PROGRAM UPDATE: COVID-19 FUNDING NOW AVAILABLE FOR BC FARMERS

In response to the COVID-19 situation and the increased need for safety precautions for the agri-food sector, the On-Farm Food Safety Program (OFFS) is offering COVID-19 funding for April 2020 – March 2021. Eligible companies can seek funding to acquire Personal Protective Equipment and other approved safety supplies for use at their facilities, in order to maintain a safe workplace and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. Please review the new COVID-19 Resource page for more information and further statements from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or click here to go directly to the application.

Click here for more Covid-19 information

$10,000 available to establish or enhance food safety in your British Columbia (BC) On-Farm businesses.

The On-Farm Food Safety (OFFS) Program provides up to $10,000 in funding to a diverse range of eligible BC on-farm businesses such as farmers, producers, packers, and ranchers, leading toward the implementation of food safety activities.

APPLY NOW
apply now

We encourage all eligible businesses, no matter where you are on the food safety spectrum, to apply for program funding!

DOWNLOAD
Download the program booklet

To achieve a world-class level of food safety, British Columbia (BC) agri-food businesses are taking part in the On-Farm Food Safety Program. This cost-sharing initiative provides a business with up to $10,000 in funding for food safety activities.

The funding assists you to:
(1) Identify and document risks through food safety gap-assessment (or pre-audits) to improve your food safety capacity;
(2) Proactively mitigate the risks identified through adoption of Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) or Best Practices (BPs)
(3) Achieve a third-party On-Farm Food Safety System (OFFS) or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety certifications through nationally and internationally recognized food safety accreditation bodies.
The opportunities are endless!

The program is administered by Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC) and funded through Canada Agricultural Partnership (CAP), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Easy Application Process

Improve the food safety practices and systems across the BC agri-food sector

Enable on-farm businesses to meet the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations requirements

Achieve third-party OFFS or HACCP food safety certifications through nationally/internationally recognized third party food safety certifying bodies

Enhance the BC agri-food sector’s capacity to keep building consumer trust and to increase profitability by accessing new domestic and international trade markets.

Program Goals

Our overall goal is to ensure foods processed in BC are the safest across the country and the world. In particular:

Increase implementation of food safety practices and systems across the BC agri-food sector;

Ensure on-farm businesses to meet the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations requirements;

Achieve third-party HACCP based food safety certifications through nationally/internationally recognized third party food safety certifying bodies;

Ensure foods processed in BC are among the safest both nationally and internationally;

Foster a food safety culture in BC by providing cost-shared funding to eligible agri-food businesses to conduct Food Safety Assessments;

Support the repositioning of BC’s agri-food industry to respond to future opportunities and to realize its full potential to adapt, compete, and access new markets, thereby becoming a significant contributor to BC’s economy;

Enhance the BC agri-food sector’s capacity to keep building consumer trust and to increase profitability by accessing new domestic and international trade markets;

Encourage the adoption and implementation of GAPs, BPs, and recognized HACCP food safety practices in these operations;

Improve the capacity of agri-food businesses to address current issues and to meet emerging national and international food safety requirements;

Identify and document risks, issues, and opportunities to improve food safety capacity, systems, and practices; and

Provide access to training to increase the food safety expertise of BC food industry personnel.