2003 Managing Excellence in Agriculture Conference
Food
Development Centre, Portage la Prairie
Visitors
first dropped in on the Food Development Centre
in Portage la Prairie where you can have your idea
for a new food product or processing technique developed
and tested.
First of its kind in
Canada
Opened in 1979 with support from Manitoba Agriculture
and Food, the non-profit Centre was the first
of its kind in Canada, helping local farm producers
transform their ideas into market winners.
Value-Added Products
Shown here is Alok Anand, the Centre's Process
Development Consultant, walking visitors through
the Centre's production facility.
Success stories have included a honey dill sauce,
home-based pickles, pizza crust, tofu products
and a wide range of other value-added products.
How the Centre Works
Initial consultation with the Centre is free.
After that, clients pay an hourly rate (of about
$30 to $90) to have their ideas studied. The Centre
concentrates on food engineering, process development,
testing and nutritional labelling but also connects
entrepreneurs to other consultants and services
to assist them in launching their business.
To help entrepreneurs reduce their costs, the
Centre has the equipment and staff to produce
products on-site. Expansion plans include snack
food processing and taking ideas from prototype
to final packaging.
Web Site:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/fdc
Toll-Free: 1-800-870-1044
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Product
Development Consultant Leslie Hudson
shows visitors the Centre's home kitchen.
Here, products are tested for thickness,
colour and the need for preservatives.
Why a home kitchen? Because many smaller
clients will be producing their products,
at least intially, in their own homes
and the Centre wants to ensure the typical
kitchen can do the job.
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