Ontario launches local food fund

Toronto – A new local food fund has launched in Ontario and applications for it are now open.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the fund, which is part of a $30-million provincial investment, at Foodshare Toronto. Foodshare Toronto is a non-profit community organization that works to address hunger in the city.

The investment and fund were established to create jobs and support innovative local food projects over the next three years.

Wynne says local food has a huge impact in the province and increasing its demand helps to “feed local economies across the province. By supporting partnerships and innovation, this fund will make sure more people benefit from the good things that grow in Ontario.”

The fund is also part of the government’s broader local food strategy to increase awareness and demand for foods grown and made in Ontario.

The fund will also support projects that:
•    Market and promote local food
•    Strengthen regional and local food networks by increasing partnerships along the supply chain
•    Use new and innovative equipment and processes to boost the supply, quality, availability and distribution of local food