B.C. producers, food processors and seafood businesses can now receive funding to help improve product tracing, meet consumer demands for greater transparency and protect public health.
The Traceability Adoption Program (TAP) helps producers and processors track product movement and makes it easier for them to expand their sales opportunities. Through the program, they can purchase and install software and hardware, such as databases, bar code readers, label printers and other devices that help make product tracing more efficient and reliable. They can also hire experts who can support their businesses to effectively implement traceability systems in their facilities.
For example, support is available for B.C. producers and food processors to purchase equipment to move from manual labelling to computer-generated printed labelling. This upgrade can help improve efficiency during the packaging process, reduce labour time on labelling and increase the confidence of quality control and recall procedures.
B.C. ranchers and abattoirs can purchase and install approved radio frequency identification (known as RFID) tag readers that track movement of animal and other food products wherever they may be in the supply chain to help reduce administrative burden and streamline livestock operations.
The funding is made available through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year (April 1, 2023, until March 31, 2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation and resiliency of the agriculture, agrifood and agriculture‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities that are funded 60% federally and 40% provincially or territorially.
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