Stop at Subway for Ontario Grown, Province-Wide $90,000

Burnac Produce will bring Ontario tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onions to Subway restaurants during the local harvest season. Burnac will work with Subway to promote local produce, creating increased awareness of local food. The project will increase local produce in Subways during harvest season by at least 30-50% permanently.

Creating a Provincial Plate $130,000

Dana Hospitality will work with its suppliers to create a daily Provincial Plate – a full meal consisting of only Ontario products for its Broader Public Sector clients. Dana will increase market access for 30 Ontario farmers and processors, and will increase purchase of Ontario food by $1.8m during the grant period.

Packaging Line Implementation Project for Expansion of Public Sector Protein Supply, St. Clements $115,000

Stemmler Meats and Cheese will invest in automated packaging and new technologies to support growth and increase protein sales to school boards, long-term care facilities and hospitals. The project is expected to increase sales to the broader public sector by 103% to $1.8 million in 2017.

Packaging Equipment Adoption to Increase Market Access of Prince Edward County Foods, Belleville $79,000

Sprague Foods will invest in a new automated packaging machine to increase the sale of locally produced soups and beans. Sprague will be able to double production and its facility, develop seven new products for sale in grocery stores, and provide farmers with new opportunities to bring their products to market. 

Marketing and Selling Fresh, Naturally Grown (Never Frozen) Shrimp in Ontario, Aylmer $45,000

Planet Shrimp is an indoor closed containment shrimp farm using proprietary technology to grow fresh shrimp in a sustainable, ethically responsible facility. This investment will enable Planet Shrimp to undertake a comprehensive market assessment and establish a distribution system for this innovative product.

Delivering Local Food to Ontario Student Nutrition Programs, Kitchener-Waterloo $18,500

Ontario Student Nutrition Services will build a sustainable distribution system to meet the needs of student nutrition programs with Ontario products accounting for at least 25% of purchases. By January 2017, OSNS will have over 360 student nutrition programs registered in its local food program across the province. The project is expected to increase the sales of Ontario products to student nutrition programs by $500,000.

Increasing Municipal Local food Procurement in 3 Golden Horseshoe Municipalities, Vaughan $100,000

The TRCA and Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance will work with municipal partners to increase local food procurement in long-term care facilities. With the Public Health division in Hamilton spearheading the project, it is expected that local food procurement will increase by 5% in 3-4 participating municipalities over two years, for a permanent increase of $270,000 annually in local food purchases.

Say Yes! To Local Food Literacy in Schools, Toronto $100,000

Sustain Ontario will work with local partners in Toronto, Peel Region, and Thunder Bay to  animate 30 school communities so teachers can educate students about of local food, its availability, and to learn local food skills. The project will reach 25,000 students.

The New Farm Kitchen & Education Centre, Creemore $75,000

The New Farm will partner with Creemore Springs to build an on-farm kitchen and education centre on its small scale organic farm to offer hands-on educational opportunities and serve as a centre for industry, farmers and consumers to meet and learn. 

Market Assessment of "Label Rouge" Chickens in Ontario $15,000

Pollo Gardens is participating in the Chicken Farmers of Ontario’s new Artisinal Chicken Program, for farmers growing small numbers of chickens for select target markets. Pollo Gardens will raise “slow growth” chickens raised in low density housing and pastured from dusk to dawn. This pilot will allow Pollo Gardens to raise 150 chickens and distribute them free of charge to potential customers to assess demand.