Educators
Ontario's Innovative Food and Beverage Processing Industry
Bring real-world careers into your classroom with stories of how Ontario’s food and beverage processors are combining tradition, tech, and talent to meet global demand.
Meet Ontario's Largest Manufacturing Employer
Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry is one of Ontario’s most essential and innovative sectors.
It employs more than 120 thousand people across + 5,000 businesses, blending traditional methods with advanced technologies to prepare, package, and deliver food and beverage products enjoyed around the world.
Employment At-A-Glance
Where Are Processors Located?
The industry supports a wide range of roles — from hands-on skilled trades like electricians and HVAC technicians to food science positions in research and development or quality assurance — and everything in between. Businesses also employ a variety of familiar roles in sales, human resources, marketing, and more.
For every office-based job, there are approximately five production floor positions, making this sector ideal for hands-on workers and skilled tradespeople alike.
With over 4,600 processors across the province, Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry is regionally diverse — but most concentrated in Central Ontario.
Largest regions by business concentration:
Central Ontario – 43%
Western Ontario – 27%
Southern Ontario – 19%
Book a Class Presentation
We’ll help you create a session that’s informative, engaging, and tailored to your students’ needs—whether they’re studying microbiology, engineering, food science, or exploring where their education can take them in the food and beverage industry.
(Due to the size of the province, our preference is to meet virtually.)
Bring Food & Beverage Careers to Life for Your Students
At CareersNOW!, we’re passionate about helping students discover exciting and rewarding career pathways in the food and beverage processing industry. Whether you’re planning a career fair, classroom session, or virtual event, our team is ready to connect, inform, and inspire.
We offer:
- Interactive career fair participation
- Virtual panel discussions with industry professionals
- Q&A sessions about job search, resumes, and interviews
- Insights into the many roles and opportunities in food and beverage
Let’s work together to show your students the possibilities waiting for them in this vital and growing industry.
The Future of Food Scholarship
CareersNOW!’s Future of Food Scholarship is a $1,000 award open to students in high school or post-secondary, from, or studying in, Ontario, with an interest in the skilled trades, food and beverage processing, applied science, technology, business, and more.
The Future of Food Scholarship invites high school, college, and university students to explore career paths in Ontario’s food and beverage processing sector.
Help Your Students Discover the Industry and Its Career Paths
Share engaging resources that showcase the diverse careers, education pathways, and real-world experiences in the food and beverage processing industry.
From day-in-the-life stories to fun industry facts, our collection of videos, articles, podcasts, and more will support your students in exploring meaningful career opportunities.
Free Job Ready Skills Training
Broaden your students’ knowledge of Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry and demonstrate aptitude and skill to employers through industry-recognized skills training. Students can choose from 15 online, self-paced courses. Courses are developed to accommodate an intermediate English proficiency level (Canadian Language Benchmark 4-5).
To enrol, students can create their free CareersNOW! Student account.
FREE Student eBooks: Careers In Food Processing
Ready to take your program's engagement to the next level?
Explore the FoodGrads Education Partnership—an annual membership package designed to strengthen your school’s connection with the food & beverage manufacturing industry.
Joining the FoodGrads community supports our mission to attract, guide, and empower the next generation of food and beverage processing professionals.
Learn more about becoming a FoodGrads Education Partner and join a growing network dedicated to building the future workforce of food and beverage manufacturing. As a proud partner of the CareersNOW! program, FoodGrads is offering a discount on annual membership—ask for details at the link above!
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