Pick Ontario Freshness

The Pick Ontario Freshness marketing strategy focuses on building awareness of and demand for the fresh, high-quality foods grown and produced in Ontario. This strategy encourages consumers to purchase Ontario foods in grocery stores, farmers' markets and restaurants across the province.

Everyone can participate in the Pick Ontario Freshness strategy - from the restaurant industry to agri-food producers, grocery stores and consumers - we all have a role to play in selecting and promoting Ontario foods.

The strategy includes:

A consumer awareness advertising campaign designed to increase interest and demand for fresh, high-quality Ontario foods;
An expansion of the Foodland Ontario program to include deli, fresh meats, dairy, baked goods, as well as fruits and vegetables, building to identify more products in store and in farmers' markets;
Boosting the Savour Ontario dining program to promote Ontario foods in fine and vacation dining establishments, presented in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ontario Tourism and Marketing Corporation.
Developing economic opportunities through the Ontario Market Investment Fund (OMIF), a four-year, $12 million provincial initiative to promote consumer awareness of Ontario-produced foods and encourage Ontarians to buy locally. OMIF will foster partnerships and collaboration for the promotion of Ontario foods through trade events, marketing campaigns and industry research initiatives.

Pick Ontario Freshness is designed as an umbrella campaign that drives consumer demand and interest in ALL Ontario food promotions. Examples include Ontario Corn-Fed Beef, Savour Muskoka and Homegrown Ontario Meats.

Research Driven Approach

Gaining consumer insights into purchase decision making has been a cornerstone of the Pick Ontario Freshness strategy. We examined the opportunities and challenges in the branding of Ontario foods in both retail and foodservice settings, to better understand how Ontario consumers select food and the role point of origin plays in the purchase decision.

Research findings are drawn from:

In-store shopper walks and in-restaurant interviews contributed insights reflected in the quantitative survey.
Internet survey of over 1500 principal grocery shoppers and dining decision-makers regarding key factors considered in selecting food, the role of point of origin in selecting food and specific reasons for purchasing Ontario foods.
Series of forums with industry representatives to obtain their feedback on the research results and their recommendations regarding next steps.

In-Store Consumer Research

Single most important consideration is freshness, with 73% of shoppers ranking as number one, followed by guaranteed safety (60%) and price (43%).

Reasons for buying Ontario produced or processed foods include:

Support for Ontario farmers (63%)
Support economy and businesses (63%)
Freshness of the food (49%)
Foodland Ontario logo recognized by 84% of respondents in quantitative survey.
Foodland Ontario identified as the best in-store brand for any retail promotion

In- Restaurant Consumer Research

Most important consideration when selection a menu item:

Price/Value (27%)
Taste/Flavour (21%)
Quality of Food/Freshness/Cleanliness (17%)
When dining out 25% demonstrated a preference for local foods; however, when on vacation the preference for local foods increased to 64%.
In fine/vacation dining, Ontario identifiers on menu (Ontario, regional or farm specific) did show positive impacts with consumers.
Typically, consumers were more likely to select items when they were identified as from Ontario.
The number one reason for interest in Ontario references on menu was freshness of food (33%).