Canadian Gov't to Help Fund Independents' Food Safety Effort

OTTAWA, Ont. -- The Canadian government will give nearly $360,000 in funding for the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) to train storeowners and managers on a new food safety system, as well as to help small producers and processors promote their products to grocers.

Under the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program, the CFIG received $284,700 to teach storeowners and managers how to implement a new Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)-based food safety system in stores.

The food safety system is one part of a Canadian Retail Food Safety Program being developed jointly by the federation and the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors (CCGD) with $1.2 million in total funding over the past three years from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Additionally, the CFIG received $75,000 under the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) Program to create the "Destination Canada" pavilion for the Grocery Innovations Canada 2007 show, which was held earlier this week in Toronto. The pavilion gave 28 small producers and processors the chance to network and display their products to food retailers from across Canada during the two-day event.

"The Food Safety Program will be of great assistance as retailers augment their existing superb food safety standards," said CFIG president and c.e.o. John Scott. "The Destination Canada pavilion [built] on the desire of consumers to purchase locally produced goods in retail stores in this country."
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