Brampton has been awarded the top spot in the Food Processing Leaders category of Business Facilities Magazine’s 19th Annual Metro Rankings Report.
Compared to other international mega-cities in this category, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Dallas, Brampton remained at the number one spot on this list, scoring highest in factors such as employment opportunities, new projects and investments and programs that support the sector.
“It’s an honour to be named the top-ranked Food Processing Sector in North America for the fourth year in a row,” Mayor Patrick Brown stated. “This recognition is a demonstration of how strong this local sector is. We are committed to continuing to attract investments and build a strong workforce while offering top-quality products.”
Top employers in the food and beverage sector in Brampton include headquarters for Loblaws, Maple Lodge and Italpasta. Additionally, key employers such as Coke Canada Bottling, Olymel, TNT Foods, Cardinal Meat Specialists, Sofina Foods, Lactalis, Cargill, and Give and Go Prepared Foods also have facilities in the City.
Brampton says its food and beverage sector is a one-stop shop, complete with food testing, processing and packaging facilities as well as transportation, packaging design, equipment and refrigeration storage, all within the city. The sector contributes $1.3 billion annually to Canadian GDP and employs some 8,500 people in approximately 300 companies – across a range of manufacturing, processing and support industries.
“Being recognized for the fourth consecutive year in Business Facilities Magazine’s Annual Metro Rankings Report as #1 in the Food Processing Leaders in North America is proof that our City is the best place for businesses to invest and grow. I look forward to continuing to work together with Food and Beverage businesses in Brampton to continue to be an industry leader in this space.”
Gurpartap Singh Toor, Chair of Brampton’s Economic Development committee says Being recognized for the fourth consecutive year is proof “that our City is the best place for businesses to invest and grow”.
To continue to bolster this sector, the City is working with the industry to attract investments that will create jobs and opportunities for its residents and develop a strong and skilled workforce. As part of Food and Beverage Ontario’s CareersNOW! initiative, the City of Brampton partnered with the organization to conduct a regional workforce pilot in 2021/2022. Local employers, educators, regional stakeholders and employment agencies came together to help create a job-seeker pipeline that will fill immediate regional employment vacancies and provide key learnings for other regions.
