Quote of the Month:
“I‘m just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression.” ~ Maya Angelou
Spring Review::
It has been a few months since our standard ‘monthly dish’ update was shared regarding Canada’s Smartest Kitchen business operations and community activities. Over the Spring of 2020, our staff along with many across the world moved to working remotely as we adhered to Holland College directives. We were working at home from March 19 to June 1, 2020. We feel fortunate that we were able to continue supporting clients and project work during this time, and we are happy to be back in our kitchen, lab and office space.
We extend our sincere gratitude and graciousness to all essential workers, and members of the public, who continue their daily diligence in fighting this pandemic, and all of its’ communal effects including our shared health, economic, and social well-being.
We are all in this together: be safe and be kind.
Here are a few highlights from the team at CSK, during the Spring of 2020:
+ We joined with our Island food cluster partners, BioFoodTech and Food Island Partnership, in releasing a solidarity message to the local industry and community to share that we are all working together to ensure businesses and the food & beverage industry as a whole are supported through this unprecedented time: read the complete statement here
+ We joined the Meetings & Conventions PEI membership association; check out our profile and all the services we can offer a group here
+ We participated in a number of webinars, including with the Forage PEI team, where our director Tim McRoberts was one of the panelists on the topic of “food premise guidelines and setting up safe workplaces” during the current environment; find all their webinars here
+ CSK was approved through the NSERC – ARTI funding program to acquire an Anton Paar Alcolyzer and Density Meter, that will greatly enhance the region’s capabilities for enhanced analysis services and the support we can provide to clients.
+ We celebrated a number of exciting staff and college events, including birthdays, retirements, and shared behind the scenes photos of our at home work stations and product development lab set ups! Follow along with all the exciting news at CSK: check us out on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
CSK Service Highlight: MARKET INSIGHT & CONSULTING
+ What’s happening in your product category? What are the next food trends and how will they affect your new product? From consumer preferences to global movements, recognizing shifts in a market helps direct how products should be developed for success.
+ Our team of experts can help you with competitive analysis, to gain an understanding of a product category and how competing products are positioned on the market locally, abroad or online; and consumer insight, to determine and analyze the target market through statistical research, questionnaires and interviews. This is just one of the many professional services offered by the Canada’s Smartest Kitchen team: We Know Food.
Trend Alert: Pandemic Related Resource Links
Amidst the ongoing pandemic, government programming and industry support networks have come together to support staff, clients and businesses through a number of initiatives to assist in the mitigation of economic and social impact. Here are just some of the informational resources available to those locally, regionally, and nationally:
+ Holland College – https://www.hollandcollege.com/coronavirus.html
+ Food Island Partnership – https://foodislandpei.ca/reopen
+ Government of PEI – https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/topic/covid-19
+ Government of NB – https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19.html
+ Government of NL – https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/
+ Government of NS – https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/
+ Government of Canada – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html
+ ACOA – https://www.canada.ca/en/atlantic-canada-opportunities.html
+ NSERC – https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Innovate-Innover/Covid-19/index_eng.asp
+ Food & Beverage Atlantic – https://www.atlanticfood.ca/Links-and-Resources
