Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Member of Parliament Joe Preston (Elgin-Middlesex-London) recently announced an investment of more than $750,000 to help the Canadian Horticulture Council develop a national on-farm food safety system that will strengthen the horticulture industry and help them show how safe their products are on the world stage.

“Horticulture producers can be proud of their long standing history of producing safe, high-quality produce for Canadians and consumers world-wide,” said Minister Ritz. “This investment will further increase consumer confidence in the safety and quality of Canadian produce and will help growers boost their competitive edge in the marketplace.”

The Canadian Horticulture Council will use this funding to complete its On-Farm Food Safety System for the horticulture sector. Currently, the CHC is making the food safety program available for implementation by horticulture producers across Canada. 

“Growers here in Ontario and across Canada understand the importance of healthy food when it comes to maintaining a healthy business,” said MP Preston.

"The … assistance has made it possible for the Canadian Horticultural Council to develop a technically sound and effective on-farm food safety system for Canada’s fruit and vegetable producers," said Andy Vermeulen, CHC president. "The CanadaGAP program is a clear example of the Canadian Government’s commitment to helping farmers achieve their goals of safe production and market access."

Agriculture is a core economic driver in Canada, which is why in addition to Canada’s Economic Action plan, Canada is making these types of investments through Growing Forward. This federal investment is being delivered through the Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative (CIFSI) which helps organizations develop national, government-recognized on-farm and/or post-farm HACCP or HACCP-based food safety systems.

To find out more about this initiative, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/cifsi.