Feds, province invest in food product development

Portage la Prairie, Man. – The federal government and Manitoba’s provincial government are helping the Food Development Centre (FDC) expand.

The feds and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) are investing $2.6 million in the FDC. The announcement was made in late February.

The federal contribution from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriFlexibility fund is $1,560,000 and will go towards engineering, expansion, renovations and design requirements.

The province will contribute $1,040,000 for construction costs and labour.

The FDC assists the agri-food industry to develop and commercialize new and innovative food products and natural health products.

FDC helps create jobs, new products

In the 2004/2005 year, FDC’s activities resulted in 12 new jobs and 35 new food products. It also helped 20 food processing companies expand. Translated into economic worth for Manitoba, these activities resulted in a five-year impact of $1.307 million increase in the gross domestic product of Manitoba and $121,297 in provincial taxes.

The new investment will allow the FDC to provide local, national and international commodity associations and academia with a full-service training centre where they can share knowledge and learn from food specialists as well as business and marketing experts who can help Manitoba agricultural producers, food processors and entrepreneurs start-up businesses.

Overall, the cost of the expansion and renovation project is $7.74 million. The Manitoba government is providing a further $1,840,000 with MAFRI and FDC contributing $1,340,000, and $500,000 from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation.

Additional federal funding of $3,300,000 is being provided by the Western Economic Diversification Canada’s Community Adjustment Fund.