AQIA
AQIA is a Quebec-based non-profit professional association affiliated with the IAFP, providing food safety professionals across industry, government, and academia with annual symposiums, webinars, and a tiered membership program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersQuebec, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AQIA does
AQIA (Association québécoise pour l'innocuité alimentaire / Quebec Association for Food Protection) is a non-profit professional association founded around 2010 and headquartered at Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada. It operates as the only Quebec satellite affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), serving food safety professionals across six segments: food industry (22%), services to industry (27%), consultants (11%), analytical laboratories (10%), education and research (15%), and government (15%). The association's core offerings are its annual symposium (the flagship event, with 115+ attendees and 18 booths in 2025), free and member-discounted webinars, and a tiered membership program (regular $50/year, corporate $300/year, free student since March 2025). AQIA is institutionally anchored by Université Laval's INAF, which contributes the coordinator's salary, and is governed by a 17-member board drawn from industry (Olymel, Sani Marc, Sofina Foods, Kersia, Eurofins, bioMérieux), government (MAPAQ), and academia.
The association is financed exclusively through membership dues, event registrations, corporate sponsorships, and scholarship sponsorship contributions. Its technology footprint is limited to a bilingual website (aqia-qc.org) hosted on Université Laval infrastructure, event registration via the Fourwaves platform, and webinar delivery through Microsoft Forms and Zoom. AQIA does not develop software products, APIs, or AI-enabled services. Its go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: recruitment flows through the website, professional networking, IAFP referrals, and word-of-mouth within Quebec's food safety sector, while the annual symposium functions as the principal acquisition and retention vehicle. Strategic partnerships with ITAQ (training discounts through 2026-27), MAPAQ, AAFC, BÉNÉFIQ, and CRIBIQ extend programming reach and provide co-funding for content development.
AQIA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AQIA
- Legal name
- Association québécoise pour l'innocuité alimentaire
- Website
- https://aqia-qc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AQIA is a Quebec-based non-profit professional association affiliated with the IAFP, providing food safety professionals across industry, government, and academia with annual symposiums, webinars, and a tiered membership program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AQIA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food Safety, Quality Standards & Regulatory Capacity Building (BPADAJAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF), Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG), Training & Competency Programs (HACCP, PCQI, GMP) (AFALADAK)
Keywords
Where AQIA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Quebec
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
AQIA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from regular members ($50/year), corporate members ($300/year), and student members (free from March 2025). Membership renews annually on May 1st.
- Event Registration Fees: Registration fees from symposiums and events. Symposium pricing varies: members pay $240-300, non-members $325-385, student members $110, and student non-members $135 (plus taxes).
- Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship revenue through event partnerships and booth fees. Corporate members receive two free symposium registrations and preferential booth pricing as membership benefits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Individual Membership - $50/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Membership - $300/year |
| Freemium | Annual | Student Membership - FREE (from March 2025) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Symposium Registration - Member Rate |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Symposium Registration - Non-Member Rate |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
AQIA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AQIA is a Quebec-based non-profit professional association that provides a forum for food safety professionals to exchange information on food supply protection. It delivers its value through annual symposiums, educational webinars, a tiered membership program (individual, corporate, and student), and student research presentation platforms (FLASH talks and poster competitions). The association is the Quebec satellite affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and is hosted at Université Laval with academic support from the Institut sur la nutrition et les aliments fonctionnels (INAF).
Product overview
AQIA is a professional association for food safety (not a technology product company). It offers a unified platform of services centered on food safety education and professional networking. The core offerings include the annual Symposium (flagship event with conferences, training, and student competitions), webinars on specialized topics, and membership programs providing access to documentation, networking, and reduced event rates. The association does not offer software products, APIs, or AI-powered tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AQIA Annual Symposium (Symposium annuel de l'AQIA) Annual flagship event for food safety professionals featuring scientific conferences, FLASH student presentations, scientific poster competition, networking, and corporate exhibitor booths. Open to members and non-members with tiered registration pricing.
- AQIA Membership Program Professional membership providing access to networking, member-only documentation, reduced event rates, and participation in professional development committees. Three tiers: regular individual ($50/year), corporate ($300/year), and student (free from March 2025).
- AQIA Webinars
Companies that use AQIA
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
AQIA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AQIA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.
- LABPLAS (as scholarship sponsor)minorLABPLAS provided a scholarship prize for the best student poster presentation at the 2025 Symposium.
- Olymel (as scholarship sponsor)minorOlymel provided a scholarship prize for the second-place student poster presentation at the 2025 Symposium.
- Institut de technologie agroalimentaire du Québec (ITAQ)majorITAQ was the 2025 event partner for the AQIA Symposium, hosting the event and providing exclusive training sessions. ITAQ board member Catherine Leblanc serves on AQIA's committee. ITAQ provides 10% discount on trainings for AQIA members through 2026-27 partnership agreement.
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)minorAAFC's Agri-assurance program funded the development of allergen management guidelines presented during the AQIA webinar. The Canadian Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture via MAPAQ's Bioalimentary Innovation program also supported dissemination.
- MAPAQ (Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec)minorMAPAQ supported the dissemination of allergen management guidelines through the Canadian Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture's Innovation Bioalimentaire program. MAPAQ representative Karine Berger presented at the 2025 Symposium.
- MAPAQ (as scholarship sponsor)minorMAPAQ provided student scholarships for the 2025 Symposium's FLASH presentation competition, supporting the next generation of food safety researchers.
- BÉNÉFIQminorAQIA held its 2023 annual meeting within the BÉNÉFIQ international health ingredients conference at the Québec Convention Centre, an initiative of INAF. This co-location provided access to over 500 international attendees from 15 countries.
- Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec (CRIBIQ)minorCRIBIQ collaborated with AQIA in 2023 to organize a researcher-industry matchmaking workshop during the annual meeting, facilitating collaborative projects between academia and industry.
- International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)coreAQIA is a Quebec satellite association of the IAFP. This affiliation provides AQIA members with access to international food safety resources, networking opportunities, and a connection to the global food protection community. AQIA's honorary member Julie Jean serves as the IAFP delegate.
- Institut sur la nutrition et les aliments fonctionnels (INAF)coreINAF at Université Laval provides critical support to AQIA by contributing to the coordinator's salary and supporting event organization. Multiple INAF researchers sit on AQIA's steering committee. Julie Jean (INAF) serves as honorary member and IAFP delegate.
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Saint-Hyacinthe Research and Development CentreminorThe Research and Development Centre in Saint-Hyacinthe hosted the 2024 AQIA Symposium. This government research centre, part of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provided facility tours and hosted the event venue.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AQIA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group): European food safety and hygienic engineering association focused on equipment and facility design. Comparable membership model serving equipment/hygiene services which make up 27% of AQIA's membership. Serves Europe rather than North America.
Broad incumbents
- SQF Institute: Manages the SQF food safety and quality certification program used by many of AQIA's food industry member companies. Operates at global commercial scale versus AQIA's regional non-profit professional focus.
- NSF International: Global public health and safety organization providing food safety testing, certification, and training services. Several of AQIA's member organizations (analytical labs, consultants, equipment providers) overlap with NSF's service domains.
- AOAC International: A globally recognized standards-development organization for analytical methods used in food safety and microbiology. Members include the same analytical labs (10% of AQIA's membership) and food safety scientists. Operates internationally with broader scope than AQIA.
- Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI): Industry-driven global food safety standards collaboration, convening major retailers, manufacturers, and certification bodies. AQIA's members participate in GFSI-aligned schemes (one of AQIA's member types is consultants doing audits/certification, 11% of membership).
- Institute of Food Technologists (IFT): Global scientific society for food science professionals, offering membership, conferences, publications, and credentialing. AQIA's INAF-affiliated academic members overlap significantly with IFT's food scientist audience.
Direct peers
- International Association for Food Protection (IAFP): AQIA is a Quebec satellite affiliate of IAFP, the leading global food safety professional association. IAFP operates the same membership-and-events model at international scale and is AQIA's parent affiliate, sharing the same professional network and Julie Jean serves as AQIA's IAFP delegate.
- Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST): Canada's national professional association for food science and technology, offering similar membership, conferences, and student engagement programming. Broader geographic scope than AQIA but overlapping member base in Quebec's food industry.
- Ontario Food Protection Association (OFPA): A Canadian provincial food safety professional association that closely mirrors AQIA's model: industry-academia-government membership base, annual technical symposiums, and food safety professional development. Comparable scale and structure but serving Ontario rather than Quebec.
Others
- Centre for Food Safety (CFS) - Hong Kong: Government food safety regulator, not a peer organization but referenced because AQIA's mission of food safety professional exchange parallels the convening function of national food safety bodies. Listed for ecosystem context rather than direct competition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AQIA social profiles
Digital presenceAQIA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AQIA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
AQIA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AQIA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AQIA
What does AQIA do?
AQIA is a Quebec-based non-profit professional association that provides a forum for food safety professionals to exchange information on food supply protection. It delivers its value through annual symposiums, educational webinars, a tiered membership program (individual, corporate, and student), and student research presentation platforms (FLASH talks and poster competitions). The association is the Quebec satellite affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and is hosted at Université Laval with academic support from the Institut sur la nutrition et les aliments fonctionnels (INAF).
Is AQIA a public or private company?
AQIA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was AQIA founded?
AQIA was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AQIA based?
AQIA is headquartered in Quebec, Canada, in the North America region.
How does AQIA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are event Registration Fees and sponsorships and Partnerships.
Who are AQIA's main competitors?
EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are SQF Institute, NSF International, AOAC International, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Direct peers are International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) and Ontario Food Protection Association (OFPA). Centre for Food Safety (CFS) - Hong Kong is listed as an others.
Does AQIA have an API?
No public API is recorded for AQIA.
What industry is AQIA in?
AQIA's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAJAJ, Food Safety, Quality Standards & Regulatory Capacity Building, with a secondary code of BPADANAF, Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.