CAMBRIDGE – The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), to help the important small businesses in the agriculture and food industry enhance their food safety systems and stimulate growth.
Through the Food Safety and Growth Initiative, funding will be provided to eligible food processors, producers and service providers to improve food safety systems, adopt new food safety and traceability equipment, technologies and standards and provide related training to employees. This funding will also enable operators to respond to market and consumer demands and grow their business.
This investment will help achieve goals laid out in the Grow Ontario Strategy including strengthening the stability and competitiveness of the province’s agri-food supply chain. Ontario’s robust food safety systems are key to the industry’s growth. This initiative will help smaller businesses build consumer confidence, and enable growth by supporting investments to detect, prevent and mitigate food safety risks and adopt new standards.
“It is vitally important that our farmers and food processors have access to the latest tools and resources they need to continue to produce their top-quality goods,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “This investment in technology and equipment upgrades will help folks prevent and quickly address food safety risks and keep their operations on the cutting edge.”
“Our government is committed to working with smaller businesses in Ontario’s agriculture and food industry to help them ensure food safety so they can increase sales and expand,” said Rob Flack, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “Investments through the Food Safety and Growth Initiative will allow smaller food businesses to improve their operations so they can grow and compete in Ontario and outside our borders.”
Projects supported through this initiative will include development or improvement of food safety or traceability programs, upgrades to food safety or traceability equipment and technology upgrades, assessments by qualified third-parties, or implementation of internationally or nationally recognized food safety programs, such as first-time certification audits.
Successful projects are eligible to receive 50 per cent of eligible costs, in cost-share funding, up to a maximum of $75,000 per project. Applications for the initiative will be accepted starting August 21, 2024. The application period will remain open until 11:59 pm EST, December 1, 2025, or until the budgeted funds have been fully allocated, whichever comes first.
The Sustainable CAP is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5-billion commitment cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by provinces and territories.