Food News, August, 2018

 
  From the Aug 20, 2018 Issue of FoodNews
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 Grant Programs
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The following two grant programs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the successor of the 2013-18 Growing Forward 2) are now accepting applications.

Canadian Agricultural Partnership
Canadian Agricultural Partnership agreement officially replaced Growing Forward 2 on April 1, 2018. Under the new five-year agreement, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF) will offer fifteen new external programs. Nine of these programs have already been launched and six more are schedule to launch by fall.

For more information about these programs visit cap.alberta.ca. Subscribe to program announcements to receive emails regarding programs opening/closing, upcoming webinars, and other significant changes or updates. Inquiries can also be directed to 310-FARM.

Status of Canadian Agricultural Partnership Grant Programs:
  • Environmental Sustainability Programs opened in April, 2018: 1. Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change – Group; 2. Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change – Producer; 3. Farm Water Supply; 4. Irrigation Efficiency;
  • Public Trust Programs opened in June, 2018: 5. Public Agriculture Literacy; 6. Agriculture and Food Sustainability Assurance Initiatives; 7. Youth Agriculture Education;
  • Products, Market Growth and Diversification Programs opened in July, 2018: 8. Products to Market; 9. Value-Added Products to Market;
  • The remaining six programs are scheduled to open by Fall 2018:
  • Products, Market Growth and Diversification Programs: 10. Emerging Opportunities in Food and Agri-Processing;
  • Risk Management Programs: 11. Risk Mitigation; 12. Emergency Preparedness; 13. Surveillance;
  • Science and Research Programs: 14. Accelerating the Advancement of Agricultural Innovation; 15. Adapting Innovative Solutions in Agriculture.
Workforce Development
Initiative has two grants open:
  • Retention Improvement Grant. Eligible activities: Human Resource expertise to identify and coach on retention strategy development, retention improvements and supervisory training.
  • Productivity Improvement Grant.  Eligible activities: Expertise to identify and provide coaching on production process improvements and/or environmental process improvements.
Cost share is 80 per cent of eligible expenses incurred by an approved applicant upon completion of the approved activities to a maximum of $25,000 per applicant in the fiscal year. Eligible expenses are consulting fees paid to a third-party consultant to complete eligible activities. For questions, contact Scott Dundas at 403-556-4245.

Events

Alberta Local Food Week
August 12-19, 2018
This is the first ever Alberta Local Food Week. The commitment to hold an annual Local Food Week was a key provision of the Supporting Alberta’s Local Food Sector Act, which was passed by the Alberta Government in the spring. Alberta Local Food Week will be proclaimed each year during the week preceding the third weekend in August. This will be an occasion to celebrate and profile the Alberta food industry, build awareness of the abundance and quality of Alberta food products, and highlight the farmers and entrepreneurs who work to put nutritious food on Albertans’ plates. Each year, one of the highlights of the week will be the highly successful Alberta Open Farm Days, a two-day province-wide showcase of Alberta food, producers and Ag-tourism. For questions, contact explorelocal@gov.ab.ca.

Getting your Products to International Markets:

Trade and Logistics Workshop
September 26, 2018  - Edmonton International Airport
This workshop will provide you with valuable information and connections on logistics, cargo services, freight forwarding and customs brokerage. Logistics and supply chain experts will provide you information on modes of transportation and update you on the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and market access opportunities created; The event is free to attend; if interested, click here to register. For further information, please contact Shelly Nguyen at 780-422-7103.

Supermarket Trade Show
February 13-15, 2019 - Tokyo, Japan
The Supermarket Trade Show, coordinated by the New Supermarket Association of Japan (NSAJ), is a key opportunity for exporters targeting the Japanese retail, wholesale, ready meal and foodservice industry. The Embassy of Canada to Tokyo is a sub-member of the NSAJ, and can facilitate advance access to apply for the show for Canadian companies wishing to purchase their own booth space. This is an important tradeshow for companies whose products are already present in Japan, and who are looking to expand their reach in the market. There may also be opportunities to showcase Alberta products already present in the Japanese market via an information booth, without company travel to Japan. For additional details, please contact Katie Meredith at 780-427-6057.

Food Stats
Statistics Canada has just launched Food Stats, a comprehensive one-stop shop for statistical information on food.
Food Stats provides a more intuitive way to access food-related information. Users can easily search for resources across various subjects, including health, economic accounts, food manufacturing and food production. Resources can be filtered by type. Users can also use keywords to find regional information by census metropolitan area, province or territory. Over time, Food Stats may include information from outside Statistics Canada as well.

Food Stats is one way Statistics Canada is making its data more accessible and dynamic. If you have questions, contact Statistics Canada at STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca or at 1-800-263-1136. Agents are available Monday to Friday (except holidays) from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm (Eastern Time).

Alberta Food Processors Association

Food Safety and Quality Training
Verification & Validation of your Food Safety System – September 18 - Edmonton
Principles of Internal Auditing – September 19 - Edmonton
Documenting your Food Safety System – September 20  - Edmonton
Developing Your Environmental Monitoring Program – September 24 - Calgary
Listeria Hazard & Control – September 25 - Calgary
HACCP Implementation for Cannabis – October 1-2 - Calgary
Let’s Talk Cannabis – October 3 - Calgary (1/2 day)
Preparing for your Foreign Government Audits (1/2 day) – October 25 - Calgary
Safe Food For Canadians Regulations Overview (1/2 day) – October 25 - Calgary
Safe Food For Canadians: Preventive Controls & Traceability Requirements – October 26 - Calgary
To register, contact melody@afpa or visit http://afpa.com/fsq_courses

Workplace Health & Safety
Alberta Food Processors Association has some great resources to help you adopt the new farm safety regulations. Contact us today for onsite training, or assistance with your program. ed@afpa.com.

AgrivalueProcessing Business Incubator
Great products deserve to be enjoyed by many! Businesses looking to establish or expand the manufacturing of their products in Alberta have access to the AgrivalueProcessing Business Incubator (APBI). Located at the Food Processing Development Centre (FPDC) in Leduc, this Canadian Food Inspection Agency registered facility offers several leasable 24/7 processing suites along with access to technical, business and marketing support services.With the ability to produce product for local, domestic and international markets, APBI tenants are positioned for growth as they embark on the pathway to establishing their own production facility. For more information contact us at 780-980-4244 or email dan.graham@gov.ab.ca

Food News is available in pdf format: (272 KB)

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
(Dial 310-0000 for toll-free access)
Alberta-Ag-Info Centre 310-FARM
Crop Extension Section – 780-643-6249
Livestock and Farm Business Section - 780-968-6556
Local/Domestic Market Expansion Section - 780-968-3553
Sector Development Section - 780-427-4187
Safe Food Section 780-415-4570
 
 
 
 
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This information published to the web on August 20, 2018.
Last Reviewed/Revised on August 21, 2018.