Mission To The Grocery Innovations Canada 2024

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAPAQ), the Québec Office in Toronto, and the Export Group invite you to participate in a trade mission as part of Grocery Innovations Canada.

Grocery Innovations Canada is one of the most significant annual events in the Canadian food industry, bringing together leaders, innovators, and suppliers to discover and explore the latest trends, technologies, and products in the food and grocery sectors. This event attracts over 5,600 visitors, features 500 exhibitors, and hosts 1,400 companies. It represents a unique opportunity for suppliers, wholesalers, services, and technologies to showcase themselves to retailers and buyers across the country.

The event includes product exhibitions, educational sessions, live demonstrations, and numerous networking opportunities, providing valuable insights into market innovations and trends.

Why Participate?

This event is an exceptional opportunity for stakeholders in the agri-food sector to build partnerships and stimulate the growth of their businesses. By joining the Québec pavilion, you will benefit from:

• Increased visibility in the common area of the Québec pavilion.
• Privileged access to key decision-makers in the Canadian food industry.
• The opportunity to promote your products, expand your network, and discover new perspectives to transform your business.

Each participating company will receive:

• A counter with your company’s logo (graphic file to be provided), within the common Quebec booth.
• Opportunities for B2B meetings, organized by Grocery Innovations and by MAPAQ in partnership with the Quebec Office in Toronto.
• 2 exhibitor badges.

Participation Cost: $1,300

How to Participate?

Submit your application by September 20, 2024, via the link below. Companies selected for the trade mission will be notified no later than September 20, 2024.

Market Data

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the grocery market in Canada has experienced sustained growth, with total revenue estimated at CAD 192 billion in 2023. Supermarkets and hypermarkets continue to dominate distribution channels, accounting for 46.5% and 20.9% of essential food retail sales, respectively. This growth is largely driven by the rise in online sales, which reached CAD 1.2 billion in 2023, marking a significant increase from CAD 42.6 million in 2018.

Financial assistance for participants

Reimbursement of a travel lump sum of $850 per person, for a maximum of two lump sums per company.

• To benefit from the lump sum, the company must absolutely provide proof of travel (e.g. airline, train, bus ticket, etc. with complete itinerary or gas receipt near destination) AND proof of accommodation (e.g. official hotel invoice, AirBNB, etc.).
• To obtain two travel lump sum reimbursements, the same proof mentioned above is requested for each reimbursement.
  • If the two people share the same transportation (e.g. carpooling), two separate proofs of accommodation will be required and the name of the company or traveler must appear on them (e.g. two hotel bills).
  • If the two people share the same accommodation, two separate proofs of transportation will be required (e.g. two airline tickets).

• You will be entitled to an extra $500 per lump sum if your company is located in one of the following regions: Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Côte-Nord, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec.
• 50% financial assistance on the additional costs of setting up your designated space and sending samples up to a maximum of $6,000 in eligible expenses per company.
• The Group Export reserves the right to request any additional supporting documentation.

By registering to this event, you agree to complete and return the activity report which will be forwarded to you shortly. You will have 60 days following the event to send us back the completed report, otherwise you may be required to reimburse the subsidies received for this activity. The data that will be compiled is for the sole purpose of evaluating the economic benefits of this activity.

Cancellation policy

The Group Export Agri-Food is a non profit organization who manages export financial programs from the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec and from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

As an administrator of government programs, Group Export had to implement a cancellation policy which applies for trade show participation. Policy’s details are as follows:

When a participation or registration form is completed by a representative of a company, this company becomes liable to the Group Export Agri-Food, as this form is a contract between the company and the Association.

• In the five days following registration, the company must pay, as a deposit, 50% of participation fees. This amount can either be paid by check, direct deposit or credit card by contacting the Group Export’s financial department at 450-649-6266.
• Direct deposits are preferred.
• The remaining 50% of participation fees must be paid at least 60 days before the activity.
• If the company does not respect these terms, Group Export Agri-Food has the right to cancel the company’s participation.
• When a company is cancelling its participation:
  • If the company or Group Export Agri-Food finds a replacing participant, the full amount will be reimbursed, except for a $200 administration fee, as soon as the replacing participant has paid in full the amount due.
  • In case a substitute cannot be found, all other incurred charges, including 100% of the invoice for a space reservation, would be charged to the company.

All cancellations must be made in writing and be addressed to the person in charge of the trade show, whose name appears on the registration form.

This policy was endorsed by the Group Export Agri-Food’s Board of Directors, on February 14, 2008.

Eligibility for Participants

To qualify as a participant, the company must:

• Meet all eligibility criteria for provincial subsidies applicable to this activity.
• Hold a license number from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) or demonstrate that it is not required for its type of business.

The Group Export reserves the right to refuse any registration for this activity.