Ontario Celebrates 2022 Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards

May 26, 2023

Mount Forest – The Government of Ontario is recognizing 61 grocery stores across the province for their innovative promotion of fresh Ontario food as part of the 2022 Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards program.

“Congratulations to this year’s winners and to everyone who sent in a submission. These efforts in showcasing products grown here in Ontario are a staple in driving awareness of our agri-food sector,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Buying Ontario grown and produced products directly supports our farmers, processors and other businesses across our food supply chain and helps create jobs, strengthen communities and our provincial economy.”

For more than 35 years, the Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards have celebrated the dedication and creativity expressed by grocery stores across the province for their unique and innovative displays that promote locally grown food. Between June and July, awards will be presented to winning grocery stores to honour the efforts of staff and produce managers to promote all the good things that grow in Ontario.

“Promoting Ontario food is critical to supporting our farm families, processors and entire agri-food value chain,” said Matthew Rae, MPP for Perth-Wellington. “The Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards celebrate the best of the best in the promotion of these products, and the Mount Forest location has provided top tier delivery of this initiative when it comes to showcasing Ontario grown products and encouraging consumer awareness.”

As part of this annual program, retailers can enter their displays that promote locally grown and in-season fruits and vegetables into four categories. The annual Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards are the produce industry’s premier competition for excellence in retail display and promotion in support of local Ontario foods.

“We know our customers love local. When we/our team puts the effort into building displays featuring local products it makes our customers happy in their purchase knowing they are supporting local farmers,” said Luigi and Kim Catalano, owners of Foodland – Mount Forest. “We put the effort into creating these displays because we want to support our community and showcase the amazing products our local farms grow. In turn, it builds a sense of contribution among our staff. Along with our entire staff at the Mount Forest Foodland, we would like to thank and congratulate our outstanding produce team.”

Source : News Ontario

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?