Helping Ontario’s Small Food Businesses Grow and Invest in Food Safety
August 7, 2024NIPISSING – MPP Vic Fedeli is pleased to announce an investment of up to $5 million, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, to help small businesses in the agriculture and food industry improve their food safety systems and stimulate growth.
“Investments through the Food Safety and Growth Initiative will help smaller businesses in Ontario’s agriculture and food industry to help them ensure food safety so they can increase sales and expand their business,” said MPP Vic Fedeli.
The Food Safety and Growth Initiative will provide funding 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 food safety training to employees. The funding will also enable operators to respond to market and consumer demands and grow their business.
The Food Safety and Growth Initiative will help achieve the 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 is open to food businesses with fewer than 100 employees at the project site and will contribute to the businesses’ ability to build consumer confidence, and enable growth by supporting investments to detect, prevent and mitigate food safety risks and adopt new standards.
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 on August 21, 2024. The application period will remain open until 11:59 pm EST, on December 1, 2025, or until the budgeted funds have been fully allocated, whichever comes first.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness will deliver the initiative. More details and its application process are available online at https://www.ontario.ca/page/food-safety-and-growth-initiative.