Packaging that changes colour when food is spoiled, a pill made from the immune-boosting protein in milk, and biodegradable plastic wrap made from corn are, according to this story, among the biotech advances that will be presented today at Canada's largest grocery industry trade show.

Gord Surgeoner, president of Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, a non-profit consortium of major food growers, universities and government was cited as saying that Canada's agri-food industry is turning its attention to solving larger problems, such as pollution and global warming, adding, "The food industry in Canada is relatively mature in terms of food and nutrition. Canadians pay the lowest prices in the world for food as a percentage of disposable income. The question now is, 'Where do we go next?'"

Surgeoner planned to showcase some of the answers at today's Grocery Innovations Canada, the annual trade show for Canada's $64 billion-a-year food business.

The innovations include NatureWorks, a plastic made from plants instead of petroleum. Invented by Cargill Dow LLC, a joint venture of Cargill Inc., a U.S. agribusiness, and Dow Chemical Co., the multinational plastics producer, NatureWorks is already on sale in Europe and Asia.

NatureWorks is made from corn, a renewable resource, and is biodegradable, the company says. As well, the manufacturing process consumes 20 per cent to 50 per cent less energy than petroleum- based plastics.

Toxic Guard, a technology that can be added to plastic food wrap to detect the presence of bacteria, pesticides and even genetic modifications. Developed by Mississauga-based Toxin Alert Inc., a dot containing antibodies is incorporated in packaging. When the food spoils, the dot changes colour, acting as an early warning system, the company says.

"The Number 1 acute risk from food is bacteria," says Surgeoner, citing salmonella, e-coli and listeria as the leading hazards.

While most of the 90 million meals a day eaten in Canada are perfectly safe, Surgeoner said, product recalls "are significant" and can damage a company's entire brand, an increased risk in this era of extended branding across product categories, he said.

Toxin Guard is nearing the commercialization phase, he said.