Events

The Canadian Food Exporters Association, in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, provinces, the Canada Organic Trade Association, and Groupe Export, invite you to apply for the 2026 Canada Food Expo (CFE), taking place in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong from November 30 to December 10, 2026.

All four of these markets are dynamic economies, net food importers and among the largest Indo-Pacific export destinations for Canada’s agri-food and seafood sectors.

• Japan is the fourth largest importer of Canadian agri-food and seafood, valued at $5.9 billion in 2025, a 19.3% increase from the previous year.
• South Korea is Canada’s sixth largest market for agri-food and seafood products, with exports valued at $1.4 billion in 2025, representing a 17.6% increase from 2024.
• In 2025, Canada’s exports of agri-food and seafood products to Taiwan reached $502 million with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 14.6%.
• In the past five years, nearly $1.7 billion in Canadian agri-food and seafood has been exported to Hong Kong, making it the leading per capita importer in the Indo-Pacific of Canadian food.

WHAT IS CFE? 

CFE is a biennial outbound trade mission to help Canadian companies successfully enter and expand in dynamic Indo‑Pacific markets. Each market visit includes targeted, pre‑arranged meetings with qualified buyers.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT DURING CFE

• Market preparation meetings with trade commissioners
• Sector and market briefings
• Meetings with local importers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers
• Site visits

TARGET PRODUCTS

The 2026 mission focuses on promoting:

• Innovative and unique, retail/consumer-packaged products
• Health, wellness, and organic food products, particularly products with functional or nutritional benefits (this does not include nutritional supplements or nutraceuticals)
• Bulk ingredients, particularly pulses, oats, and specialty grains/flour (in Japan and Taiwan, only)

TARGET COMPANIES

Given capacity restrictions for this mission, a maximum of 30 Canadian companies are permitted to participate. Participants will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Export readiness and experience
• Large-scale retail and e-commerce experience
• Feedback from local buyers
• Market access considerations

Trade diversification is a primary objective of this initiative. With a high volume of applications expected, preference may be given to applicants taking part in the full program (or to both Japan and Taiwan for commodity/bulk ingredient suppliers).

COST

There will be a participation fee of CAD $1750 that will cover the costs of networking receptions, interpretation of business meetings, company profile translation, and transportation for site visits.

Apply now by completing the intake form at this link https://www.cfea.com/canada-food-expo-2026-registration/

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 30, 2026 

The Trade Commissioner Service will make the decision on which companies are approved .  On or about August 20th we will advise you of their decision.

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TENTATIVE ITINERARY 

Seoul, South Korea (November 29-December 1)

• Arrive from Canada by November 29 evening
• November 30: Customized business meetings, lunch networking reception, and table-top event
• December 1:Site visits. End at 2:00 PM
• Afternoon flight to Tokyo at own expense (2.5 hours)

Tokyo, Japan (December 1-3)

• Arrive from Seoul by December 1 evening
• December 2: Customized business meetings and table-top event
• December 3: Customized business meetings and site visits. End at 4:00 PM
• Evening bullet train to Osaka at own expense (2.5 hours)

Osaka, Japan (December 3-4)

• Arrive from Tokyo by December 3 evening
• December 4: Customized business meetings and table-top event

Free time (December 5-6)

• Flight to Taipei (3 hours) is at own expense

Taipei, Taiwan (December 6-8)

• Arrive from Japan by December 6 evening
• December 7: Customized business meetings, lunch networking reception, and table-top event
• December 8: Customized business meetings and site visits. End at 12:00 PM
• Afternoon flight to Hong Kong at own expense (2 hours)

Hong Kong (December 8-10)

• Arrive from Taipei by December 8 evening
• December 9: Customized business meetings, lunch networking reception, and table-top event
• December 10: Customized business meetings and site visits. End at 3:00 PM
• End of program

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Membership: If you are selected to participate and are not a CFEA member you will be required to become one to be eligible for the travel funding. Member application is available at  https://www.cfea.com/exporter-membership-application/

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Cancellation Policy: Once your company is chosen for this program you will have up to 7 days to commit. After that time there will be no cancellations and you’ll be obligated to the participation fee of up to $1750.

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Event Funding  (CFEA members):

CFEA members receive the following funding for this program:

• Airfare: 50% reimbursement of premium economy airline ticket (round trip Canada-Seoul, Hong Kong-Canada)
• Airfare: 50% reimbursement of economy airline ticket (Seoul to Tokyo)
• Train: 50% reimbursement of non-business train ticket (Tokyo to Osaka)
• Airfare: 50% reimbursement of economy airline ticket (Osaka to Taipei)
• Airfare: 50% reimbursement of economy airline ticket (Taipei to Hong Kong)
• Per Diems: a per diem of $287.50 per day up to 13 days

The above is for one person per company but this could change to two people per company depending on number of CFEA members approved to participate. This will be confirmed on or about August 20th.

50% funding is officially approved for this program. We have also put in an application under the new Market Diversification program for an additional 20% funding for travel. We will advise participants of their decision once it’s made.

We reserve the right to limit the maximum reimbursement if the airline tickets exceed our budget.

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Funding for this program is provided by
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s /Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada
AgriMarketing Program / Programme Agri-marketing