SIAL Canada 2025: Celebrating Canadian Leadership and Innovation in the Global Food Industry

As global geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and climate challenges reshape the agri-food industry, Canada stands as a stable and visionary leader. For the first time in its history, SIAL Canada will recognize its host nation as the 2025 Country of Honour — a powerful tribute and strategic platform to showcase the ingenuity, resilience, and diversity of Canada's food ecosystem, featured throughout the event's programming.

Canada: Celebrating the Nation's Leadership as the Country of Honour at SIAL Canada 2025

This initiative, developed with key stakeholders, positions Canada as a global leader in food innovation and trade. By strengthening supply chain links, it showcases Canadian expertise and offers a strategic opportunity to shape the future of food at SIAL Canada 2025.

Tony Melis, CEO of SIAL Canada:

"Highlighting Canada this year is more than symbolic — it’s an acknowledgment of its leadership on today’s most pressing issues in the agri-food industry. The 2025 program reflects our shared ambition: to convene top experts from Canada and around the world to ignite innovation and drive the industry forward."

Access to Experts for Visitors and Exhibitors

From April 29 to May 1, SIAL Canada 2025 will bring together over 1,000 exhibitors and brands, along with 23,000 professionals from more than 70 countries, at the Enercare Centre in Toronto. 

The heart of the event will feature an exceptional lineup of more than 70 conferences, workshops, panels, competitions, activations, and live podcasts spread over three days. In addition, SIAL Experts will be on-site, hosting exclusive 30-minute interactive sessions in their areas of expertise. These sessions are designed to directly engage visitors, providing a unique opportunity to ask targeted questions about specific industry challenges.

Meet the 2025 SIAL Experts:

• SIAL Retail Expert: Michel Rochette, Retail Council Canada
• SIAL Food Health Expert: Michi Furuya Chang, Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada
• SIAL Compliance Expert – Health Canada & FDA: Andrew Parshad, Quality Smart Solutions
• SIAL Export Expert: Saina Fan, Export Development Canada (EDC)
• SIAL Packaging Expert: Andrew Macdonald, PAC Global
• SIAL FoodTech Expert: Marsha Druker, Canadian Food Innovation Network
• SIAL Foodservice Expert: Vince Sgabellone, Circana
• SIAL Innovation Expert: Jo-Ann McArthur, Nourish Food Marketing
• SIAL Multicultural Expert: Terence Tse, Dyversity Communications Inc.
• SIAL Brand Strategy Expert: Rebecca Lyttle, Pigeon
• SIAL Dairy Expert: Gilles Froment, IDF – International Dairy Federation
• SIAL Tea Expert: Gail Gastelu, The Tea House Times
• SIAL Mixology Expert: Jean-Sébastien Michel, Alambika

Day 1 – Tuesday, April 29 - A day of innovation, craftsmanship, and recognition

The SIAL Innovation Awards ceremony kicks off the event, showcasing winners from over 170 entries across 13 countries. At booth #417, standout products selected by an expert jury will be featured. The International Cheese Competition at booth #2233 will celebrate excellence in 29 categories, with a live tasting and awards ceremony.

SIAL Happy Hour at booth #2233 offers networking with winning cheeses and Canadian poutine. At the Inspire Drink booth, sessions focus on tea, coffee, mixology, and hospitality trends.

The conference program, presented by Farm Credit Canada (FCC), will feature 10 themed tracks over three days. Highlights include discussions on Canada’s trade landscape, foodservice trends, and global market opportunities. The "Trends & Innovation" track will cover evolving consumer expectations and retail insights from Nourish Food Marketing and SKUfood.

Day 2 – Wednesday, April 30 - Startups, Diversity, and Global Perspectives

The day starts with the Startup Pitch Competition at 10:30 AM, featuring bold CPG and FoodTech startups from the International Startup Village, each vying for attention with a 3-minute pitch. The competition will take place at the SIAL Expert Hub #2023, with the awards ceremony at 12:30 PM.

At the SIAL Dairy booth at 10:30 AM, Gurth Pretty will lead workshops on yogurt trends, ice cream evolution, and lactose-free cheese. At the Inspire Drink booth, Gail Gastelu will explore the cultural richness of tea and coffee, followed by Jean-Sébastien Michel's mixology sessions, focusing on non-alcoholic beverages and cocktail ice art.

The conference will cover competitiveness, technological transformation, and regulatory frameworks, with a session on "Navigating North American Trade," addressing Canada's food sector, consumer behavior, and trade tensions, featuring experts like Brian Choi and Kelly Beaton from The Food Institute.

Day 3 – Thursday, May 1 - Sustainability, Packaging, and Purpose-Driven Marketing

The final day will feature "Dairy Talks" at the SIAL Dairy booth #2233, where Gilles Froment will lead sessions on economic outlooks, multicultural innovation, and growth opportunities.

Packaging and marketing will be highlighted in two tracks. Packaging will cover sustainable solutions and reusable food packaging, while Marketing will focus on influencer-driven branding and multicultural strategies, featuring experts like Jake Karls from Mid-Day Squares and BK Sethi from Dyversity.

Throughout the event, the SIAL Podcast Studio #415 will host The Food Professor podcast with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and Michael LeBlanc, featuring live interviews with experts, speakers, and exhibitors.

Don’t miss SIAL Canada 2025 from April 29 to May 1 at the Enercare Centre in Toronto. Get details on the full program and register now at www.sialcanada.com.