Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research

From Knives to Knobs: Sustainability and Smart Skills in Meat Value Chains

Smart manufacturing presents meat processors with an opportunity to bolster their sustainability performance, while enhancing quality and productivity. But for meat processors to harness smart manufacturing, their workers need the right skills. This research examines the extent to which smart manufacturing can mitigate high-priority sustainability issues in the meat value chain, while highlighting the worker skills needed to realize its full potential.

What are the dominant social, environmental, and sustainability issues facing meat processors, grocery retailers, and food service retailers? How can smart manufacturing—robotics, automation, and digitization—help meat processors address sustainability issues? What new skills will workers need to develop? What actions do companies need to take to address these issues?

Download Report Button
farm worker uses smartphone

More from FSC

Group of young coworkers analyzing data while sitting in front of computers while one of them looking through notes in notebook
Project

Testing Innovative AI for Career and Skills Navigation

This project investigated the feasibility, value, and implementation conditions of using generative AI to support career navigation. It did so across two related phases.
Construction workers on a building site
Project

BOLD: Better Outcomes for Laid Off Displaced Workers

The BOLD–Better Outcomes in Layoffs and Downsizing project aimed to test a layoff aversion model among manufacturing workers in Ontario by adapting and implementing the U.S. model. The project partnered with manufacturing employers and unions to support workforce retention during periods of economic uncertainty and sector disruption.
Mechanic maintenance
Research

Amped Up: Upskilling Canada’s Heavy Duty Vehicle Mechanics to Support the Transition to Electric School Buses

This project examined how heavy-duty diesel mechanics can be effectively upskilled to support the transition to electric school buses.
View all Research