Consumers today are demanding more local food due to concerns of the environmental impact of food miles and food security being at the forefront of society. Ontario wheat will meet these needs through the production of a high quality product that reduces the distance of food travel, is fully traceable and ensures returns to the local economy.

Ontario wheat producers have worked hard over the last ten years to develop varieties of wheat to meet local bakery needs. Studies done over the last three years at the Canadian International Grains Institute have supported that many Ontario HRS and HRW varieties are direct substitutes for western   hard red spring and others will suit bakery applications with minimal equipment and technique adjustment.

The Ontario Wheat Innovation Support Fund
Under the new Innovation Support Fund, funding is available to companies for developing new and re-formulated Ontario wheat-based products which have the potential to expand the market for Ontario wheat.

The Fund will also provide financial support and expertise in the areas of product analysis, pilot scale trials and packaging techniques. Projects which satisfy the eligibility criteria established for this Fund can expect to receive up to 75 percent of the cost of the project, to a maximum of $25,000.

A company is eligible to receive funding support if it is a wheat based product manufacturer, based in Ontario, in the business of making food products with wheat flour as 50% or more of the total ingredient mix by volume.

To qualify for partnership with the OWPMB to receive monetary support under this fund, a company must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the OWPMB, that it can meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Incorporate Ontario wheat flour in a finished product formulation in replacement of other sources of
  wheat flour to the point where Ontario ingredients in the finished product are greater than 80%
• Develop a new finished product formulation using Ontario wheat flour as 50% or more of the total ingredient mix by volume and where the entire ingredient mix is a minimum of 80% Ontario product

If you are a bakery in Ontario that is interested in this fund, please contact the OWPMB:

Claire Cowan
Communications Coordinator
Claire.cowan@ontariowheatboard.com
519-767-6537