ‘Industrial Food’ Economy
Typical
Company
Source of
economic power
New ‘Creative Food’ Economy
Kraft – cheese products
Craft/artisanal cheese
Economic power is centralized
Economic power is diffused and
decentralized to individual, highly
creative workers, firms and extrafirm institutions
Quality is a measure of taste,
Source of quality Quality is a measure of added value
terroir, and talent of
and innovation
in highly-processed environments
entrepreneurs
Enterprise attitude
towards place
Little relationship between place and
product making.
Place becomes central to
quality food making, marketing
and consuming

6. Old ‘Industrial Food’ Economy
Typical
Company
Source of
economic power
New ‘Creative Food’ Economy
Kraft – cheese products
Craft/artisanal cheese
Economic power is centralized
Economic power is diffused and
decentralized to individual, highly
creative workers, firms and extrafirm institutions
Quality is a measure of taste,
Source of quality Quality is a measure of added value
terroir, and talent of
and innovation
in highly-processed environments
entrepreneurs
Enterprise attitude
towards place
Little relationship between place and
product making.
Place becomes central to
quality food making, marketing
and consuming

7. A Tale of Three Tomatoes
Blay-Palmer and Donald (2006) A Tale of Three Tomatoes, Economic
Geography, 82(4), 383-399

8. Heinz just one in a wave of
recent plant closings
•
•
•
•
Heinz to close plant in Leamington – 740 jobs lost
Smuckers closed its Bick’s Pickles plant– 150 jobs lost
Lance Canada’s LTD. Bakery will close– 130 jobs lost
Canada Bread Co., Ltd. and Kraft soon to close plants

9. The slow economic recovery is
affecting all aspects of food

10. Nevertheless Creative “Craft”
Food is holding its own
• This segment of the food industry is resilient
• Some levelling off of organic and some high-end specialty
segments immediately after the recession and continuing.
• There is sustained interest in local and ‘whole’ food and its
role in health and community well-being
• This interest has spawned policy innovation in local food
systems
• Those regions with an ethos and history of sustainable food
are fairing better than those without

11. Number of Selected Specialty Product Introductions 20012009
1200
1000
Beverages
800
Bakery
Confectionary
600
Sauces and
Seasonings
400
Snacks
Spreads
200
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

12. Total U.S. Organic Food Sales 20002009 (Millions $)
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
Source: Organic Trade Association
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

13. Percentage (%) Change in Total U.S. Organic Food
Sales 2000-2009
25
20
15
10
5
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
Source: Organic Trade Association
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

14. Local and place-based
is the new organic
• “The Whole Foods movement is the ‘Age of the
Unthinkable’ for processed foods”
• Food Navigator, April 5, 2011
• Places that have successful food producers and
manufactures are those that already have an ethos of
incorporating sustainable and fairness elements into
products and processes

15. “All natural”/“local” are leading

16. “All natural”/“local” are leading

17. “All natural”/“local” are leading

18. “All natural”/“local” are leading

19. “All natural”/”local” are leading

20. Changing face of the food
entrepreneur
• New food entrepreneurs differ from back- to-the-landers of
the 1960s
• The new entrepreneurs are often well educated children of
baby boomers who add business acumen to the idealism of an
older generation
• New food entrepreneurs are engaged in solving pressing
societal problems like energy use, food safety, hunger,
community development
Back40 veg,
PEC

21. How are we doing in Eastern
Ontario?
• Eastern Ontario has seen an explosion of interest in local food
and there is evidence of successful small-scale local food
producers and processors
• Government programs and policies are helping to revive the
local food industry (e.g., investments in micro-dairies, food
hubs, incubators etc.)
• But more can be done

22. How can we do better?
• Embrace new opportunities (e.g., local, healthy snacking, waste
reduction)
• Facilitate entrepreneurship
• Continue to develop infrastructure for local food products
• Develop better collaboration with all actors in the food chain for a
place-based food vision – must think regionally
• Conduct a foodie IQ test for Eastern Ontario – benchmark against
other regions
• Engage better marketing services for local producers of high quality
food and drink – again a regional plan

23. Thank you!
• Thanks to the hosts and especially to Judy Coward, OMAF and
all staff and entrepreneurs who make local food happen
• Betsy Donald, Queen’s University, Geography Department
• Betsy.donald@queensu.ca
• New research - Donald, B. 2013. Food retail and access after
the crash: rethinking the food desert problem. Journal of
Economic Geography, 13(2), 231-237.
• Donald, B. 2013.“The Rise and Fall of the American Industrial
Foodscape” , July 24, Summer Scholar Series, British Library,
London, UK.