Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives

The wealth of primary products grown in Manitoba makes the province a potential gold mine in the value-added agri-food industry and the Food Development Centre (FDC) is helping farmers find and develop new economic opportunities.

Manitoba farmers know how important diversification is to a successful agriculture operation and many are already expanding their businesses by adding value to crops and livestock. FDC, located in Portage la Prairie, has been supporting farmers in diversifying and adding product value since 1978, allowing many to move into the agri-food and nutraceutical sectors.

"Over the past 10 years, more and more primary producers are coming to us with innovative food processing projects," says FDC manager Pat Scott. "FDC has evolved with the global agriculture industry and we continue to expand and renovate the centre to help clients develop food, beverages, feed products, ingredients and processes using their own primary products."

FDC staff work directly with farmers to identify value-added market opportunities and help weed out potentially unsuccessful ideas. The creativity and variety of projects, Scott says, are very exciting. As examples, she points out some current projects that include a bison producer interested in manufacturing a niche market version of beef jerky; an echinacea producer and an elk farmer developing nutraceutical products; a flax producer looking to extract oil for the specialty ingredient market; and a vegetable producer keen on producing a juice product in Tetra PakTM packaging. The centre is also working with clients in Northern Manitoba to develop products from raw materials found there.

"We have a large number of successes," Scott says, "and with the new Growing Opportunities programs (part of Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives' reorganization) we're going to be providing additional support to our clients in the next stages of the food chain."

FDC is an industry phenomenon in Canada because of the number of commodities it is federally licensed to process. Along with its provincial licenses for dairy, organic and elk processing, FDC's new pilot plant (which is just being completed) will be federally registered to process meat, fruit, vegetables, honey, fish, seafood and industrial hemp.

The superbly equipped pilot plant offers producers a cost-efficient opportunity to use sophisticated technology and information to create a commercially saleable product from the concept stage. Clients rely on the skills, training and experience of FDC staff to help manage the technical and regulatory issues of developing a product.



FDC staff also help clients, who may want to export south of the border, by providing a facility that is approved under the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program for food safety and by providing consulting services to clients who are seeking HACCP approval for their facilities.

The dynamic evolution of international trade, food production and market demand has had a significant impact on the way Manitoba producers operate their farming businesses. Manitoba Starch is a fine example of how a primary producer has successfully diversified. The Carberry company makes starch from local raw materials and sells it for use in food, cardboard and other industrial products. Until recently, the owners of Manitoba Starch were veteran potato producers supplying raw product for McDonald's french fries.

FDC has a long history of working with entrepreneurs, food processors and farmers to develop commercial products and enhance food processing. "With the shift in the agricultural industry towards diversification and adding value to commodities," Scott says, "the mandate of FDC has become much more relevant to producers. The value-added food processing industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Manitoba."