The federal government has pledged $925,000 in development funding for new, novel dairy products such as cheeses and cheese alternatives with functional food characteristics.
“This project will not only lead to a more competitive dairy industry, but provide Canadian consumers with a greater variety of healthier foods, such as different varieties of cheeses,” said Ontario MP Dave MacKenzie in a release Wednesday.
The project is to be co-ordinated by Thornloe Foods, a New Liskeard, Ont. cheese factory owned by genetics firm Gencor. The Ontario dairy genetics co-op bought the cheesemaker from Parmalat in January last year.
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“Functional foods” refers to foods designed to provide additional health benefit beyond basic nutrition, such as probiotic-fortified yogurt.
Kim Turnbull, chair of the Agricultural Adaptation Council, said in the federal release that the project will not only help explore and evaluate opportunities for developing new products, but it will also give producers the chance to be involved in “an integrated value chain with the production and processing of milk directly through to the consumer.”
The federal funding for the project is to flow through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program.
