Provincial and federal governments investing $4.4 million to support small agri-food businesses, expand export opportunities and increase food safety.
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $4.4 million under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to help small businesses in the agri-food industry grow their businesses and enhance their food safety and traceability systems. This funding will support 90 projects across the province through Ontario's Food Safety and Growth Initiative, which helps protect workers and businesses by ensuring the industry can continue to thrive, respond to market and consumer demands and keep workers on the job.
Under the initiative, eligible food processors, producers and service providers can receive up to $75,000 per project to improve food safety systems, adopt new food safety and traceability equipment, technologies and standards and provide related training to employees.
Examples of projects include:
- Vision Greens Inc., in Welland, is receiving up to $75,000 to purchase and install water filtration systems that will treat the water reaching their plants and increase food safety.
- Shefa Meats, in Toronto, is receiving up to $74,684 to hire third-party consultants to improve their traceability program, install a barcoding system to increase traceability of products and expand their customer base.
- West Grey Premium Beef Inc., in Durham, is receiving up to $75,000 to purchase and install new clipping and packaging equipment and third-party services to update food safety programs to increase traceability and food safety of product and meet customer demands.
Sustainable CAP is a 5-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 that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
