Canada’s agri-food industry continues to diversify to meet the changing needs of Canadians and those around the world.

“Canadian farmers know the importance of developing new and innovative products, and of exploring new avenues to ensure they remain on the cutting edge. Today’s announcement will help researchers and industry better understand the potential benefits of insect products as food and feed sources.”

- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

“Our agriculture sector and all the high-quality jobs that depend on it in Mirabel and elsewhere in Canada must be able to continue innovating in order to stay competitive and expand into new markets. I am proud to announce this funding to the Centre de recherche agroalimentaire de Mirabel, which plays a vital role in agri-food research and technology transfer. This funding will contribute to the growing body of knowledge on insect rearing and production for food and feed and will help position Canada as a leader in this fast-growing sector.”

- Mélanie Joly, Minister of Heritage

“The production of insects for human and animal consumption is a developing sector in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. This industry has immense potential, given the markets that are emerging and the low environmental impact of insect production. Nevertheless, a number of parameters still need to be determined to ensure production that is efficient and profitable and that meets the potential of this sector. The objective of the project funded under the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program is to improve production processes, rearing diets and processing methods for four species with excellent gastronomic and nutritional potential.”

- Caroline Provost, Executive Director, Centre de recherche en agroalimentaire de Mirabel

• The Centre de recherche agroalimentaire du Mirabel is a non-profit organization that provides research and technology transfer services in horticulture and agri-food, in order to promote the development and competitiveness of agricultural businesses.

• This project is likely to enable producers to produce high-quality insects at a competitive cost and expand into new markets, including food, feed, pharmaceuticals and soil fertilizer.

• This project is supported by the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), a funding initiative that helps the farming sector to remain competitive by piloting solutions to new and ongoing challenges.

Associated links

• Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP)
• Centre de recherche agroalimentaire de Mirabel (in French only)

Guy Gallant
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay
613-773-1059

Media Relations
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