A tale of two systems: the corporate and creative food sectors in Greater Toronto

1. A tale of two systems:the corporate and creativefood sectors in Greater Toronto Betsy Donald & Alison Blay-Palmer Department of Geography

2. Outline • Theoretical Framework • Research Questions • The Toronto Food Economy • Result Highlights • Implications

3. Theoretical Framework Innovation is an uneven process within…. • Firms • Disruptive Innovation (Christensen) • Industries • Difference in innovation trajectories (Grabher, Glasmier) • Across Space • Territorial assets in institutions, social norms, knowledge flows (Cooke and Wolfe, Gertler and Wolfe)

4. Research Questions • Are particular groups of firms relatively more (or less innovative) than others? • What makes these firms innovative? • What are the implications for policy?

5. The Toronto Food Economy • A significant driver in the region • second largest food cluster in North America • second largest manufacturing industry in region, generating $25 billion • directly employs 250,000 • Provides sustainable economic development opportunities for the region • high and low entry barriers • rural and urban opportunities • economic, social, environmental and health benefits

6. Research Highlights • Developed own database of food and beverage companies in Toronto region • Canada 411, Scott’s Industrial Index, Statistics Canada, MEDT, OMAF, City of Toronto • 1400 companies; phone interviews • Conducted 63 interviews • 53 in-depth - questionnaires • 10 in-depth - unstructured • Producers, distributors, processors, retailers, restauranteurs, chefs, food media, educational institutions, NGOs, all levels of government • Toured plants, attended trade shows

9. GTA Food ProcessorsAnnual Gross Sales (est. 1850-2004) ($ millions -Present Value)

10. A Tale of Three Tomatoes

11. What we have • Food from the earth • quality, trust, traceability, ‘terroir’ • Food from home and fusion lands • ethnic diversity, fusion creativity • Food for thought • urban as site of visionary politics; an ideas cluster

12. Food from the earth “Wild food, local food, seasonal food – this is the mantra of the chefs, producers and foodies who are establishing a distinctive Canadian cuisine. It’s not about fancy towering presentation and expensive ingredients…. It’s about finding Canadian ingredients and letting them shine” (Hluchy, 2003)

13. The Toronto area has the soil quality

14. Food from home and fusion lands “No other city in the world caters to ethnic diversity like Toronto. You can find almost every religion, language and food…. Because the population is so varied, there is a high demand for exotic foods. Our company has demand of the ethnic market and makes everything from ackees to bitter lemon to producing twenty different kind of beans” (Goudas, 2004)

15. Food for thought “Eating is a distinctly political act….Our choices about food are not just about pleasure and our own health, but are choices about agriculture and a set of social and political values.” (Waters, 2004) “Most of the real innovation is happening in urban areas.... Toronto is a hotbed of thinking, I feed off [the] ideas cluster....The people and the problems of the food system [are] acutely obvious in a big city.” (Urban Policy Advisor, 2003)

16. Main Challenges • Lack of institutional infrastructure 2. Poor government recognition 3. Forecasted labour shortage 4. Growing concentration of food retailing-distribution-based chains

17. Implications Policy Recommendations • Acknowledge value of sector • Raise awareness • Support multi-cultural diversity • Explore areas of positive synergies

18. Implications • Develop infrastructure • Adopt a National Food Policy • Adopt more transparent labeling • Engage in public procurement • Develop distribution channels • Reexamine health policy • Support new technology adoption • Advanced processing equipment • Product identity preservation