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Food Bulletin

New Online Forum Opportunities for EMC Food & Beverage Sector Network

Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) is introducing Food & Beverage Internet Forums to help food sector processors and manufacturers share expertise, experiences, suggestions and best practices.

There are currently three active forums open and available to members. Participating companies first need to register for online access. Once registered, members can also subscribe to news, blogs and forum items, and receive personal notifications of new content and updated commentary.

For more information or to take part in one of these forums, please contact Bren McKeachnie at bmckeachnie@emccanada.org or visit www.emccanada.org/forums.

New Project to Boost Sustainable Performance of Food & Beverage Processing Sector

A new initiative is under way to help Ontario-based food and beverage manufacturers adopt more environmentally sustainable business practices over the long term.

Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), Guelph Food Technology Centre (GFTC) and the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA) have joined forces to produce a sustainability framework and tools to help the food and beverage processing sector - particularly small and medium-sized (SME) companies - improve environmental performance.

The project will be implemented in phases over three years:

• Phase 1 will benchmark the superior sustainable performance of leading global companies in the food and beverage sector and develop a comprehensive, customized "how to" framework to guide SME food and beverage processors as they integrate sustainability aspects into their business operations.
• Phase 2 will involve pilot testing the framework and tools (developed in Phase 1) with SME food and beverage companies in Ontario.
• Phase 3 will transfer the pilot program platform across the entire food and beverage sector in Ontario.

Ultimately, the project could help food and beverage processors across Canada become more environmentally sustainable.

The first phase of the project is funded in part through the Food and Beverage Industry Innovation Fund (FBIIF) developed by the Alliance of Ontario Food Processors. FBIIF was jointly funded by OMAFRA and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Agricultural Adaptation Council administers the FBIIF, which encourages investment in new, innovative processes, products, and skills development.

Other organizations providing funding support and resources for the project include the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) and the City of Toronto.