Canada & Ont. investing millions in Toronto food makers

The Ontario and federal governments have teamed up to invest more than $4.6 million in the Greater Toronto Area’s food and beverage processing sector to support 110 projects that will help GTA businesses implement sustainable technology as a way to expand production and meet consumer demand.

Companies receiving funding include Quality Cheese Inc., Pasta Quistini Inc., Tara Foods Inc., Canadian Dairy Manufacturing Inc., Italian Home Bakery Ltd., and many more. To see the full list of companies and projects, click here.

Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal and federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay made the announcement on August 24 at Select Food Products Ltd., a North York foodservice provider that received $350,000 to support the implementation of a state-of-the-art Enterprise Resource Planning system. According to a government press release, this new system will enable the company to better manage production, scheduling, purchasing, research and development, and will also allow Select Food Products to trace all product ingredients and make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency and productivity.

“This financial support was instrumental to our company implementing a state-of-the-art Enterprise Resource Planning system. With this system we can fully trace all ingredients; manage production, scheduling, purchasing, finance, research and development; and make data-driven decisions. This funding allows us to increase our productivity, grow our business, hire more people and better support our customers and suppliers,” says Andrew Mitchell, president, Select Food Products Ltd.

All these projects received funding through Growing Forward 2: a federal-provincial-territorial initiative that supports innovation, competitiveness, market development, adaptability and industry sustainability in Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sectors.

“This investment helps businesses stay ahead of modern technologies and consumer trends, while creating jobs and growing the middle class. Our government is committed to helping food and beverage processors, Canada’s largest sector of manufacturing employers, create good jobs and take advantage of emerging market opportunities domestically and abroad,” says Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

“By investing in food and beverage processors in the Greater Toronto Area, including Select Food Products Limited., we are helping businesses become more competitive and grow to expand their markets both here at home and abroad. We are committed to working with food and beverage processors that have the vision and determination to help Ontario’s agri-food sector meet the Agri-Food Growth Challenge of doubling the sector’s growth and creating 120,000 new jobs by 2020,” adds Jeff Leal, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.