Hosted by NSF-GFTC, this symposia event featured keynote speaker Amanda Lang, (CBC reporter and author of The Power of Why: how questions and curiosity fuel innovation). Lang defined innovation as when an old idea meets a new idea and something changes. For innovation, Lang urges us to sit at the table with people who think differently than we do (take a cue from her show Lang versus O’Leary), “Different can be irritating, but it’s powerful.” She encouraged us to think with the curiosity of a two-year old, by constantly asking why and why not.
Dr. Jean-Charles Le Vallée defined food innovation as a continuum from an idea to the production of a new or improved food product. “Competition breeds innovation,” he shares. According to research from The Conference Board of Canada, the top three drivers of food innovation are an aging society, ethnic minorities and rising numbers of dual earners in the household.
Finally, Carmen Allison noted that 60% of Canadian households are trying to reduce household expenses. According to Nielsen research, buying items only when they are on sale is the number one strategy that consumers use to save money.
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