New Partnership Sets The Stage For Canada’s Food Island
July 23rd, 2015
A new industry-led, government-supported partnership will engage primary industries, food producers, culinary experts and research institutions to expand food exports, create new products and cement Prince Edward Island’s reputation as a world-class producer of food and leading culinary destination.
Government support for the Food Island Partnership was announced July 23 by Premier Wade MacLauchlan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz and Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea (on behalf of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency).
PEI has a food brand that is well recognized and growing. The Food Island Partnership will leverage this brand recognition to the benefit of the provincial food industry. It will also work to encourage more entrepreneurs to enter the food business and more existing companies to diversify their product range with assistance from research and development institutions like BioFoodTech and Canada’s Smartest Kitchen.
The Food Island Partnership merges the former PEI Culinary Alliance and PEI Agri-Alliance. The key function of the new organization will be to work collaboratively with government to implement a Food Strategy.
Over the next three years governments will provide over $1.6 million to support the partnership’s annual cost. Approximately $900,000 will come from the Canada-PEI Growing Forward 2 Agreement, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is providing $487,950, and the remainder will come from the province.
Food Island Partnership Chair John Rowe said, “This partnership model will be key for the food industry to grow and attract new investment. Together with our partners, we will work to create a climate that allows entrepreneurs to start new food companies, our companies to develop new products and our products to find new markets. Branding Prince Edward Island as Canada’s Food Island will help us do that”