Precision that pays off for Ontario's food supply
Every day, thousands of pounds of fresh produce move across Vegfresh's processing lines. A key component of Ontario’s food supply chain, Vegfresh Inc. has been moving fresh fruits and vegetables from farms to food manufacturers, bakeries and food service businesses for more than three decades. Every day, truckloads of onions, potatoes, carrots, peppers, apples and other produce arrive at the company's Toronto facility, where they're cleaned, prepared and processed into the quality ingredients customers depend on.
It's a role that often happens behind the scenes, but one that plays an important part in Ontario's agri-food system. As a high-volume processor, Vegfresh helps add value to fresh produce, reduce waste and ensure manufacturers have a reliable supply of ready-to-use ingredients.
“To keep pace with demand and remain competitive, we know we continuously need to invest in new technology,” says Joe Attie, Director of Finance and Administration at Vegfresh. Sorting produce by hand is just one example that creates a bottleneck for the company. While employees work hard to maintain the company's high quality standards, manual sorting is labour intensive, difficult to scale and can only move product so quickly. That’s why VegFresh invested in an Optical Sorting Unit, a high-speed, camera-based sorting system in 2025.
“We knew we needed to modernize,” says Attie. “As our volumes increased, we needed a better way to deliver the consistency and quality our customers expect while making our operation more efficient.”
Through funding from the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative (ATII), delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council, Vegfresh was able to invest in the advanced optical sorting system that is helping the company do just that.
Investing in innovation
Unlike traditional sorting methods, the new system uses advanced cameras and imaging technology to inspect every piece of produce in real time. Working with a custom conveyor, destoning equipment and automated grading system, it evaluates size, colour and defects before directing each product to the appropriate grade. The investment transformed a critical step in Vegfresh's production process, replacing a largely manual system with automated precision.
“Watching the system detect and sort product with a level of precision and speed that simply wasn't possible manually is genuinely exciting," says Attie. “It's a validation of the direction we've been moving in as a company.”
The impact has been measurable.
On the company's Potato Parisienne processing line, annual production increased by approximately 15 per cent in the first full year after the equipment was installed, without adding production days. Average daily throughput also increased by about 15 per cent, while production during peak periods climbed by nearly 30 per cent compared to the previous year.
At the same time, product quality has become even more consistent. The system has reduced defects, increased recovery of premium-grade product and improved production flow by eliminating many of the delays associated with manual sorting.
The technology has also changed the way people work. Employees previously responsible for repetitive sorting tasks have moved into higher-value roles throughout the operation, while the company has added new skilled positions to operate and maintain the sophisticated equipment.
For Vegfresh, investing in automation wasn't simply about increasing production. It was about strengthening the business for the future. “Automation helps us remain competitive,” says Attie. “As we're learning to integrate this technology into our facility, we're improving product quality, increasing cost effectiveness and expanding our ability to compete.”
Those improvements benefit more than Vegfresh. As a supplier to food manufacturers, bakeries and food service companies, the business sits at the centre of a much larger value chain. Improving efficiency allows the company to better manage its own costs while providing customers with the consistent supply of high-quality ingredients they need in an increasingly challenging marketplace.
“Our customers rely on us as a key ingredient supplier,” explains Attie. “They're facing the same pressures of rising costs as everyone else along the food value chain. Implementing new technology helps us manage our costs, and that helps offset some of those pressures for our customers.”
Investing in the future
The investment is also helping the company reduce food waste by improving sorting accuracy and recovering more usable product, creating both economic and environmental benefits. Support through ATII helped make the project possible. The $100,000 grant reduced the financial barrier associated with purchasing and integrating sophisticated processing equipment, allowing Vegfresh to complete the full installation, including the supporting infrastructure needed to maximize the system's performance.
The company also credits the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) for helping make the process straightforward. “The AAC team was professional and supportive throughout the project,” says Attie. “Their guidance and clear communications through the application and reporting process made it much easier to move the project forward.”
Looking ahead, Vegfresh plans to continue optimizing the optical sorting system while identifying new opportunities to automate other areas of the business. For a company that has spent more than 30 years adapting to meet the changing needs of customers, innovation isn't just about adopting technology. It's about finding practical solutions that improve quality, increase efficiency and strengthen Ontario's food processing sector.
Vegfresh's investment demonstrates how targeted support for innovation can help Ontario food processors modernize their operations, create skilled jobs, reduce waste and build a stronger, more resilient food supply chain for the future.
The Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative program was funded in part through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a 5-year, $3.5 billion federal-provincial-territorial initiative. This program is being delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
