Food processing or manufacturing means “to transform” or perform processes on the product in some fashion before it reaches the end consumer. In the case of fresh produce, most of it is washed, graded, chopped, bagged and even frozen before it reaches you! Very closely related to the agricultural sector of growing and harvesting, the fruit and vegetable manufacturing sector takes it a few steps further.
Let’s talk carrots for a second – some are whole, some are peeled into “baby carrots”, some are shredded into matchsticks, and others look like crinkle-cut chips. Yes, they’re all carrots, but the processing phases changed the carrots from their original form into something new. You’ll see the same thing with many products think apples: apple slices, apple sauce, apple pies, apple flavourings, frozen apples, etc. What about potatoes? Hashbrowns, baby potatoes, French fries, mashed potatoes, perogies, etc.
We could go on and on, but we think you get the point – fruits and vegetables are some of the biggest shapeshifters of all, becoming the base of many products like ketchup or jams, or soup mixes. Flavourful and diverse, our fruits and veggies really add something extra!
Let’s be real, fruits & Veg are almost in everything (in some format), so this sub-sector has some big “catch-all” groups that are a bit weird, but most importantly – we want you to know that there are (plenty) smorgasbord of career opportunities here!
Canning & Pickling: There’s some really cool technologies, machines and processes to extend the shelf life of products for years. New materials are being used in canning to ensure the safety of the products over time. Almost everything can be either canned or pickled to preserve it and sometimes these products gain their own identity like the mighty pickle. Only thing not included here is canned meats and seafoods.
Dehydrating or freeze-drying food is all the rage these days, take the water out of it and BAM you’ve got a shelf-stable product that can be added to a million things. You’re probably thinking raisins, dried fruits, tomatoes, dates, maybe even dried fruits – but don’t forget about bouillon from dried plants/ herbs, sauce and dressing mixes ( but not spices, they have their own section).
You can’t make Ketchup without tomatoes; or hot sauce without chilies; or jam without fruit! Jarred goods are a delightful way to bring some awesome flavours into your home without all the work of making it fresh – enjoy salsas, horseradish, relish, sauerkraut, and more.
Start your day off with some OJ, or maybe a kale-cucumber- beet bonanza is more your style? We’ve got lemons, so we’re making lemonade! Fruit and vegetable juices fit into this sector (instead of beverages) as they are mostly derived from real F&V and stabilized for the shelf.
Not only are there many cool careers in this area but there are also some wicked innovations in juice-making, that bring fresh juices closer to home.
A mega sub-sector, this is a catch-all name for everything frozen that doesn’t have a place anywhere else- however, it mostly started off with frozen fruits and vegetables, which, believe it or not is a newer invention!
Over the years, this subsector expanded into frozen juice concentrates, French fries, frozen dinners, entrees and pizza, soups, pot pies, dumplings, etc. Today, sales of frozen foods are skyrocketing -and think of all the careers and specializations needed to keep this sub-sector booming!
Little tummies need the safest foods. If you’re interested in science and elite manufacturing, this might be your chosen area of expertise. If you’ve looked at the baby food market lately, you’ll know that you can get all sorts of ready-to-go food pouches with fruits and veggies and other on-the-go baby meals. Food for babies have very high standards and need to be tested.
National Occupational Classification (NOC) Codes are what our jobs and occupations in Canada are specified by!
Knowing our NOC codes is how we are able to determine the various details on skills, proficiencies, and levels of knowledge needed to perform particular occupations or jobs across the various industries and sub-sectors across Canada.
Listed below are some of the NOC codes for the Fruit & Vegetable Processing subsector:
Copyright © 2025 Food Processing Skills Canada
All rights reserved.
Jennefer Griffith
Executive Director
Food Processing Skills Canada
Ontario
Jennefer has been a leader in skills development and training for the Canadian food and beverage manufacturing sector for over 20 years. As Executive Director of Food Processing Skills Canada, she has led ground breaking initiatives including development of the Canadian Food Processors InstituteTM, FoodSkills LibraryTM and FoodCertTM – resources that support education and career pathways for businesses and people. Recently, Jennefer and her team finalized Canada’s first Learning Recognition Framework for the industry and are in the process of completing national labour market analysis and an accreditation process for colleges, universities and private trainers. Jennefer is passionate about supporting new Canadians, Indigenous People, women and youth in finding rewarding careers. Prior to joining Food Processing Skills Canada, she held roles in government and the non-profit sector.
Yonathan Negussie
Director of HR
JBS Food Canada
Alberta
Yonathan Negussi has been Human Resource Director for JBS Food Canada for the last 8 years. Yonathan has successfully managed the JBS acquisitions of XL Foods in Brooks, Alberta. He has done extensive work in the area of international labour mobility, by successfully recruiting international skilled and semi-skilled workers from UK, USA, Philippines, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil. Inaddition, Yonathan has been an active supporter of industry Initiatives to attach and retain talent, including an advisor at Succeeding at Work, a project spearheaded by FPSC.
Aliya Jiwani
Manager, Systems Training & Development
Aliya’s Foods Limited
Alberta
Aliya is an enthusiastic, creative, and seasoned educator with 10+ years of transforming learning into an exciting inquiry and critical thinking journey through a holistic approach. She is recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for designing curriculums with relevant and engaging content and implementing remote learning programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, Aliya was the Vice Principal and head of the Middle School at Blyth Academy. Under her leadership, the institute spearheaded the development of the first virtual middle school, including forming a curriculum that took a project-based approach to allow flexibility and mental wellness. She also cultivated a collaborative environment for educators to share best practices to overcome evolving obstacles. Aliya currently works at Aliya’s Food where she evaluates existing processes to identify limitations, research potential resources, and proposes strategic plans to implement a customized Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. During her over 10 years at the company, she also mentored and trained more than 200 employees to employ technology and best practices in production environments.
Suman Cocoran
Suman Cocoran is a multi-talented, strategic leader with a proven record of driving transformational change within organizations. She contributes to corporate strategy and results by ensuring the organization has the right people, processes, and tools necessary to meet client needs and corporate growth expectations. She has successfully managed organizations in periods of major business and personnel changes while translating strategic objectives into actionable plans, ensuring financial feasibility, and establishing internal systems and processes to ensure business continuity. Spanning a variety of industries, the value she brings is her strength in people leadership, operational excellence, and ability to galvanize organizational change to drive bottom-line results. Regardless of industry or company, Suman has a passion for progress. Coupled with her diverse industry and functional experience, she is a valuable fit for a variety of organizations.
Jeff Purcell
VP of Operations, Vice Chair
Champlain Seafood
Pending Update
CHAIR
Mike Timani,
President
Fancy Pokket Corp.
New Brunswick
Mike Timani is a native of Lebanon and was born in Venezuela. He arrived in Toronto during the Lebanese civil war. He is president and CEO of Fancy Pokket Corporation in Moncton which was established in June 1989 in a 1,000 sq foot facility with three employees. Today, the bakery consists of 45,000 sq. ft. and employs 80 people. Fancy Pokket is the largest producer of pita bread, bagels, tortilla wraps and flatbread in Atlantic Canada.
Mike constructed a 58,000 sq. ft. dedicated Gluten Free facility in Lancaster County, South Carolina which produces a variety of gluten free products. The new facility began operations in August 2019.
TREASURER
Darlene Macdonald
Food Industry Expert
Ontario
Darlene brings more than 20 years experience in organizational development and change management, having worked in North America and Europe with food and research companies. She holds a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Communication and is a self-confessed “foodie”.
VICE CHAIR
Mark Pickard,
President
InfraReady Products Ltd
Saskatchewan
InfraReady Products was started in 1994 by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (SWP) in an attempt to add value to cereal grains before they left the province. With only the equipment, no products and no clients, Mark Pickard, the SWP’s project champion and 2 employees, started to carve out a unique niche in the food ingredients market, aiming to be the secret ingredient in many different food applications. In 1998, the company had grown to 13 employees, 100 products, and exported ingredients around the world. Accounting for a minute portion of the balance book, the SWP decided to divest itself of InfraReady, and offered Mark the opportunity to carry out a management buyout to ensure the company’s work would continue. With the help of 2 investors, Mark was able to continue his dream of offering wholesome food ingredients to the world’s food processors.
Jacqueline-Pelletier
Directrice générale chez Comité sectoriel de main-d’oeuvre en
Transformation alimentaire-CSMOTA
Pending Update
Elliott J Gauthier
Senior Vice President
Hill + Knowlton Strategies
Ontario
Elliott Gauthier has a close connection to Food Processing Skills Canada and the broader sector. For many years he has worked with FPSC on many strategic initiatives, from representation at industry events, to authoring and strategically communicating FPSC’s cornerstone Labour Market Information Studies (LMI’s), moderating Board growth and strategic initiative sessions, refining the membership strategy and emceeing and presenting at the annual FPSC industry conference. Elliott a Senior Vice-President at Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), one of world’s leading communications firms. He is a member of H+K’s Canadian Leadership Team, leads the reputation measurement practice in the Global Corporate Affairs + Advisory group, sits on H+K’s Global Technology Solutions Committee and is a senior leader in the Global Data + Analytics group. With more than 15 years’ experience in senior-level research positions in the communications industry Elliott leads the Canadian Data + Analytics team, a team of skilled researchers and measurement experts located in Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Lynn Rayner
Operations Manager
Acadian Supreme Inc.
Prince Edward Island
After graduating from the Holland College Fisheries Technology Program Lynn has worked in the seafood industry for over 25 years in various positions. Lynn has spent most of her career with Acadian Fishermen’s Co-operative as Quality Manager and then moving into Production. In 2016 Acadian Fishermen’s Co-operative was bought by Acadian Supreme and at this time she moved to the position of Operation’s Manager for the company. She is directly involved with Quality, Production, HR and Financing within the company. Lynn works closely with members of the Federal and Provincial governments on issue to do with HR, TFW as well as product development and automation. She also works with Holland College, UPEI and other industry members to develop products and equipment to help with staffing issues in the seafood industry. Both to keep plants producing for a longer period of time by extending our season as well development of automation to help with staff shortages.
PARTNER
Amy Proulx, PhD.
Professor and Coordinator
Culinary Innovation & Food Technology, Niagara College
Ontario
Amy Proulx, is a professor at Niagara College, Canada, and coordinator of the Culinary Innovation and Food Technology Program at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute. She acts as research leader at the Niagara College Food Innovation Centre, where she and her colleagues provide technical, regulatory and product development support to the food and beverage manufacturing sector, and conduct research in culinary, food science, brewing and winemaking.
Steve Martin
Retail Sales Manager
Martin’s Family Fruit Farm
Ontario
Steve Martin is the retail manager at Martin’s Family Fruit Farm – a family run ‘labour of love’ for almost two centuries. While apples are their main product and are shipped Canada-wide, Martin’s also works with other local producers to provide additional fruits and vegetables in its retail store, and for customers. The Martin family has farmed these Ontario lands since 1820. The apple growing part of our history began with a suggestion from Branko Premlec, a Yugoslavian exchange student with a background in horticulture. Branko and Leighton Martin agreed that the region’s combination of warm summer sunshine, adequate rainfall, rich soil and cool autumn nights would be perfect for producing the sweet, juicy apples that the Martin’s Family has become famous for. With a future full of fine apple varieties in mind, they planted their first trees and waited patiently for them to mature.
Brad McKay
President of McKay Consulting
Ontario
Brad McKay is President of McKay Consulting. Prior to this, he was President of Wholesome Kids Catering, a leading supplier of nutritious meals to day care centers, and before that was Chief Executive Officer of Healthcare Food Services, a leading marketer of meals for the healthcare sector. Prior to this Brad was Vice President Ingredients and Export for Parmalat Canada and before that held progressively senior marketing positions at Procter & Gamble, Kraft/Nabisco, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Brad is a Board member of Food Processing Skills Canada and has been a Board member of the Yves Landry Foundation, the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology where he was also President. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in Systems Engineering.
David Lippert
Vice President of Human Resources
Ontario
With six manufacturing plants, over 1,300 employees and after 125 years in operation, Dare has become part of the fabric of Canada. Following is a chronological history of Dare starting with our humble origins as a grocery store, tracing all the way up to our current, exciting times. After over 125 years, Dare remains dedicated to producing innovative, high-quality food. Manufactured in Canada and the U.S., our range of cookies, crackers, fine breads and candy is available throughout North America and in more than 50 other countries around the world.
