Greenbelt fund allocates funding to three local food initiatives

Monday, March 24, 2014

by MATT MCINTIOSH

A total of $180,000 in grants has been awarded to three Ontario businesses to help expand their local food portfolios. Such an investment, says a press release from the Greenbelt Fund, the non-profit organization responsible for administering the grants, will help improve Ontarians’ access to fresh, healthy, local food.

One of the grant recipients is Fergus’ 100 Mile Food Services Ltd., a food distribution company that provides local businesses and other institutions with locally produced and processed food. Burkhard Mausberg, CEO of the Greenbelt Fund, says the company is to use its $90,000 grant to expand its list of suppliers by at least 50 farmers.

Mausberg also says Beachville Ontario’s Auvergne Farms, Ontario’s largest processor of maple syrup products, was given $50,000 to help it begin selling bulk maple sugar.

Bob Jakeman, Auvergne’s president, says Ontario producers only supply about 15 per cent of this province’s demand for syrup. “Ontario has more than twice as many trees as Quebec and New Brunswick so there’s a lot of opportunity to expand the industry.”

My Sustainable Canada also received a grant of $40,000. According to its website, the non-profit organization helps “educate and equip people and organizations to deal with sustainable consumption issues in the marketplace.” The funding, says Mausberg, is to help develop local food-based menus at Queens University, and Humber College.

“It’s not an easy process for large organizations to go local. It takes time,” he says.

The funding provided to 100 Mile Food Services Ltd., Auvergne Farms, and My Sustainable Canada came from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and was announced by Jeff Leal, Minister of Rural Affairs and MPP for Peterborough, on Monday.

The Greenbelt Fund officially administered the money as part of its regional food grant program, which, its March 19 press release says, “supports farmers and local food leaders . . . to increase the amount of local food consumed in Ontario.” BF