Government asked to respond to the proposals. Ottawa—The Commons agriculture committee has served the government with a hefty menu of measures to improve the state of the country's food processing industry. In a unanimous report, the committee presented the government with 18 recommendations “to increase Canada's capacity to process more of the food it produces domestically and to strengthen local food supply chains.” Committee chairman Pat Finnigan said the recommendations will help processors “best take advantage of forecasted growth for Canadian food products in international markets while also building greater food security at home.” The committee started the processing study last fall and it became abundantly “that increasing the amount of food that is processed and manufactured in Canada would not only help expand our economy, but also help strengthen local food chains,” he said. The committee called for investments in trade infrastructure and regional processing facilities to help expand exports and develop local agri-food supply chains. As well, the government should review its food processing regulations “including those relating to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) first put in place in 2003.” The report also draws attention to the country's concentrated grocery retail sector and the burden it places on processors' ability to innovate and grow. The federal and Quebec governments are working on a grocery code of conduct to standardize the relationship between food suppliers and retailers. “Canada has long been a world leader in food,” Finnigan said. “From the development of canola to the recent success of Canadian pork and beef products in Asian markets, Canada has a proud tradition of innovation in this sector and the potential for an even brighter future.” The report says that “renewed efforts from government and industry are necessary to achieve the goals of the Barton Report and the Economic Strategy Table on Agri-food. Targeted investments in infrastructure and skilled workers, combined with prudent revisions of regulatory measures and an examination of business practices in the grocery sector, have the potential to make Canada a more innovative and competitive contender on the world stage and more resilient at home.” Enhancing Canada's processing capacity “with food security in mind, can help to ensure a stable source of food for Canadians that can withstand future shocks in supply and demand. This stability would help consumers and producers avoid the food shortages and supply chain bottlenecks seen during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is clear, however, that while the federal government has an important role to play, the range of necessary actions go beyond what it can do alone. The committee hopes that the consensus that emerged during this study from the wide variety of producers, processors, and trade groups that appeared before it will translate into substantive action throughout the supply chain from the federal government, its provincial and territorial partners, and private sector producers and industry.” There are key challenges relating to the country's processing and transportation infrastructure, the report said. The committee wants small regional abattoirs to be developed across the country to promote food security. Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.