About

Toronto Fresh Food (TFF) specializes in the production and distribution of fresh and frozen meat products, with a focus on beef and lamb.  The company offers portion-controlled, ready-to-cook items such as hot pot rolls, Philly steak slices, and diced meats, tailored for retail, foodservice, and export markets. TFF addresses the growing demand for high quality, convenient, and export-ready protein products. The target markets include Canadian consumers seeking portion-controlled and time-saving meat solutions, as well as international buyers looking for shelf stable, premium packaged proteins.

Project

Through this Technology Access Program project, Toronto Fresh Food will collaborate with the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) TDS to optimize industrial cutting knife performance through engineering analysis, failure mode assessment, blade modification, and technical knowledge transfer. The project will evaluate improved knife treatment methods and establish repeatable maintenance procedures to significantly extend knife life and improve operational consistency in high-volume production.

Impact

This project will deliver tangible operational and economic outcomes through the successful optimization of industrial slicing blade performance in Toronto Fresh Food’s Ontario manufacturing operations. The primary technical outcome will be a measurable extension of blade service life beyond the current four-hour operating window, resulting in reduced blade replacement frequency, lower maintenance labour requirements, decreased production downtime, improved cutting consistency, and reduced consumable tooling costs.  Over the next 2–5 years, the project is expected to support incremental revenue growth through improved throughput, stronger customer service reliability, expanded production capability, and increased market penetration in Canada and export markets.  From an employment perspective, the project is expected to retain more than 150 existing Ontario manufacturing jobs by improving operational efficiency and production competitiveness, while supporting the creation of 10–20 new skilled positions over time.