City of Brampton hosts Inaugural Brampton Food and Beverage Processing Summit
Mayor and elected officials welcome government and industry leaders to address labour issues and increase collaboration within the sector
The City of Brampton hosted the inaugural Brampton Food and Beverage Processing Summit. The summit included participation and support by all levels of government. Local food and beverage companies participated and included Maple Lodge Foods, Italpasta, Sofina Foods and Coke Canada Bottling.
Led by Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, the event brought together Ontario Mayors to work collaboratively with all levels of industry, government, and academia to promote awareness, advocacy, and strategic policy initiatives. This will further strengthen the food and beverage sector through advancements and investments in the food and beverage processing sector, with a specific focus on labour and immigration.
The food and beverage processing industry in Brampton contributes $1.3 billion annually to Canadian GDP and employs approximately 8,500 people across 300 companies ranging in manufacturing, processing and support industries. Brampton’s food and beverage sector is a one-stop shop, complete with food testing, processing and packaging facilities as well as transportation, packaging design, equipment and refrigeration storage.
Recently, Brampton’s food processing sector was awarded a first-place ranking in the Food Processing Leaders category of Business Facilities Magazine’s 19th Annual Metro Rankings Report. Compared to other international mega-cities in this category, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Dallas, Brampton remained at the number one spot on this list, scoring highest in factors such as employment opportunities, new projects and investments and programs that support the sector.
Brampton’s thriving food and beverage sector is a key part of the food cluster in Ontario, home to one of North America’s largest agri-food sectors. The City of Brampton remains committed to ensuring the local food and beverage processing sector remains strong by providing first-class economic development services through its dedicated and talented team.
“It was a pleasure to host both government and industry leaders at Brampton’s inaugural Brampton Food and Beverage Processing Summit, and I’m thrilled to create a forum for sharing ideas and solutions while advocating to support the growth of our local food and beverage sector. We are listening to the feedback that was provided during the summit and are committed to applying it to make meaningful changes. By working together, we can create a sustainable and thriving sector that meets the needs of both consumers and workers.-Patrick Brown, Mayor, City of Brampton
“The Food and Beverage sector is a powerful economic driver, providing employment opportunities, fostering innovation, and contributing significantly to Canada’s GDP. It encompasses a wide range of businesses, from small local restaurants to large multinational corporations, creating millions of jobs worldwide. Feedback from this sector during Brampton’s Inaugural Food and Beverage Processing Summit is key in ensuring it remains stable and I look forward to working together with governments and industry to keep this local industry strong.- Gurpartap Singh Toor, Regional Councillor, Wards 9 & 10; Chair, Economic Development, City of Brampton
“Brampton’s food and beverage sector is a vital part of the local economy. This summit has been an excellent opportunity for our economic development team to get feedback directly from the industry on how we can continue building on employment opportunities, projects, investments and programs underway to support the sector. The City remains sharply focused on providing businesses with world-class services to ensure this important sector continues to grow and prosper.” – Marlon Kallideen, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Brampton
“Our internationally accredited economic development team is proud to support Brampton’s Food and Beverage Processing Sector as a key job-creating industry of our economy. As we move forward, we remain committed to fostering an environment where businesses can thrive, and workers can build fulfilling careers. Together, we can overcome the challenges before us and build a stronger, more resilient food and beverage sector for all.”– Clare Barnett, Director, Economic Development, City of Brampton
“As the food manufacturing hub of Canada, it is important that industry, government, and academia work as one to advance Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry. That is why I was pleased to participate in this inaugural summit. I will continue working with our many partners throughout our provincial agriculture and food value chain to tackle critical issues such as labour and industry innovations now and in the future”-The Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Government of Ontario
