record breaking numbers - Ontario Independent Meat Processors
record breaking numbers - Ontario Independent Meat Processors
record breaking numbers - Ontario Independent Meat Processors
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Keeping <strong>Ontario</strong>’s <strong>Meat</strong> and Poultry Industry Informed<br />
January/February, 2011 | Vol. 17, Issue 1<br />
RECORD BREAKING<br />
NUMBERS<br />
What a busy Monday! Th e <strong>Ontario</strong> Finest <strong>Meat</strong><br />
Competition registration closed on Monday,<br />
January 17, and by 4:30 p.m. we had received<br />
entries from member companies representing<br />
a total of 149 products.<br />
Th e exuberant OIMP team hit the ground<br />
running, following up with participating<br />
companies to ensure they knew the rules<br />
of the competition and how to arrange for<br />
their product to be picked up by our offi cial<br />
competition carrier, Erb Transport. A new<br />
team of judges had to be secured to handle<br />
the sheer volume of entries, the competition<br />
day product prep team had to be briefed, and<br />
refrigeration, tables and chairs, linens, and<br />
refreshment logistics all had to be fi nalized.<br />
Two days before the judging, the product<br />
arrived at Erb’s refrigerated warehouse and<br />
was sorted and tagged by the OIMP team,<br />
ready to be taken to the competition judging<br />
venue.<br />
Th e product judging was located at Geoff<br />
George’s Photography Studio in Toronto. An<br />
easy spot to get to, with accessible parking in<br />
the back, the studio was ideal in that it had one<br />
room for the judges, a separate storage room,<br />
MEAT & FOOD PROCESSING EXPO<br />
From the latest in processing equipment to<br />
sound business advice, the 2011 <strong>Meat</strong> and<br />
Food Processing Expo has everything you<br />
need in one location. View our diverse list of<br />
exhibitors at www.foodindustryexpo.ca.<br />
Register online before March 3 to save $10<br />
off your admission. Th e Expo is held in<br />
conjunction with the OIMP 31st Annual<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Finest <strong>Meat</strong> Competition Judge from left to right. Back: Paul Finkelstein, Jennifer Bain, Jacqui Knipfel,<br />
Michael Gionfriddo, Nadine Hughes. Middle: Jason Garforth, Annebelle Waugh, Rita DeMontis. Front: Emily<br />
Richards, Ivy Knight, Kathryn Blais, and Signe Langford.<br />
and one room for all the behind the scenes<br />
staff . A team of four culinary professionals<br />
prepared each product category for the judges<br />
to see, smell and sample; a team of two were<br />
ensconced at a table with adding machines<br />
at the ready – responsible for entering and<br />
double-checking the scores; a videography<br />
team interviewed judges and OIMP staff and<br />
<strong>record</strong>ed the proceedings.<br />
25,000 sq. ft. of solutions for your processing business.<br />
Conference – Th e <strong>Meat</strong>ing Place. To register<br />
for the Expo and Conference together, use the<br />
enclosed <strong>Meat</strong>ing Place registration form or<br />
download it at www.oimp.ca.<br />
Watch your mail in the coming days for the<br />
Offi cial Show Guide.<br />
Th e judges – representing a truly impressive<br />
collection of experience – arrived one by one.<br />
Sobeys, Starsky’s, Michael Angelo’s and L&M<br />
Food Group were represented on the retailers’<br />
side. Chefs and national and local food media<br />
personalities from newspaper, magazines, and<br />
the Food Network, added their expertise to the<br />
judging panel.<br />
SHOW HOURS<br />
NEW – Extended Hours in 2011 for a<br />
total of 15 hours of exhibit time.<br />
Fri., March 4, 2011: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.<br />
Sat., March 5, 2011: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.<br />
International Centre (Hall 6)<br />
6900 Airport Road, Mississauga<br />
Continued on Page 27
[ President’s Message ]<br />
REFLECTIONS AS OIMP PRESIDENT<br />
As I will not<br />
be seeking reelection<br />
for a third<br />
term, I would<br />
like to use my<br />
final President’s<br />
Message to thank<br />
our members for<br />
the privilege of<br />
representing you<br />
and our association. I would like to express<br />
my sincere appreciation to my fellow Board<br />
members for their encouragement and for<br />
the incredible support I receive from our<br />
staff. I must also thank my family members<br />
and staff at Holly Park for the support that<br />
has enabled me to volunteer my time on<br />
behalf of the members and the industry.<br />
My years on the OIMP Board have been<br />
personally and professionally fulfilling. I<br />
have developed and fostered many new<br />
relationships within our industry and<br />
government. I have learned a great deal<br />
about the perseverance required to bring<br />
[ Executive Director Report ]<br />
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER<br />
Sir Francis<br />
Bacon coined<br />
the phrase<br />
“Knowledge is<br />
power” in 1597.<br />
Four centuries<br />
later, the wise<br />
words of a man<br />
with a surname<br />
dear to our hearts<br />
still hold true for those who successfully<br />
navigate the complexities of our ever<br />
changing world. Information sharing is<br />
paramount in the acquisition of knowledge,<br />
so we developed a comprehensive strategy<br />
to share timely, relevant information with<br />
our members.<br />
The oimp.ca website remains your primary<br />
resource; it is updated regularly with new<br />
funding and industry announcements<br />
and offers archived OMAFRA documents<br />
including <strong>Meat</strong> Plant Guidelines. This<br />
BLOCKtalk issue features a wealth of<br />
information in a new reader-friendly<br />
2 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
about change for our industry, and I am truly<br />
proud of our association’s accomplishments.<br />
There have been many challenges in recent<br />
years, and I am personally grateful to have<br />
had a strong organization supporting me<br />
and my business.<br />
Our association is only as good as we the<br />
members make it. We must commit to<br />
remaining informed and engaged, and<br />
sometimes this means simply slowing<br />
down long enough to take advantage of the<br />
information and programs available to us.<br />
The 2011 <strong>Meat</strong>ing Place is only a few weeks<br />
away, and I look forward to joining you in<br />
celebrating our accomplishments at the<br />
Awards Gala.<br />
Together, we’re stronger.<br />
Tony Facciolo<br />
OIMP President<br />
layout. Update will continue to arrive in<br />
your inbox the last Friday of every month<br />
(contact the office to confirm your current<br />
email address and make sure your spam<br />
filter allows email from OIMP). Our<br />
interactive workshops are held the third<br />
Wednesday of the month. We have put<br />
together an outstanding 2011 schedule with<br />
topics that give you the knowledge to help<br />
your business succeed. I encourage you to<br />
post the enclosed three month calendar for<br />
others in your company to see. We will be<br />
implementing registration deadlines, as we<br />
need a minimum number of participants to<br />
cover our overhead costs.<br />
We remain committed to building an<br />
engaged and informed membership with<br />
the power to ensure a prosperous future for<br />
our industry.<br />
Laurie Nicol<br />
Executive Director<br />
January/February 2011 | Vol. 17, Issue 1<br />
Administration<br />
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Laurie Nicol<br />
laurie.nicol@oimp.ca<br />
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR | David St. Louis<br />
d.stlouis@oimp.ca<br />
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR | Dave Tiller<br />
technical@oimp.ca<br />
EXTENSION SPECIALIST | Clive Kingsbury<br />
extension@oimp.ca<br />
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR | Janet Wellwood<br />
info@oimp.ca<br />
PROJECT COORDINATOR | Nikki Stager<br />
mpas@oimp.ca<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> <strong>Independent</strong> <strong>Meat</strong> <strong>Processors</strong> Association<br />
7660 Mill Road, RR4,<br />
Guelph, <strong>Ontario</strong> N1H 6J1<br />
Tel: 519-763-4558<br />
Fax: 519-763-4164<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
news@oimp.ca<br />
BLOCKtalk is the official publication of the OIMP,<br />
distributed to over 300 OIMP members, commodity<br />
groups, and others throughout the industry, providing<br />
excellent advertising opportunities for suppliers of the<br />
meat and poultry industry to promote their newest, most<br />
innovative, supplies, equipment, and technology.<br />
BLOCKtalk encourages Associate Members and<br />
supporters of the industry to submit articles, which would<br />
be beneficial to our members.<br />
BLOCKtalk ads must be sent electronically and properly<br />
sized high resolution (300 dpi) in either a .jpg, .tiff, or<br />
.PDF format.<br />
PUBLICATION ADVERTISING DEADLINE<br />
January/February February 1<br />
March/April April 1<br />
May/June June 1<br />
July/August August 1<br />
September/October October 1<br />
November/December December 1<br />
The information published in BLOCKtalk is compiled<br />
from a variety of sources, which we believe to be<br />
reliable; however, OIMP does not guarantee, and<br />
assumes no responsibility for, the correctness of the<br />
information.<br />
Keep Us Informed<br />
Your input is essential to produce the best newsletter<br />
possible! If you know of a newsworthy person or event,<br />
please contact us.<br />
Tel: 519-763-4558<br />
Toll: 1-800-263-3797<br />
Fax: 519-763-4164<br />
Email: news@oimp.ca<br />
www.oimp.ca
Board of Directors<br />
PRESIDENT | Tony Facciolo<br />
Holly Park <strong>Meat</strong> Packers<br />
PAST PRESIDENT | Tim Schinkel<br />
Schinkel’s Legacy<br />
VICE PRESIDENT | Joe Abate<br />
Abate Rabbit Packers<br />
SECRETARY/TREASURER | Walter Mueller Jr.<br />
Springer’s <strong>Meat</strong>s Inc.<br />
ASSOCIATE<br />
REPRESENTATIVE | Doris Valade<br />
Malabar Super Spice Co.<br />
DIRECTORS<br />
Chet Calhoun<br />
West Grey Premium Beef<br />
Betty Dikeos<br />
D & D Poultry<br />
Robert Giguere<br />
T & R Sargent Farms<br />
Richard Halenda<br />
Halenda’s Fine Foods<br />
Luis Pavao<br />
Salsicharia Pavao<br />
Cory Van Groningen<br />
VG <strong>Meat</strong>s<br />
OIMP Vision<br />
Provide leadership for <strong>Ontario</strong>’s meat and poultry<br />
industry by fostering innovation, promoting food<br />
safety and integrity and recognizing excellence.<br />
OIMP Mission<br />
Strengthen <strong>Ontario</strong>’s meat and poultry industry by<br />
working with stakeholders, responding to challenges<br />
and identifying opportunities on behalf of the<br />
membership.<br />
OIMP Core Strategies<br />
• Member Relations<br />
• Industry and Government Relations<br />
• Industry Development<br />
• Market Development<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
2 President’s Message<br />
2 Executive Director Report<br />
4 Member Relations<br />
9 Industry Development<br />
9 OIMP Technical Talk<br />
By Dave Tiller, OIMP Technical<br />
Director<br />
11 Planning For Your<br />
Future - Safely!<br />
By Doug Johnson, Health and Safety<br />
Consultant<br />
13 Workshops<br />
• Scientific Research (SR)&<br />
Experiment Development (ED)<br />
and Tax Benefits<br />
• Paper Work in Plants<br />
15 Industry Relations<br />
Alliance of <strong>Ontario</strong> Food <strong>Processors</strong><br />
16 Featured Member<br />
• Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers<br />
• FCC Agribusiness and Agri-Food<br />
27<br />
6<br />
[ Index ]<br />
18 Government Relations<br />
18 Record Keeping and<br />
Food Safety<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Ministry of Agriculture,<br />
Food and Rural Affairs<br />
19 Funding Programs<br />
20 Government News<br />
22 Industry News<br />
26 Commodity Partners<br />
Featuring <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork<br />
27 Market Development<br />
29 Featured Recipe<br />
• Braised <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork with Creamy<br />
Polenta<br />
30 Advertiser Index<br />
31 Classified<br />
9<br />
25<br />
15<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 3
[ Member Relations]<br />
TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER - WELCOME TO THE ASSOCIATION<br />
Building an informed and engaged membership representing a diverse <strong>Ontario</strong> meat and<br />
poultry industry<br />
Business Members<br />
KATZ’S DELI and CORNED BEEF EMPORIUM<br />
A provincially licensed free standing meat processor. They process<br />
BBQ hog, beef, and turkey deli-mixed products. Established in<br />
1970, this 265 seat New York Style Delicatessen also provides<br />
product to the Food Service sector.<br />
Jeffrey Dorfman: Director of Operations<br />
3300 Dufferin Street<br />
Toronto, ON M6A 2T5<br />
Tel: 416-782-1111<br />
PEEL SAUSAGE INC.<br />
A provincially licensed slaughter plant, specializing in Halal. Their<br />
product line includes beef, goat, lamb, and veal. In business since<br />
1991, Peel Sausage provides a custom kill service and the delivery<br />
of beef quarters and lamb to the wholesale market<br />
LeRoy B. Martin: Owner<br />
7860 6th Line, RR 2<br />
Drayton, ON N0G 1P0<br />
Tel: 519-638-3444<br />
PROVEAL<br />
A federally registered establishment, launched in 1995 as a division<br />
of Delft Blue. They do further processing and provide raw and fully<br />
cooked beef, pork, and veal products to the retail, food service, and<br />
export markets.<br />
Johan Van Baars: Plant Manager<br />
251 Nipissing Road<br />
Milton, ON L9T 4Z5<br />
Tel: 905-693-8976<br />
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH – MEAT LAB<br />
A federally registered facility, slaughtering beef, lamb, and veal.<br />
Since 1970, the university has provided the means for teaching and<br />
research in all aspects of meat science and also provide a service<br />
facility for the various departments of the University needing to<br />
harvest tissue or organ samples for research programs.<br />
Brian McDougall: Manager<br />
491 Gordon Street,<br />
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1<br />
Tel: 519-824-4120 ext 53672<br />
4 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
Associate Members<br />
ILLUMITI ONE INC.<br />
Founded in 2000, is a gold level reseller of SAP All-in-One and<br />
SAP Business One software. Both have industry solutions for the<br />
meat processing industry, including lot tracking and full product<br />
costing.<br />
Bruce Hazell: Business Development<br />
45 Vogell Road, Suite 101<br />
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P9<br />
Tel: 905-737-1066 ext 2015<br />
Email: bhazell@illumiti.com<br />
Web: www.illumiti.com<br />
Member Directories<br />
For a Complete list of OIMP Associate and Business members<br />
please visit www.oimp.ca<br />
Together We’re Stronger<br />
Business Members - 196<br />
Associate Members - 68<br />
Affiliate Members - 7<br />
Contact the office and ask how you can help increase our voice<br />
in the industry. If you require membership literature, please let us<br />
know.<br />
Member Help line: 1-800-263-3797<br />
info@oimp.ca<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
31 st Annual Conference<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> <strong>Independent</strong> <strong>Meat</strong> <strong>Processors</strong> Association<br />
NOTICE OF<br />
Annual General Meeting<br />
SUNDAY MARCH 6, 2011<br />
9:00 - 10:30 a.m.<br />
Doubletree by Hilton – Toronto Airport<br />
655 Dixon Road, Toronto, <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
1. President's Message<br />
2. Approval of Agenda<br />
3. Minutes of 2010 AGM<br />
4. Treasurer's Report<br />
- 2010 Audited<br />
Financial Statements<br />
5. Executive Director’s<br />
Report – 2011-2013<br />
Strategic Plan<br />
6. Other Business<br />
7. Election of Directors<br />
8. New Business<br />
9. Adjournment<br />
www.oimp.ca
OIMP Long Time Members<br />
Thank you to our long time members who have been helping move<br />
the industry forward for over 25 years.<br />
• Millgrove Packers, Waterdown - Member since 1980<br />
• <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork, Guelph - Member since 1980<br />
• Gord’s Abattoir, Leamington - Member since 1982<br />
• Rudolph’s Fine <strong>Meat</strong>s, Sudbury - Member since 1982<br />
OIMP Lifetime Members<br />
OIMP presents the prestigious Lifetime Membership Award to<br />
individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the<br />
Association and <strong>Ontario</strong>’s meat and poultry industry.<br />
• Ron Deeth (1995) • Leo Rocheleau (2001)<br />
• Dr. Ron Usborne (1996) • Gerry Houtzager (2003)<br />
• Nancy Ackert (1997) • Pat Johnson (2005)<br />
• Jim Vidoczy (2000)<br />
<strong>Meat</strong> Industry Achievement Award (MIA) Recipients<br />
• 2007 - Leo Rocheleau, Maidstone<br />
• 2008 - Stemmler’s <strong>Meat</strong> & Cheese, Heidelberg<br />
• 2009 - VG <strong>Meat</strong>, Simcoe<br />
• 2010 - Springer’s <strong>Meat</strong>s, Hamilton<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
[ Member Relations]<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 5
[ Member Relations]<br />
OIMP 31 ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE - THE MEATING PLACE<br />
Doubletree by Hilton - Toronto Airport, 655 Dixon Road, Toronto<br />
The <strong>Meat</strong>ing Place<br />
With networking opportunities, food, friends and a celebration of<br />
our individual and collective accomplishments, this year’s <strong>Meat</strong>ing<br />
Place promises the perfect mix of business and pleasure.<br />
The <strong>Meat</strong>ing Place kicks off Friday night with the Meet the Members<br />
Reception in the Doubletree’s Orchid Café, where we will gather<br />
after the Expo to mingle with fellow members and friends in the<br />
processing industry.<br />
Saturday evening, the<br />
festivities continue with a<br />
reception followed by our<br />
Awards Banquet and Gala,<br />
emceed by Tanya Prokomenko,<br />
co-host of Real Life with Sharon<br />
Caddy on CTS Television. Join<br />
us as we crown the winners<br />
of the 2011 <strong>Ontario</strong> Finest<br />
<strong>Meat</strong> Competition, recognize<br />
our members’ achievements<br />
and engage in a little friendly<br />
competition during our Silent<br />
and Live Auctions.<br />
The <strong>Meat</strong>ing Place continues<br />
Sunday with breakfast at our<br />
Annual General Meeting, where we will elect the 2011-2013 OIMP<br />
Board of Directors.<br />
Leading @ the Speed of Change<br />
“Leading is easy when things are smooth. It’s when the going gets<br />
tough that our leadership is truly tested — and most needed. How<br />
we respond — as Leaders, Followers, or Wallowers — determines<br />
Special thanks to our 31st Annual Conference & Expo Sponsors<br />
6 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
our personal effectiveness and<br />
organizational culture.”<br />
We are excited to announce<br />
that renowned author, speaker<br />
and retreat/workshop leader<br />
Jim Clemmer will be joining us<br />
following the Annual General<br />
Meeting for an interactive<br />
motivational presentation. Jim<br />
will provide tools, techniques and<br />
approaches to help us respond<br />
to change and create “leaderful”<br />
teams to lift everyone within our<br />
organizations to higher performance.<br />
Register Today<br />
Please fax the enclosed registration form to 519-763-4164 before<br />
the February 18 Early Bird Deadline to receive the discounted<br />
rates. You can also download the registration form from the OIMP<br />
website or contact the OIMP office at 1-800-263-3797.<br />
Accommodations<br />
OIMP has reserved a block of rooms at the Doubletree. If booking<br />
by phone (416-244-1711), request the OIMP room block to receive<br />
our special rate of $119/night (plus taxes). To book online, follow<br />
the link on the OIMP website and use group code OIM to receive<br />
the discounted rate. Room rates are guaranteed until February 25,<br />
but book early as the number of available rooms is limited.<br />
For more information visit our website or contact the OIMP office.<br />
We look forward to seeing you there!<br />
www.oimp.ca
YOUR MEMBERSHIP DOLLAR$ AT WORK<br />
Highlighting the work OIMP is doing on your behalf<br />
Representing Our Industry<br />
OMAFRA/OIMP quarterly meetings with<br />
<strong>Meat</strong> Inspection Program Managers have<br />
included ongoing discussions regarding<br />
consistency in program delivery across<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong>. Consistency is an issue that affects<br />
many different aspects of manufacturing,<br />
employee relations and quality, as well<br />
as program delivery. We are pleased<br />
to be able to provide input into this<br />
complex topic and offer relevant industry<br />
examples. The question was raised about<br />
unlicensed distributors supplying products<br />
to licensed meat plants. OMAFRA is<br />
currently reviewing this issue and looking<br />
at the regulatory implications. OMAFRA<br />
has agreed to provide plants with the<br />
information on changes to policies or<br />
<strong>Meat</strong> Plant Guidelines at the same time<br />
inspection receives it. Notifications will<br />
be made on a quarterly basis through the<br />
Ministry’s Behind the Legend newsletter<br />
as well as postings in the Members Only<br />
section of the OIMP website.<br />
OIMP continues to participate in monthly<br />
OMAFRA Policy Review Committee<br />
meetings. Our role is to provide an<br />
industry perspective and input into policy<br />
development. Some of the areas reviewed<br />
by the committee recently include cooling<br />
and refrigeration of poultry and rabbit<br />
carcasses, cooking temperatures and<br />
cooling rates of cooked products, as<br />
well as meat plant guidelines related to<br />
smokehouses.<br />
We have added OIMP to the list<br />
of organizations that support the<br />
implementation of a proposed Food<br />
Safety Tax Credit. The federal tax credit<br />
would allow food processing companies to<br />
partially offset expenses they incur to meet<br />
rising food safety requirements in Canada<br />
and in export markets.<br />
OIMP continues to represent the<br />
processor perspective in its ongoing work<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
with our commodity partners. OIMP<br />
made a presentation on the state of the<br />
processing industry at the Annual Meeting<br />
of the <strong>Ontario</strong> Cattlemen’s Association’s<br />
Renfrew County Chapter in Cobden. The<br />
presentation addressed issues such as<br />
the declining number of local abattoirs,<br />
regulatory issues, market access restrictions<br />
and the growth of the “buy local” trend.<br />
OIMP was represented at the <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Cattle Feeders’ Association Annual General<br />
Meeting in January and continue to<br />
represent provincially licensed beef plants<br />
at the <strong>Ontario</strong> Beef Value Roundtable.<br />
OIMP participated in the Chicken Farmers<br />
of <strong>Ontario</strong> project conducting a gap<br />
assessment for the Broiler Value Chain in<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong>. This project focused on traceability<br />
information between participants along<br />
the broiler chain with particular attention<br />
paid to business requirements that are not<br />
satisfied with current information systems.<br />
OIMP provided input to Minister Mitchell<br />
prior to her participation at the Federal,<br />
Provincial Territorial (FPT) Minister<br />
meeting this month. We continue to support<br />
the <strong>Ontario</strong> Agriculture Sustainability<br />
Coalition work on changes to support<br />
programs working towards sustaining<br />
agriculture and agribusiness industry in<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong>. We emphasized the need for<br />
programs in the areas of Traceability and<br />
Food Safety for the food processing industry<br />
and urged consideration for allocations<br />
within sectors such as meat processing in<br />
the next round of the Growing Forward<br />
program.<br />
OIMP attended the AOFP Strategy<br />
Implementation Committee meeting as<br />
we continue to move forward the agenda<br />
of raising the profile of <strong>Ontario</strong>’s Food and<br />
Beverage processing industry. Meetings<br />
with bureaucrats and politicians are an<br />
important component of ensuring the right<br />
programs are being developed to support<br />
our industry.<br />
[ Member Relations]<br />
Strengthening Our Workforce<br />
The first Food Handler Training Workshops<br />
for workers and supervisors were held<br />
in Guelph in early January. The next<br />
workshops are scheduled for March 3 and<br />
4 in Mississauga in conjunction with the<br />
2011 Expo and OIMP Conference. This is<br />
an excellent opportunity to address training<br />
needs, make connections with industry<br />
suppliers and join your fellow members for<br />
a memorable weekend of social activities.<br />
Our 2011 monthly Interactive Workshop<br />
Series has been finalized. The next session,<br />
Scientific Research (SR) & Experimental<br />
Development (ED) and Other Tax<br />
Incentives, takes place March 23 in<br />
Mississauga and will show participants<br />
how to take advantage of this underutilized<br />
program to provide refundable tax credits<br />
for shop floor experimentation and R&D.<br />
The complete list of workshop topics, dates,<br />
locations and registration information can<br />
be found on our website.<br />
OIMP conducted a survey of OIMP Business<br />
Members to assist them in determining fair<br />
and competitive compensation for their<br />
workers. Approximately 20 percent of our<br />
members participated in the survey and<br />
will receive a summary of the results.<br />
Developing Markets<br />
Judging for the 2011 <strong>Ontario</strong> Finest<br />
<strong>Meat</strong> Competition took place in Toronto<br />
on January 27. An impressive panel of<br />
influential judges evaluated 149 products in<br />
14 categories entered by 21 OIMP Business<br />
Members. We encourage you to register for<br />
the March 5 Awards Gala and join us as we<br />
announce this year’s winners. In addition to<br />
the considerable publicity the competition<br />
will generate for our industry, a number of<br />
products from the competition will help<br />
open doors for our province’s independent<br />
meat and poultry processors through the<br />
OIMP Market Development Pilot Project.<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 7
8 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
www.oimp.ca
OIMP TECHNICAL TALK<br />
Industry focused topics to keep you informed<br />
By - Dave Tiller, OIMP Technical Director<br />
Uncooked Ready to Eat<br />
<strong>Meat</strong>s - Managing the Risk<br />
The CFIA is once again active in<br />
provincially licensed plants that produce<br />
fermented products. The activity is in<br />
the form of an audit to assess a plant’s<br />
controls that address pathogens in ready<br />
to eat fermented meat. Plants are assessed<br />
under the CFIA code of practice, General<br />
Principles of Food Hygiene, Composition<br />
and Labeling (GPFHCL). The GPFHCL<br />
describes the Canadian requirements to<br />
ensure compliance with GMPs and other<br />
requirements for foods under the Food<br />
and Drugs Act and regulations. The Food<br />
and Drugs Act is the main food law in<br />
Canada, and all food manufactures are<br />
required by law to operate according to<br />
the rules set out in the Food and Drugs<br />
Regulations regardless of the type of<br />
licensing or registration a processor may<br />
have. The assessment includes operational<br />
controls on areas like labeling, incoming<br />
materials, process design and product<br />
preparation/blending. Other areas looked<br />
at are equipment, premises, sanitation and<br />
pest control, personnel, transportation and<br />
storage, <strong>record</strong>s and complaint handling<br />
and recall.<br />
A number of members have already gone<br />
through this process, and OIMP extension<br />
services have assisted with corrective<br />
actions. If you are making fermented<br />
products, it is important that you have<br />
<strong>record</strong>s to show that your degree hours are<br />
in line and you are able to demonstrate that<br />
you know how to operate your pH meter.<br />
Other areas to look at are nutrition facts<br />
and labeling as well as an allergen control<br />
program. These are just some of the areas<br />
they will assess.<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
One of the requirements for fermented<br />
sausage involves control of Trichinella in<br />
pork. Trichinella spiralis is a particularly<br />
nasty parasite that can be present in pork<br />
muscle. Although the risk level is low,<br />
infection with this parasite can have grave<br />
consequences from both a health and<br />
economic perspective. Since fermented<br />
sausage and dry cured products made<br />
with pork are uncooked and ready to eat,<br />
you must show you are controlling the risk<br />
of Trichinella. There are three way ways<br />
to do this. You can use a curing method,<br />
a freezing method or a heating method.<br />
These methods are prescribed by the CFIA.<br />
Another option is to use trichina certified<br />
pork. You can purchase certified pork from<br />
an approved trichina treatment facility, or<br />
you can send your own pork to a trichina<br />
treatment facility for treatment under the<br />
freezing option. For most small processors<br />
this is probably the most cost effective<br />
method to use because you have control<br />
over the way the meat is trimmed and what<br />
cuts you are going to use. We also have<br />
member distributors who provide certified<br />
pork to processors.<br />
Another risk is E. coli and Salmonella. You<br />
must be able to show that you have controls<br />
in place to address this risk. Under Health<br />
Canada requirements, processors must<br />
implement one of five measures to control<br />
E. coli and Salmonella in uncooked ready<br />
to eat products (fermented and dry cured)<br />
if:<br />
• You use beef as an ingredient or<br />
• You store or handle uncooked<br />
beef on site or<br />
• You buy raw meat from an<br />
establishment that stores or<br />
handles uncooked beef on site<br />
The five approved control options are as<br />
follows:<br />
1. Use a prescribed heat process based<br />
on an internal temperature/time<br />
relationship<br />
2. Use a prescribed process that includes<br />
a combination of pH, casing size and<br />
hold/drying times that includes heat<br />
[ Industry Development ]<br />
3. End product testing<br />
4. HACCP based program to test raw<br />
materials<br />
5. Any other scientifically validated<br />
process an operator may develop<br />
Option 4 and 5 may require more resources<br />
than a small plant would have available. The<br />
first three options could be implemented by<br />
most small plants.<br />
All this may seem daunting but, as a<br />
processor of uncooked ready to eat meat<br />
products, you must have in place a robust<br />
food safety program that will address all the<br />
risks in today’s changing world. Effectively<br />
addressing these risks will help secure the<br />
future of our industry.<br />
Pest Control in Provincial Plants<br />
Pest control companies are citing this year<br />
as a particularly bad year for mice and<br />
we recommend that you pay particular<br />
attention to evidence of rodents in your<br />
facility. During routine inspections by<br />
OMAFRA, there has been increased focus<br />
on pest control programs in terms of<br />
evidence of pest activity including pulling<br />
upright coolers away from the wall to<br />
look for evidence of rodents in the form<br />
of droppings. It would be a good idea to<br />
do regular checks for signs of rodents and<br />
take corrective actions including adding<br />
additional control measures and removing<br />
signs of rodent activity. If OMAFRA finds<br />
evidence of pests in your plant, they will<br />
do a risk assessment that could delay your<br />
operation for several hours or even days.<br />
The OIMP Technical Committee is not<br />
aware of other jurisdictions that take such<br />
a hard line stance on evidence of activity<br />
and is presently looking at the level of<br />
fairness of these risk assessments and costly<br />
operational delays imposed on operators.<br />
For more information on managing these<br />
risks or have any questions contact Dave at<br />
1-800-263-3797 ext 222.<br />
technical@oimp.ca.<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 9
[ Industry Development]<br />
FOOD HANDLER TRAINING<br />
Your employees have an impact on your business<br />
10 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
Everyone plays a critical role in food<br />
safety. Whether you are a worker or<br />
supervisor this training program will<br />
meet your food safety education needs.<br />
About The New Food Handler Training Program<br />
The new program has critical information for those working in<br />
the food processing industry. The program is offered through self<br />
study, or by attending a workshop, and focuses on five key areas:<br />
1. Food Safety Responsibilities<br />
2. Food Safety Hazards<br />
3. Controlling Hazards<br />
4. Food Safety Management Systems<br />
5. Management’s Responsibilities for Food Safety<br />
The program will provide knowledge and understanding to<br />
prepare workers and supervisors for the Food Handler Training<br />
examination. <strong>Ontario</strong> <strong>Meat</strong> Regulation 31/05 requires all employees<br />
of the plant to be trained and competent to perform their assigned<br />
duties and that there shall be at least one supervisor in attendance<br />
at the plant who has received formal training in hygienic food<br />
handling.<br />
You can obtain a Certificate in Food Handler Training by attending<br />
a workshop and writing the examination, purchasing the manual<br />
and writing the examination, or by trying the examination on its<br />
own. Examinations are scheduled throughout the year in various<br />
locations in <strong>Ontario</strong>. Workers and supervisors who successfully<br />
complete the examination will receive a Certificate of Completion<br />
from the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus.<br />
About the Manual/Study Guide<br />
Visit www.oimp.ca to download the manual and/or study guide<br />
order form.<br />
About the workshops<br />
Workshops are presented in English – 1 day for workers, 1.5 days<br />
for supervisors.<br />
Presentation slides, workbook and examination are available in 10<br />
languages: English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese,<br />
Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.<br />
Workshop Dates & Locations:<br />
Mississauga: Doubletree by Hilton - Toronto Airport<br />
Worker March 3, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.<br />
Supervisor March 3, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.<br />
March 4, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.<br />
Scarborough<br />
Worker April 27, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.<br />
Supervisor April 27, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.<br />
April 28, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.<br />
Exam Locations & Dates:<br />
North York February 24, 2011 2:30 p.m.<br />
Ottawa March 8, 2011 3:00 p.m.<br />
Mississauga March 29, 2011 6:30 p.m.<br />
Ridgetown April 12, 2011 7:00 p.m.<br />
Food Handler Training Graduates:<br />
Shawn Fredrick<br />
Deanco Inc.<br />
Graham Dalziel<br />
Halenda’s Fine Foods Ltd.<br />
Leon Kurtz<br />
Hartmans Kosher <strong>Meat</strong>s<br />
Gary Maseko<br />
Josh Savery<br />
Holly Park <strong>Meat</strong> Packers Inc.<br />
Justin Morais<br />
M & M Fruit and Grocery<br />
Santo Noto<br />
Noto Bros. Wholesale <strong>Meat</strong>s Ltd.<br />
Frank Srokos<br />
Polka Bob’s<br />
Lynda Head<br />
R. Denninger Ltd.<br />
John Baresic<br />
Speers <strong>Meat</strong>s<br />
Aaron Miedema<br />
Jeffery Miedema<br />
Townsend Butchers<br />
Shawn Stemmler<br />
Stemmler <strong>Meat</strong>s & Cheese<br />
Judith Kendall<br />
Sam Leo<br />
University of Guelph<br />
www.oimp.ca
A recent article in the Canadian Association<br />
for Retired Persons (CARP) newsletter<br />
discussed things that we should all think<br />
about as we drive our vehicles during our<br />
Canadian winters. It identified a number<br />
of safety issues such as using winter tires<br />
rather than all-season tires. Or making sure<br />
that before you start to drive you clean off<br />
all the snow from your windows and roof<br />
to ensure that your vision is not obstructed<br />
when you are on the road.<br />
The article also discussed some really great<br />
strategies to follow in your efforts to avoid<br />
vehicle break-ins and theft such as keeping<br />
valuables out of sight when your vehicle<br />
is unattended. Another great thought was<br />
to make sure that your vehicle is shut off<br />
and locked when you walk away for “just<br />
a minute”. It doesn’t take long for a thief to<br />
get in and take your vehicle when the keys<br />
are in the ignition!<br />
These were all great strategies for planning<br />
for a safe winter driving experience. As I<br />
read the article I was thinking about a tour<br />
I had just completed at a clients’ facility.<br />
The client is being proactive as they work<br />
towards ensuring that their workers are<br />
working in a safe manner. During my<br />
recent tour, as we were walking around and<br />
looking at various pieces of equipment, it<br />
became very clear that planning now for<br />
the future safety of the organization and the<br />
wellbeing of the workers was an important<br />
aspect of the job for the plant supervisor<br />
and owners.<br />
As with having good strategies for driving<br />
and handling a vehicle in the winter,<br />
it is also a very good strategy to have a<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
comprehensive plan to ensure safety in<br />
your workplace. This means planning<br />
ahead and evaluating potential hazards<br />
before something goes wrong. It means<br />
having good work strategies in place that<br />
ensure that all workplace participants<br />
(employer (owner), supervisors, workers,<br />
and contractors) understand the hazards<br />
and the rules. By looking around your<br />
facility and asking yourself “what can go<br />
wrong here?” you can be proactive about<br />
identifying conditions that might create<br />
a situation that causes injury. By looking<br />
around before an incident occurs you can<br />
take the time to develop workplace rules<br />
that will help you work toward having a safe<br />
work environment.<br />
As you look around your workplace, think<br />
about some of the incidents that have<br />
happened in the past. Think about some<br />
of the observations you may have made<br />
that make you wonder if everything is<br />
safe and in good order. The Occupational<br />
Health and Safety Act (the Act) requires<br />
that you know your workplace and all the<br />
actual or potential hazards that might be in<br />
the workplace. You have workers in your<br />
facility completing jobs that are designed to<br />
generate revenue for your business. When<br />
the workers are working efficiently, without<br />
injury, their productivity is high. If they<br />
are injured or your equipment is <strong>breaking</strong><br />
down or potentially causing concerns then<br />
your productivity is limited. So by planning<br />
ahead and developing positive safety<br />
strategies you can maintain productivity<br />
and profit!<br />
The Act also requires that you involve<br />
workers in your assessment of hazards.<br />
Take a moment and think about this aspect<br />
of the Act. The Act encourages owners<br />
and employers to discuss the working<br />
conditions in the workplace as discussion<br />
encourages workers to get involved in the<br />
process and assist owners, employers, and<br />
supervisors in their efforts to maintain a safe<br />
workplace. If you think about it, the process<br />
of developing a safe and secure workplace<br />
is very similar to the process of ensuring<br />
that you are operating a safe vehicle on<br />
[ Industry Development ]<br />
PLANNING FOR YOUR FUTURE – SAFELY!<br />
Planning now for the future safety of the organization and the wellbeing of the workers<br />
By - Doug Johnson, Health & Safety Consultant<br />
the road. It is the process of identifying<br />
hazards, looking at the conditions and then<br />
developing strategies to control the losses.<br />
Loss control is paramount to a successful<br />
business strategy.<br />
No one wants to get injured in a vehicle<br />
collision and no one wants to get injured at<br />
work. By taking the time when everything<br />
seems to be in good order to evaluate your<br />
safety systems you will ensure a much safer<br />
and more worker friendly workplace.<br />
Enjoy the rest of the winter and let’s all<br />
drive safely into Spring!<br />
For more information about Health and<br />
Safety in the workplace, please contact:<br />
Doug Johnson<br />
Health and Safety Consultant<br />
with SAFETAID<br />
Tel: 519-837-0997<br />
doug@safetaid.ca<br />
Ministry of Labour (MOL) Resources<br />
Required Posting<br />
All employers in <strong>Ontario</strong> are required,<br />
through legislation, to prominently post<br />
the following materials in the workplace:<br />
• Occupational Health and Safety Act<br />
• A written health and safety policy<br />
• In Case of Injury at Work<br />
Poster (form 82)<br />
• <strong>Ontario</strong> Employment<br />
Standards Poster<br />
The MOL is a good resource for<br />
occupational health and safety,<br />
employment rights and responsibilities<br />
and labour relations. For more<br />
information visit on the <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Ministry of Labour visit:<br />
www.labour.gov.on.ca<br />
Please note that posters sold by private<br />
companies do not comply with the<br />
requirements of the Employment<br />
Standards Act, or the Occupational Health<br />
and Safety Act, or the Workplace Safety and<br />
Insurance Act.<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 11
[ Industry Development]<br />
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER<br />
While traceability can be a lot of work, there are ways to make it easier<br />
By - Wendy Pineo, BSc, Minotaur Software<br />
Traceability is no longer a luxury as<br />
customers, suppliers and consumers<br />
become more demanding. Compliance<br />
can do more than ensure your business<br />
remains viable; it can go further to offer<br />
you a competitive advantage. During our<br />
25 years in business, we have found that<br />
processors typically need to approach their<br />
recall in one of two ways--by a specific<br />
lot number (supplier, WIP or finished<br />
good) or by production date(s) and line<br />
(if a piece of equipment was the problem).<br />
Being able to quickly access accurate and<br />
reliable information is a primary goal<br />
for a traceability system. With the 3rd<br />
year of the FSTI Growing Forward grant<br />
program approaching, more businesses<br />
will receive assistance in implementing<br />
solutions. Details of upcoming ONTRACE<br />
traceability workshops can be found at<br />
www.ontrace.ca.<br />
While traceability can be a lot of work,<br />
there are ways to make it easier. Traceability<br />
begins at receiving, where options include<br />
KEYS TO CONTROLLING<br />
MICROBIAL GROWTH<br />
By: Sara Alexander, Malabar Super Spice Co.<br />
Ltd.<br />
Contamination Sources<br />
Contamination sources include incoming<br />
raw materials, openings to outside,<br />
pests, standing water, floor drains, leaks,<br />
equipment, cleaning and maintenance<br />
tools, bio-film in water hoses, condensation,<br />
and unwashed hands, shoes or coats.<br />
Key Factors:<br />
Food<br />
• Microorganisms need carbohydrates<br />
and protein to live just like people.<br />
Cleaning excess debris from equipment<br />
helps remove their food sources.<br />
Acidity<br />
• Microbes typically grow in the pH<br />
range of 6-9, with some bacteria able to<br />
survive pH as low as 4, yeast as low as<br />
1.5, and mold at 1. Pickling foods with<br />
acids has been used for many years &<br />
bringing the pH below 4 significantly<br />
reduces spoilage.<br />
12 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
receiving in total cases and corresponding<br />
lots for fixed weight cases, scanning<br />
serialized catch weight cases on properly<br />
labeled product or receiving in total<br />
number of cases and overall weight with<br />
a daily lot number for companies not yet<br />
ready for scanning or for products without<br />
proper labels. For label issues, relabeling<br />
is an option and has the advantage of<br />
allowing for a standard label format, which<br />
is easier for production and warehouse staff<br />
later on. Training staff to read GS1 labels<br />
and having a conscientious receiver helps<br />
ensure accurate and timely information<br />
tracking.<br />
One of the most daunting tasks is how to<br />
track catch weight production from an<br />
inventory control, traceability and costing<br />
perspective - basically tracking product<br />
as you break it up. If you are using stand<br />
alone weighing and labeling equipment,<br />
exporting a file or scanning finished<br />
barcodes can be an efficient, cost effective<br />
way to capture information. In ERP<br />
Time<br />
• Bacteria will grow exponentially<br />
after a short rest period once they are<br />
introduced to a new environment.<br />
Limiting the time food is exposed and<br />
shortening high risk processing steps<br />
limit bacterial growth.<br />
Temperature<br />
• Most bacteria grow between 0-60°C with<br />
the optimal temperature range being<br />
30-40°C. Lowering the temperature at<br />
which the food is stored and processed<br />
greatly reduces microbial growth.<br />
Oxygen<br />
• Microorganisms of concern are typically<br />
aerobic - reliant on oxygen for growth.<br />
Oxygen can be reduced by packaging<br />
food in sealed bags or cans and storing<br />
product under carbon dioxide.<br />
Moisture<br />
• The water activity of food determines<br />
how available water is for microbes;<br />
most foods have a value of 0.99, while<br />
microbes require as little as 0.8 for<br />
growth. Reduce available moisture by<br />
drying or curing by smoking meats, or<br />
by adding salt, sugar or alcohol.<br />
systems with integrated accounting, raw<br />
materials are depleted, finished goods costs<br />
calculated and yields are available. Touch<br />
screen production capabilities are available<br />
which enable staff to select the order/item<br />
they are working on from a list without the<br />
need to manually key information. These<br />
systems allow for printing of customer<br />
specific labels while building the shipping<br />
manifest as you weigh and label tying<br />
production to your accounting system.<br />
While manual and Excel based lot<br />
traceability can work, these options<br />
are often time consuming, tedious and<br />
allow for human errors. Implementing a<br />
computerized system where lot traceability<br />
is simply one aspect can improve both<br />
operational efficiencies and give you<br />
important profitability and costing<br />
information to help you grow your business.<br />
Pathogen Control<br />
Physical Measures<br />
• Keep temperature of product as cool as<br />
possible.<br />
• Keep raw materials and finished product<br />
separate to avoid cross contamination.<br />
• Implement a strict hand washing policy.<br />
• Monitor and verify cooking temperature<br />
to ensure its high enough to kill<br />
microbes.<br />
Chemical Measures<br />
• Wash equipment and facility using<br />
the proper product, at the correct<br />
concentration, for the required amount<br />
of time and at the right temperature.<br />
Sanitation<br />
• A number of facility-safe sanitizers<br />
are available, including Sodium<br />
Hypochlorite, Iodine, Peracetic Acid,<br />
Acid Anionic, Quaternary Ammonium<br />
Chloride and Chloride Dioxide.<br />
www.oimp.ca
[ Industry Development ]<br />
OIMP INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP SERIES<br />
A series of interactive workshops has been designed to address a variety of issues you<br />
may face while operating your meat plant<br />
Scientific Research & Experimental Development<br />
(SR & ED) Tax Benefits Workshop<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
Wednesday March 23, 2011<br />
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.<br />
Mississauga<br />
The SR&ED program is the Federal and Provincial Government’s<br />
main program to support research and development activity in<br />
Canada, with just under $4 billion paid out annually to Canadian<br />
industry. The Canadian government recognizes the importance of<br />
technology as a key component of competitive advantage in the<br />
food processing sector. The meat processing sector typically has<br />
not made use of this program. When businesses review the CRA<br />
guidelines for the SR&ED program, it can be overwhelming, and<br />
seem like more effort than it is worth. There is also a misconception<br />
that detailed documentation for all activities are required if a<br />
SR&ED claim is to be made. For first time claimants, this is<br />
definitely not the case.<br />
Scott Paynter, from Apex group, will be leading this informative<br />
workshop. By not utilizing the SR&ED program, businesses are<br />
forgoing an incentive program that covers up to 45% of eligible<br />
development costs. Moreover, this is not a one-time program<br />
like many other government initiatives. Canadian businesses are<br />
entitled to receive SR&ED tax credits every year - by law - as long<br />
as the activities claimed qualify under the SR&ED guideline.<br />
Typical areas for SR&ED projects include product and process<br />
development, food safety, and environmental. The key to project<br />
Paperwork in Small Plants<br />
Wednesday, April 13 2011<br />
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.<br />
Mississauga<br />
eligibility is that the claimant’s technical knowledge base has<br />
expanded beyond that which is readily available in the public<br />
domain. What many don’t realize is that the unique situation of<br />
most meat processing businesses creates uncertainty that can only<br />
be resolved via some form of shop floor experimentation and<br />
development.<br />
When Mad Cow disease closed the Canada-US border to bovine<br />
meat products many Canadian meat plants had to redevelop<br />
processed meat products using different raw material sources. This<br />
effectively required a complete redesign of products and processes.<br />
All costs associated with this were SR&ED eligible.<br />
Sensory testing is a crucial component of product development,<br />
both internally and externally. By developing simple forms to<br />
capture feedback of sensory criteria such as flavour, texture, colour,<br />
mouth feel, etc., internal and customer meetings where these<br />
activities occur are eligible for inclusion in a SR&ED claim.<br />
Food safety is a major category for eligible SR&ED activities.<br />
Development or improvement of sanitation procedures is based<br />
upon sound science validated via swab testing. Shelf life testing<br />
includes all aspects of formulation and process development,<br />
including packaging materials.<br />
Environmental projects related to process development and<br />
improvement relating to waste stream reduction and pathogen<br />
control are all eligible under the CRA’s SR&ED guideline. For<br />
example, sewer effluent monitoring of organic materials mandated<br />
by Municipal governments are typically eligible as they are used as<br />
the basis for re-engineering process flows and what is sent to waste<br />
water treatment.<br />
Register By Wednesday March 16, 2011<br />
For more information and to download the registration form<br />
please visit www.oimp.ca or contact the office at 519-763-4558.<br />
This workshop will review provincial regulatory requirements for<br />
<strong>record</strong>s in your meat plant. We will show you how to simplify the<br />
process of keeping <strong>record</strong>s and how to use existing documents to<br />
satisfy the <strong>record</strong>s requirements. Learn how <strong>record</strong>s can actually<br />
help you improve your bottom line. This will be a good opportunity<br />
to interact with other operators on a topic that affects us all.<br />
Register By Wednesday, April 6, 2011<br />
For more information and to download the registration form<br />
please visit www.oimp.ca or contact the office at 519-763-4558<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 13
[ Industry Development]<br />
INSTITUTE OF FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY<br />
To develop the highly skilled workers required by the industry<br />
The Institute of Food Processing<br />
Technology (IFPT) at Conestoga College<br />
was created in 2009 in partnership with<br />
the Alliance of <strong>Ontario</strong> Food <strong>Processors</strong><br />
(AOFP). Situated at Conestoga College’s<br />
new Cambridge campus, IFPT will be<br />
ready to open its doors in September 2011<br />
with small classrooms, mechanical shops,<br />
laboratory settings and a pilot plant with<br />
different processing lines that will help<br />
maximize the learning experience for its<br />
students. To develop the highly skilled<br />
workers required by the industry, IFPT<br />
is committed to excellence in teaching<br />
focused on current plant and laboratory<br />
techniques and processes, including the<br />
availability of leading edge technology and<br />
machinery as well as adherence to required<br />
maintenance standards and processes.<br />
Training opportunities are available for<br />
high school graduates, new Canadians,<br />
laid-off workers and current food industry<br />
employees in the following areas:<br />
14 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
• Process Operator - Food<br />
Manufacturing (Apprenticeship) - 3<br />
year <strong>Ontario</strong> College Certificate<br />
• Food Processing Technician (Coop)<br />
- 2 yr <strong>Ontario</strong> College Diploma<br />
• Food Processing Techniques - 1<br />
yr <strong>Ontario</strong> College Certificate<br />
• Food Safety Level 1<br />
Scrapping Equipment?<br />
Why Not Donate?<br />
Here is a chance to write off some of your<br />
used equipment! The Institute of Food<br />
Processing Technology (IFPT) at Conestoga<br />
College will soon be opening its doors to its<br />
first cohort of students pursuing a career in<br />
food processing. Students will be receiving<br />
hands-on-training at the IFPT’s mechanical<br />
and electrical shop facilities on how to<br />
assemble and dissemble, troubleshoot and<br />
conduct maintenance work on a variety<br />
Get The Best Insurance Cuts<br />
Canada Prime Coverage, Pricing and Service<br />
Food Specific Coverage<br />
• Spoilage [loss of Refrigeration;<br />
Product Contamination; Product<br />
Infestation]<br />
• Spoilage [on site; in storage; in<br />
transit including failure of own<br />
reefers]<br />
• Brand Protection [loss of sales<br />
due to damage to brand [bad<br />
publicity from contamination /<br />
infestation]<br />
• Brand Protection [additional<br />
Funds for public relations and<br />
positive advertising]<br />
• Loss of Income [due to contamination<br />
/ infestation of a supplier or<br />
a customer]<br />
• Recalled product expenses [for<br />
Removal and Disposal of recalled<br />
product]<br />
Insurance Coverage<br />
• Loss or Damage Physical<br />
Assets [Building, Equipment<br />
and Materials]<br />
• Breakdown to Equipment<br />
and Machinery<br />
• Loss or Decrease in Cash<br />
Flow [Business Interruption]<br />
• Legal Exposures [Third<br />
party liability for your premises,<br />
operations and products].<br />
Steve Scott BA CIP steve.scott@flewwelling.com<br />
Geoff Freeman geoff.freeman@flewwelling.com<br />
Flewwelling Canada<br />
Prime Service<br />
• Comprehensive review and<br />
needs analysis<br />
• Innovative Coverage solutions<br />
• Competing quotes from<br />
selected Insurers<br />
• Alliance with leading Food<br />
Safety specialist [Consulting<br />
–best manufacturing / operating<br />
practices; Audits – HACCP, GAP<br />
assessment, hygiene and sanitation;<br />
Training – HACCP implementation]<br />
Toll Free 1.800.469.5611<br />
320 North Queen St., Ste 132<br />
Etobicoke, ON M9C 5K4<br />
www.flewwelling.com<br />
of food processing equipment. As food<br />
processors, you have the opportunity to<br />
support student learning by donating used,<br />
but functional equipment to the IFPT. The<br />
IFPT believes hands-on training on a wide<br />
variety of food processing equipment will<br />
get students well prepared to work in any<br />
sector of the food industry.<br />
If you are interested in donating equipment,<br />
please contact ifpt@conestogac.on.ca.<br />
Institute of Food Processing Technology<br />
299 Doon Valley Drive,<br />
Kitchener, ON N2G 4M4<br />
519-748-5220 ext. 2499<br />
ifpt@conestogac.on.ca<br />
FLEWWELLING INSURANCE: THE MEAT SPECIALISTS<br />
Tel: 416-622-8713;<br />
TF 1-800-469-5611<br />
Fax: 416-622-1876<br />
www.oimp.ca
ALLIANCE OF ONTARIO FOOD PROCESSORS (AOFP)<br />
Promoting and representing the <strong>Ontario</strong> food and beverage processing sector<br />
Business Development<br />
Project (BDP):<br />
AOFP is preparing to launch the<br />
Business Development Project (BDP), an<br />
initiative of Growing Forward, a federalprovincial-territorial<br />
initiative. The BDP<br />
is designed to help food and beverage<br />
processing businesses adopt beneficial<br />
business management practices, with the<br />
ultimate goal of creating a stronger, more<br />
competitive industry sector. Phase 1 of the<br />
Project is currently underway to develop a<br />
business assessment tool. Phase 2 will begin<br />
in the spring and will involve assessing<br />
individual company’s strengths, challenges<br />
and areas of opportunities. The final Phase<br />
of the Project will involve the development<br />
of tools and resources to assist companies<br />
in the area of business management. AOFP<br />
will be looking for individual companies to<br />
be a part of Phase 2 and 3 of the Project.<br />
Details on how you can participate in this<br />
important Project will be available in the<br />
next month.<br />
The top 5 business management areas<br />
identified by food and beverage processors<br />
in a recent survey include productivity;<br />
production & operations; business strategy<br />
& management/leadership; financial<br />
management; and, marketing.<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Food Industry<br />
Environmental Coalition (OFIEC):<br />
The <strong>Ontario</strong> Food Industry Environmental<br />
Coalition (OFIEC) is an organization<br />
administered by the AOFP that includes<br />
industry associations, such as the OIMP, and<br />
individual company representatives. The<br />
goal of the OFIEC is to build awareness and<br />
capacity of environmental performance in<br />
the food and beverage processing industry<br />
and develop approaches to environmental<br />
risk assessment for the industry.<br />
OFIEC is in the process of launching a<br />
website that will allow food and beverage<br />
processors to benchmark their compliance<br />
with various environmental regulations.<br />
Users will be able to sign up for an account<br />
and enter information that is specific to<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
processes and materials used in each plant.<br />
Once complete, the website will provide<br />
a confidential report benchmarking<br />
the facility’s compliance, complete with<br />
recommendations on what needs to be<br />
addressed with current regulations in<br />
mind. Watch AOFP and OIMP websites for<br />
access to this tool in the coming weeks.<br />
HR Workshops for Food &<br />
Beverage <strong>Processors</strong> – Take<br />
Advantage of this Opportunity!:<br />
AOFP has available Human Resource<br />
Workshops for food and beverage processors<br />
that can be delivered in your facility, at<br />
no charge, by a professional facilitator.<br />
The workshops, under the Destination<br />
Excellence banner, are designed to assist<br />
employers and supervisors in a number of<br />
HR areas including:<br />
Communication & Empowerment:<br />
Participants explore the connection<br />
between communication, engagement and<br />
empowerment. Topics discussed during the<br />
workshop include the value of an engaged<br />
workforce and personal and organizational<br />
communication effectiveness.<br />
Diversity Management:<br />
This workshop provides an overview<br />
of some of the critical components of<br />
managing a diverse workforce. By focusing<br />
on some of the key organizational and<br />
individual aspects of diversity management,<br />
the workshop will help participants to –<br />
understand different types of diversity;<br />
develop strategies to manage organizational<br />
diversity; and develop strategies to be<br />
‘diversity competent’.<br />
Leading Change:<br />
What does successful change look like<br />
in your organization? Is it a slow but<br />
steady evolution or rapid, all-hands on<br />
deck revolution? By reviewing culture,<br />
leadership and change models, participants<br />
will identify the key success factors for<br />
change.<br />
[ Industry Relations ]<br />
Managing Performance:<br />
Participants will use group discussion<br />
and case studies to explore some of best<br />
performance management practices. By<br />
participating in this workshop, participants<br />
will learn:<br />
• The key components of an effective<br />
performance management system<br />
• How to have meaningful performance<br />
appraisal discussions with<br />
different types of performers<br />
• How to give feedback in a way<br />
that improves performance<br />
Orientation Excellence:<br />
What are the best practices for onboarding<br />
new employees? In this hour-long overview<br />
workshop, participants will identify<br />
elements of an effective orientation process<br />
and their impact on employee productivity<br />
and retention.<br />
Rewards:<br />
Compensation is among the key human<br />
resources issues for companies in our<br />
industry today. Using discussion and case<br />
studies from the field, participants will<br />
develop a good overview of compensation<br />
practices and:<br />
• Learn different approaches<br />
to rewarding employees<br />
• Become aware of which<br />
approaches might be most<br />
appropriate for their company<br />
• Identify opportunities for<br />
increasing intrinsic rewards<br />
If you are interested in any of the Destination<br />
Excellence workshops contact:<br />
Jane Graham - Executive Director<br />
Alliance of <strong>Ontario</strong> Food<br />
<strong>Processors</strong> (AOFP)<br />
Tel: 519-896-5967<br />
alliance@aofp.ca<br />
Business Members of the <strong>Ontario</strong> <strong>Independent</strong> <strong>Meat</strong><br />
<strong>Processors</strong>, are automatically a member of the Alliance<br />
of <strong>Ontario</strong> Food <strong>Processors</strong> (AOFP)<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 15
[ Featured OIMP Member ]<br />
NEWMARKET MEAT PACKERS LTD.<br />
A family business with nearly half a century experience within the industry<br />
Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers, a family business<br />
with nearly half a century experience within<br />
the industry, is a provincially licensed<br />
abattoir specializing in the domestic<br />
slaughter of lamb, goat and veal.<br />
Since 1968, when founders and partners<br />
Nick D'Elia Sr. and Gino Plastino<br />
established Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers they<br />
have been widely recognized for their<br />
high quality product, professionalism,<br />
and industry support. Today, the D'Elia<br />
and Plastino families continue to provide<br />
leadership, commitment to excellence, and<br />
industry innovation.<br />
In the early days, Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers<br />
dealt in beef and pork, but today they focus<br />
strictly on the niche market for small stock.<br />
In fact, Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers is one of<br />
the biggest lamb processors in Canada and<br />
has expanded their business to include the<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Lamb Company, featuring Halal<br />
Assured products. Each year, they slaughter<br />
approximately 100,000 lamb, sheep and<br />
goats, along with 12,000 veal.<br />
Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers takes a lot of<br />
pride in what they<br />
do. This includes<br />
making sure the<br />
products they<br />
sell are safe and<br />
reliable. So they<br />
participated in the<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Ministry<br />
of Agriculture,<br />
Food and Rural Affairs' Traceability Grant<br />
Program to improve their recall capabilities.<br />
They installed a manual colour-coded<br />
stamping system to label carcasses by<br />
their kill date; a standalone weigh/label/<br />
print station for labeling boxed product;<br />
and <strong>record</strong>-keeping changes to track all<br />
inputs through production to shipping.<br />
By implementing a traceability system,<br />
Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers has improved<br />
inventory management, gained the ability<br />
to identify their products in retails stores,<br />
and limited potential recalls to a single<br />
day's kill and production.<br />
16 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
Left to right: Brothers Phil & Nick Jr. D’Elia, Owners/Operators of Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers ltd.<br />
“OIMP membership is important to us because<br />
of the information we receive; topics of value<br />
and interest to our industry. Everything from<br />
funding possibilities, training, and OMAFRA<br />
related issues”<br />
-Nick D’Elia Jr., Owner/Operator.<br />
"It's the way of the future. You have to<br />
know what you're selling, where it's going<br />
and where it's coming from." - Nick D'Elia,<br />
Owner, Newmarket <strong>Meat</strong> Packers Ltd.<br />
Since joining the OIMP in 1992, Newmarket<br />
<strong>Meat</strong> Packers has been very supportive of<br />
the association and its initiatives. They<br />
have attended numerous OIMP functions<br />
and have supplied product for the OIMP<br />
Annual Awards Banquet and Gala. “OIMP<br />
membership is important to us because of<br />
the information we receive; topics of value<br />
and interest to our industry. Everything<br />
from funding possibilities, training, and<br />
OMAFRA related issues”, says Nick D’Elia<br />
Jr., Owner/Operator.<br />
Nick D'Elia Jr.<br />
Owner/Operator<br />
1111 Davis Drive, Unit 1, Suite 517<br />
Newmarket, ON L3Y 9E5<br />
Tel: 905-836-7001<br />
Toll: 877-668-5262<br />
www.ontariolamb.ca<br />
www.oimp.ca
[ Featured OIMP Member ]<br />
FCC AGRIBUSINESS AND AGRI-FOOD<br />
The leading provider of financing and business services working with processors, wholesalers,<br />
input providers, equipment manufacturers and dealers<br />
FCC Agribusiness and Agri-Food is a<br />
specialty lender with a $20 billion loan<br />
portfolio. They finance processors,<br />
wholesalers, input providers, equipment<br />
manufacturers, and dealers; businesses<br />
that enhance Canadian agribusiness and<br />
agri-food. They also provide insurance,<br />
software, learning programs and<br />
other business services to producers,<br />
agribusinesses and agri-food operations -<br />
these services help their customers make<br />
sound business decisions and experience<br />
greater success.<br />
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) was first<br />
established in 1959 as a lender to Canadian<br />
farmers. Back then they had just one loan<br />
product and one interest rate. In the early<br />
1990’s FCC expanded their portfolio to<br />
include an Agribusiness and Agri-food<br />
division, lending to businesses from farms<br />
in rural districts to processing facilities<br />
in urban centres. Today, this Crown<br />
Corporation is the leading provider of<br />
financing and business services to farms<br />
and agribusiness with flexible terms and<br />
competitive rates available to over 100,000<br />
customers, offering an alternative to<br />
regular banking systems.<br />
FCC employees know agriculture, and they<br />
take the time to get to know the kinds of<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
businesses that serve the agri-food industry.<br />
They are always ready to step up and<br />
help build success with personalized and<br />
customized services. They take time to get<br />
to know their customers, their individual<br />
needs, goals and vision for the future. They<br />
work with them through challenges and<br />
help them pursue opportunities. For the 5th<br />
consecutive year, FCC was named on The<br />
Globe and<br />
Mail’s ‘Report<br />
on Business’<br />
annual list<br />
of 50 Best<br />
Employers in<br />
Canada.<br />
OIMP members are encouraged to stop by<br />
the FCC Agribusiness and Agri-food booth<br />
at the 2011 <strong>Meat</strong> & Food Processing Expo,<br />
at the International centre on March 4-5.<br />
Agriculture. We know it. We love it. We're in<br />
it for the long run.<br />
“Supporting the OIMP is important because we<br />
want to support our customers - It is important<br />
the industry has a voice and being a part of<br />
that will help the members.”<br />
- John Geurtjens, FCC Director Agribusiness and Agri-food.<br />
FCC Agribusiness and Agri-Food joined<br />
the OIMP as an Associate Member in 2009<br />
and have continually shown their support<br />
of the association and its members. They<br />
are active participants at the <strong>Meat</strong> & Food<br />
Processing Expo, OIMP Conference, and<br />
generous sponsors of the OIMP <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Finest <strong>Meat</strong> Competition. “Supporting<br />
the OIMP is important because we want<br />
to support our customers”, says John<br />
Geurtjens, FCC Director Agribusiness and<br />
Agri-food. “It is important the industry has<br />
a voice and being a part of that will help the<br />
members.”<br />
John Geurtjens<br />
FCC Director<br />
100 - 120 Research Lane,<br />
Guelph ON N1G 0B5<br />
Tel: 519-826-2341<br />
Toll: 888-332-3301<br />
john.geurtjens@fcc-fac.ca<br />
www.fccfinancialservices.ca<br />
left to right: Craig Richards, Mike McEvoy (Sr. Director, Corporate Credit), Graham Legge, Kent Cunnington, Dennis Ring, David LaFrance, John Geurtjens (Director,<br />
Agribusiness and Agri-Food), Brian Smith, Clinton Buttar, Stephen Wright.<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 17
[ Government Relations]<br />
RECORD KEEPING AND FOOD SAFETY<br />
In the meat business, it’s about producing safe food, day in and day out<br />
By: <strong>Ontario</strong> Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> has one of the highest food safety<br />
standards in all of Canada and meat<br />
plants play a vital role in maintaining<br />
our reputation of safe, high-quality meat<br />
products. Record keeping is an important<br />
part of <strong>Ontario</strong>’s approach to food safety.<br />
Records allow meat plants to spot trends<br />
and areas of possible improvement. In<br />
addition, if something were to go wrong,<br />
<strong>record</strong>s can help figure out what happened.<br />
The following are two examples that<br />
further illustrate the importance of proper<br />
documentation and <strong>record</strong>-keeping:<br />
• Records that are part of the preventative<br />
maintenance program contribute to<br />
food safety by helping identify gaps that<br />
could lead to product contamination.<br />
• Pre-operational <strong>record</strong>s help identify<br />
issues that may have cropped up<br />
between shifts, for example.<br />
• Record keeping requirements vary<br />
greatly depending on the processes<br />
performed in your plant and the types<br />
of products you process. OMAFRA is<br />
committed to providing flexibility in<br />
<strong>record</strong>-keeping, while maintaining the<br />
food safety standards contained in the<br />
meat regulation.<br />
Records can be designed in many different<br />
ways and can be adapted to suit your<br />
needs. As examples, OMAFRA has sample<br />
templates which can be used to <strong>record</strong><br />
sanitation, pre-operational inspection,<br />
maintenance and pest control activities<br />
as well as temperatures (contact the<br />
Agriculture Information Contact Centre<br />
for copies at 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.<br />
omafra@ontario.ca). The OIMP also has<br />
sample <strong>record</strong>s for most requirements<br />
under the meat regulation.<br />
Brief Glossary of Terms:<br />
Written programs are documents that you<br />
need to prepare once and to keep on file.<br />
They contain procedures, schedules and<br />
18 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
methods for maintaining the plant. You<br />
will need written programs for pest control,<br />
maintenance and sanitation, and recall. The<br />
documents need to be updated if you make<br />
any changes to your programs.<br />
Policies describe how the operator will<br />
establish and maintain programs in the<br />
plant. They are generally prepared once and<br />
kept on file, unless changes are required.<br />
Examples include visitor policy, health and<br />
safety policy, good manufacturing practices<br />
policies, etc.<br />
Protocols are required for some highrisk<br />
activities that have the potential to<br />
contaminate other meat products in the<br />
plant (e.g. hunted game, specified risk<br />
material, pet food). Depending on the<br />
protocol, OMAFRA approvals may be<br />
required.<br />
Records are documents you need to fill out<br />
on an ongoing basis, or as programs in<br />
the plant are updated. They may include:<br />
production <strong>record</strong>s (e.g. cooking, smoking,<br />
drying, fermenting, canning); product<br />
assessment (e.g. pH, water activity, product<br />
temperature); calibration of measurement<br />
equipment; processing of pet food; receiving<br />
incoming materials (meat and non-meat<br />
products); distribution <strong>record</strong>s; product<br />
returns; sanitation activities; maintenance<br />
of equipment; pest control activities; etc.<br />
Records such as recipes would need to be<br />
updated only when changed.<br />
For More Information, Contact:<br />
Agriculture Information<br />
Contact Centre<br />
1-877-424-1300 or<br />
ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca<br />
Frank Rizzardo, Operator of Salumeria Tagliere—<br />
Record keeping is an important part of <strong>Ontario</strong>’s<br />
approach to food safety. Photos by Alan Yee, OMAFRA<br />
www.oimp.ca
FUNDING PROGRAMS<br />
A list of current funding programs available to the industry<br />
Broader Public Sector Investment Fund<br />
This initiative will help connect farmers, food processors, and<br />
distributors with schools, hospitals, and municipalities to increase<br />
the amount of <strong>Ontario</strong> food purchased by the broader public<br />
sector. This will help support <strong>Ontario</strong> farmers and the agri-food<br />
industry. The initiative will include: Funds for local projects<br />
that encourage business between institutions and farmers; the<br />
development of an electronic marketplace that links buyers<br />
with sellers across <strong>Ontario</strong>; and A province wide report to track<br />
positive support of local foods in the public sector. The fund will<br />
be administered by the Greenbelt Fund, a sister organization<br />
of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. Letter of Intent is<br />
due February 15, 2011 and applications are due April 1, 2011.<br />
www.<strong>Ontario</strong>fresh.ca<br />
Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP)<br />
CAAP is five-year, $163-million program that aims to help the<br />
agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based products sector adapt and<br />
remain competitive. CAAP will continue to support industryled<br />
initiatives at the national, regional and multi-regional<br />
levels. Funding support is available for projects designed to:<br />
Seize opportunities; Respond to new and emerging issues;<br />
and Pathfind and pilot solutions to new and ongoing issues.<br />
www.adaptcouncil.org<br />
Career Focus Program in Agriculture and Agri-Food<br />
This initiative will contribute 50% up to $20,000 towards<br />
employing a graduate of a Canadian university, college, CEGEP, or<br />
provincially certified program focusing on biological, agricultural,<br />
or veterinary science or applied technology. Terms of employment<br />
must be between 4-12 months and be project focused. Employers<br />
can hire one graduate at a time per project, and as many as 20<br />
graduates for 10 projects over a 24-month period. Graduates must<br />
be between 15 and 30 years old and have graduated in the past<br />
three years. February18, 2011 is the deadline for the second round<br />
of applications (if funds remain available). All eligible applications<br />
received during this round will be processed on a first come, first<br />
serve basis.<br />
FedDev <strong>Ontario</strong> Program - Prosperity Intitative<br />
Budget 2009 provided more than $1 billion over five years for a<br />
new Southern <strong>Ontario</strong> Development Agency. It will help workers,<br />
communities and businesses in southern <strong>Ontario</strong> position<br />
themselves to take advantage of opportunities, as economic growth<br />
recovers in Canada and around the world. The prosperity initiative<br />
aims to encourage businesses and/or not-for-profit organizations<br />
to undertake projects that will result in the diversification and<br />
enhanced competitiveness of southern <strong>Ontario</strong> regions and<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
[ Government Relations ]<br />
sectors. Up to $210 million has been allocated to this program<br />
from 2010 to 2014. Applications are being accepted on an ongoing<br />
basis. Applicants must first submit a Statement of Intent outlining<br />
the applicant's intent, project scope, alignment with Prosperity<br />
Initiative objectives, project stakeholders, future outcomes, overall<br />
costs and funding sources. Applicants receiving written approval<br />
from FedDev <strong>Ontario</strong> to proceed to the next phase may then<br />
submit a full project proposal.<br />
www.feddevontario.gc.ca<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Market Investment Fund (OMIF)<br />
OMIF supports innovative market research, communications and/<br />
or marketing projects that encourage Ontarians to buy locallyproduced<br />
foods. These projects include development of market<br />
opportunities, communication initiatives, and consumer or trade<br />
events. All projects are cost-shared with the provincial government<br />
investing up to 50% of the project’s eligible cost. Grants of up to<br />
$100,000 are available.<br />
www.ontario.ca/omif<br />
Rural Economic Development Program (RED)<br />
RED assists with the costs of projects that benefit rural <strong>Ontario</strong>.<br />
Red supports rural economic development, stimulating new<br />
innovations and future development throughout rural <strong>Ontario</strong>.<br />
Priorities of the red program are: support the food processing<br />
sector; community revitalization; improve access to skills training<br />
and enhancement; and improve access to health care services.<br />
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/red<br />
Scientific Research & Experimental Development<br />
(SR&ED) Tax Incentive Program<br />
This initiative is a federal tax incentive program, administered by<br />
the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), that encourages Canadian<br />
businesses of all sizes, and in all sectors to conduct research and<br />
development (R&D) in Canada. It is the largest single source of<br />
federal government support for industrial R&D. The SR&ED<br />
program gives claimants cash refunds and/or tax credits for their<br />
expenditures on eligible R&D work done in Canada.<br />
www.cra-arc.gc.ca/sred<br />
The following website is an excellent resource<br />
to identify financial assistance programs:<br />
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/<br />
industry/funding-prog-index.htm<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 19
[ Government News]<br />
IN THE COURTS<br />
Four Men Convicted of Violations Under the Food<br />
Safety and Quality Act<br />
WHITBY — One resident of Scarborough and three residents of<br />
Oshawa were convicted of violations under the Food Safety and<br />
Quality Act, 2001 as a result of an investigation by the Ministry of<br />
Natural Resources’ (MNR) Agriculture Investigations Unit.<br />
On December 9, 2010, in the <strong>Ontario</strong> Court of Justice in Whitby,<br />
Nadeem Ansari of Scarborough, Zuber Patel, Salim Patel and<br />
Mohammad Rasoul of Oshawa each pleaded guilty to:<br />
• One count of carrying on a licensed activity (slaughtering<br />
food animals) without being the holder of a licence<br />
• One count of failing to ensure that the animals<br />
received an ante mortem inspection<br />
• One count of failing to ensure that carcasses<br />
received a post mortem inspection<br />
The court found that, as a result of a complaint, the Agriculture<br />
Investigations Unit attended at a farm in Oshawa area, where they<br />
found the defendants in the process of slaughtering several goats<br />
and sheep. The location was not a licensed facility and no inspector<br />
was present to perform the required inspections. These offences<br />
occurred on November 17, 2010.<br />
Justice of the Peace C. McIlwain sentenced Mr. Ansari to a $1,500<br />
fine plus a $375 victim fine surcharge for the first count, and issued<br />
suspended sentences on the remaining two counts. The other three<br />
defendants received suspended sentences on all counts.<br />
20 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
Company Voluntarily Disposes of Product and Pleads<br />
Guilty to Violation Under the Provincial Food Safety<br />
and Quality Act<br />
TORONTO — Globe Wholesale <strong>Meat</strong>s Inc. of North York, <strong>Ontario</strong>,<br />
pleaded guilty to a violation under the Food Safety and Quality<br />
Act 2001 as a result of an investigation by the <strong>Ontario</strong> Ministry of<br />
Natural Resources’ (MNR) Agriculture Investigations Unit.<br />
On December 2, 2010, the company pleaded guilty to one count of<br />
carrying on a licensed activity without being the holder of a licence<br />
under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001, meat regulation<br />
(O.Reg 31/05 as amended), in the <strong>Ontario</strong> Court of Justice in<br />
Toronto. This offence occurred on or about March 8, 2010.<br />
The court also heard that, in April 2010, the company voluntarily<br />
disposed of $60,000 worth of pork products (including prosciutto,<br />
prosciuttini, pork jowls and semi-dried sausages) that had been<br />
produced without a licence to do so and in an un-inspected facility.<br />
This voluntary disposal was done under the supervision of an<br />
inspector appointed under the Food Safety and Quality Act.<br />
Justice of the Peace M. Ross-Hendrik gave the company a<br />
suspended sentence.<br />
To Report Illegal Activities: 1-888-466-2372 (1-888-4-OMAFRA) ext. 6-4537,<br />
regulatory.compliance@ontario.ca If you have any information regarding meat<br />
processing activities you think may be illegal or may compromise food safety and<br />
public health.<br />
www.oimp.ca
CFIA RECALL<br />
OTTAWA, January 19, 2011 - The Canadian Food Inspection<br />
Agency (CFIA) and Super Asia Food & Spices Limited are warning<br />
the public not to consume the chilli powders described below<br />
because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella.<br />
The following Mehran brand Chilli Powders, product of Pakistan,<br />
are affected by this alert: These products have been distributed in<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong>.<br />
Product Size UPC Best Before Date<br />
Chilli Powder 200 g 8 05159 10036 2 April-2013<br />
Chilli Powder 400 g 8 05159 10037 9 April-2013<br />
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the<br />
consumption of these products.<br />
Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled.<br />
Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause<br />
salmonellosis, a food borne illness. In young children, the elderly<br />
and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may<br />
cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise<br />
healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms<br />
such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal<br />
pain and diarrhoea. Long-term complications may include severe<br />
arthritis.<br />
For information on all food recalls, and to receive recalls by e-mail,<br />
and other food safety facts visit www.foodsafety.gc.ca<br />
NEW ADVANTAGE SERIES OF MANUALS TO<br />
GROW YOUR BUSINESS!<br />
Want to increase your sales and profits? Our new food safety<br />
manuals are easier to use and will help you grow your business.<br />
Now available:<br />
• Book 1 : Free! Introduction to the Advantage Series of<br />
Food Safety Programs This introductory book will help<br />
you get started. Learn how the Advantage Series of Food<br />
Safety Programs can grow your business. (No charge)<br />
• Book 2: Advantage Good Manufacturing Practices<br />
(GMP) This book describes the good manufacturing<br />
practices and gives you lots of practical suggestions<br />
to help you start using them. Price $50.<br />
• Book 3: Advantage HACCP. Many buyers require you<br />
to have a HACCP plan. The Advantage HACCP book<br />
will help you meet audit standards. Price $40.<br />
To order, or for assistance with any food safety concern, please<br />
contact 1-877-424-1300<br />
New Training Available for Food <strong>Processors</strong><br />
OMAFRA’s new food safety training topics will help provide<br />
practical suggestions on how you can improve food safety at your<br />
facility.<br />
Learn more at www.ontario.ca/foodsafety or call 1 877 424-1300 to<br />
find out more information.<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
[ Government News ]<br />
“Excellent workshop, very informative,<br />
time well spent” – Jim Ranahan<br />
Traceability is good for Business.<br />
Find out how it can improve yours.<br />
Enroll now!<br />
Our workshops will show you how to:<br />
• Make traceability work for you<br />
• Select and implement your own traceability<br />
solution<br />
• Save money with traceability<br />
• Strengthen your brand<br />
Traceability Workshops 2011<br />
Processor Workshops:<br />
• Mississauga – Thursday, February 17, 2011<br />
• Guelph – Thursday, February 24, 2011<br />
Producer Workshops:<br />
• Bradford – Thursday, February 10, 2011<br />
• London – Friday, February 11, 2011<br />
• Guelph – Wednesday February 16<br />
• Kingston – Tuesday, February 22, 2011<br />
• Vineland – Friday, February 25, 2011<br />
Space is limited. Register today.<br />
Workshop cost: $75, includes all day workshop,<br />
lunch and Traceability Workbook<br />
For more information:<br />
Toll Free 1-888-38-TRACE (8-7223)<br />
or www.ontrace.ca<br />
With the generous support of OMAFRA<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 21<br />
OnTrace OIMP ad.indd 1 1/25/11 9:20 AM
[ Industry News ]<br />
10% REBATE FOR ALL FARMING AND<br />
RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICITY BILLS<br />
January 31, 2011 – As part of Ag Energy Co-operative’s continued<br />
effort to keep the <strong>Ontario</strong> agricultural community up to date and<br />
informed on the changing energy landscape, the main details of the<br />
new <strong>Ontario</strong> Clean Energy Benefit are clarified here. As of the start<br />
of the New Year, a discounted line item will appear on low volume<br />
consumer’s bills.<br />
Retro-active to January 1st, 2011, and for five years concluding at<br />
the end of 2016, all farm, residential and small business electricity<br />
consumers will receive 10% off their total electricity bills. Thus, every<br />
kilowatt consumed, as well as regulatory charges, the debt retirement<br />
charge and taxes will effectively be reduced by 10%. This applies to<br />
all low volume consumers regardless of whether they have contracted<br />
with a retailer or not.<br />
In response to the growing public awareness of the rising costs of<br />
electricity, the <strong>Ontario</strong> government is offering this rebate to help<br />
counteract projected costs of modernizing <strong>Ontario</strong>’s electrical<br />
infrastructure and supporting clean energy and conservation<br />
programs. All eligible consumers should see this rebate on their<br />
bills no later than May, 2011, as all local distribution companies are<br />
required to comply by this time.<br />
For more information on how Ag Energy is adapting to <strong>Ontario</strong>’s<br />
changing energy market, how your electricity bill works, or if you are<br />
interested in Ag Energy’s electricity programs, please contacts us at<br />
1-888-866-7575.<br />
22 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
SAVE THE DATE!<br />
May 12th, 2011<br />
Metro Toronto Convention Centre<br />
Join representatives of Canada’s food and beverage processing<br />
industry, academia, and government in a discussion of<br />
innovative approaches to profitability for the sector. This oneday<br />
event, held in conjunction with SIAL Canada, will feature<br />
world-class speakers sure to engage and inspire.<br />
Don’t miss the opportunity to shape our sector’s science and<br />
innovation priorities of the future. Save the date, and stay<br />
tuned for more event information in the next couple of weeks!<br />
The Food Industry Innovation Forum is an initiative of Growing<br />
Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.<br />
www.oimp.ca
NAMES IN THE NEWS<br />
West Grey Premium Beef, located near Owen Sound, received<br />
$70,000 to purchase processing equipment through Agriculture<br />
and Agri-food Canada’s Agri Processing Initiative – part of the<br />
Agri Flexibility fund. Th e program provides support to existing<br />
companies for projects involving the adoption of innovative<br />
technologies. Th e equipment is expected to increase production<br />
capacity and will help the fi rm to become a federally inspected<br />
facility. Part-owner Doug Calhoun says West Grey purchases 100<br />
per cent <strong>Ontario</strong> beef, mostly from farms within 50 miles of the<br />
facility.<br />
Hayter’s Turkey Products Inc., a Dashwood area turkey processor,<br />
expects to triple sales thanks to an almost $350,000 grant from the<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Government’s Rural Economic Development program.<br />
Funds will be used to renovate its existing facility to improve<br />
production capacity, relocate its retail store within the building and<br />
establish a test kitchen to develop new, healthy turkey products.<br />
Hayter’s will also be getting new equipment and upgrading some<br />
machinery to process larger batch sizes and increase product<br />
output. Hayter’s produces whole turkeys, turkey parts, and further<br />
processed items, such as sausages and burgers, for markets in<br />
London, Kitchener and Longo’s in Toronto. Th ey also do custom<br />
processing for other turkey producers.<br />
Halenda’s Fine Foods has acquired Richard & Sons, a Mississauga<br />
plant run by Richard Vitrih and his family for the past 18 years.<br />
Richard Halenda says: “Richard & Sons is a perfect fi t to our<br />
expansion plans. Th ey make what I believe to be the best dry cured<br />
product available anywhere and the staff is aware of that fact and<br />
proud of it.” Halenda’s Fine Foods has been producing quality<br />
sausages for over 30 years in Oshawa. Th ey operate fi ve retail<br />
locations and are the founders of Th e <strong>Meat</strong> Depot, a wholesale<br />
meat distribution company. Richard Halenda adds: “A bonus to the<br />
whole deal is that I was able to recruit Graham Dalziel to come<br />
aboard as operations manager”. Halenda’s will continue to sell<br />
product made at the plant under the Richards & Sons brand.<br />
Malabar Super Spice Co. Ltd. has been named as the Canadian<br />
distributor of Danisco starter cultures for meat, poultry and fi sh<br />
processing. Danisco off ers a broad range of meat cultures and<br />
protective cultures perfectly adapted to many dried and semi-dried<br />
fermented sausages and other processed meats including dry cured<br />
meat, fresh ground and cooked meat products. Malabar will feature<br />
Danisco products at the 2011 <strong>Meat</strong> & Food Processing Expo.<br />
Th e Canadian Grocery HR Council (CGHRC) has appointed<br />
Patricia Parulekar as Executive Director. Th e CGHRC is a<br />
nationally recognized, non-profi t organization funded by the<br />
Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program that brings<br />
together representatives from business, labour, education, industry<br />
associations, government and other professional groups to support<br />
a collective response to the grocery industry’s HR challenges.<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
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Sanimax, we’re everything you’re looking<br />
for in a trusted partner. Indeed, we’ve built<br />
our business on it.<br />
• Prompt, reliable service through<br />
dedicated customer service<br />
• Tailored collection systems to suit<br />
your volume<br />
• One-stop shop for animal and meat<br />
by-products and used cooking oil<br />
[ Industry News ]<br />
Louis Martel is retiring at the end of March aft er a 35 year career<br />
in OMAFRA’s <strong>Meat</strong> Inspection Program. Louis spent the past four<br />
years of his career as the Regional Manager for the East.<br />
Pierre Adrien will be assuming the Regional Manager role for<br />
eastern <strong>Ontario</strong> March 14 on a temporary basis. He has been<br />
with the <strong>Meat</strong> Inspection Program since 2000 as a <strong>Meat</strong> Hygiene<br />
Offi cer, Further Processing Inspector and Training Coordinator.<br />
Most recently, Pierre was the York Area Manager. Pierre holds a<br />
Bachelor of Applied Sciences from Laval University and is currently<br />
completing his Strategic Leadership Advanced Certifi cate from the<br />
University of Toronto.<br />
Nick Van Lankveld has been named Regional Manager for the<br />
West and North aft er fi lling the role on an acting basis since<br />
January 2010. Nick has been with the <strong>Meat</strong> Inspection Program<br />
since 2003 as both a <strong>Meat</strong> Hygiene Offi cer and Area Manager.<br />
He has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph and<br />
is currently completing the <strong>Ontario</strong> Management Development<br />
Program at Durham College.<br />
1.800.361.4269<br />
www.sanimax.com<br />
info@sanimax.com<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 23
[ Industry News ]<br />
The new ScottPec EcoCook<br />
Vertical Flow Smokehouse<br />
Ready <strong>Meat</strong>s, Canned Foods, Cured Pork<br />
and Poultry, <strong>Meat</strong> for Further Processing,<br />
Seafood<br />
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One Single Operation<br />
Rapid De-Frosting - Massaging - Marinating<br />
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For more information, call:<br />
Toll free: 1-888-343-5421<br />
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Tel: 519-836-6902 • e-mail: info@scottpec.com<br />
www.scottpec.com<br />
24 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
Starting<br />
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CALL FOR FEDERAL FOOD SAFETY TAX<br />
CREDIT TO SUPPORT PROCESSING SECTOR<br />
OIMP was one of seven co-signers on a letter from Canadian<br />
Manufacturers & Exporters to James Flaherty, Minister of Finance,<br />
and Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, to<br />
include in the upcoming federal budget provision for a food safety<br />
tax credit that businesses could apply to partially offset expenses<br />
they incur to meet rising food safety requirements. A copy of the<br />
letter is posted on the OIMP website.<br />
To meet the rising expectations of customers, regulators, and<br />
consumers, businesses need to invest in new testing and information<br />
systems, processing technologies, sanitation equipment, and<br />
improved workplace training and certification systems. However,<br />
many companies lack funds to make these investments, particularly<br />
if there is no direct link to improving operating efficiencies,<br />
strengthening sales, or developing new products and new markets.<br />
In fact, upgrades in buildings, systems, equipment, and staffing are<br />
often delayed because significant expenses are involved without<br />
offsetting cost reductions.<br />
A time-limited federal food safety tax credit would provide a<br />
financial incentive for food processors of all sizes, in all commodity<br />
sectors and in all regions. It would help stimulate innovation<br />
while accelerating regulatory compliance. By targeting cash flow,<br />
such a measure would be more effective than programs under the<br />
Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative. A tax credit would<br />
reduce the cost of investments without constraining the choice of<br />
technologies or services. It would also apply regardless of which<br />
jurisdiction has regulatory responsibility for the upgrading facility<br />
and would avoid the limiting, bureaucratic, and costly features of<br />
grant programs.<br />
The tax credit would apply to the following expenses:<br />
• Implementation of HACCP (or equivalent) food safety prerequisite<br />
programs and operating systems;<br />
• New product formulation and processing technologies that<br />
improve food safety;<br />
• Plant and equipment upgrades focused on sanitary design and<br />
GMPs – such as line separation barriers, improved drainage<br />
systems, and air flow systems for condensation management;<br />
• Rapid testing systems for pathogens and chemical residues;<br />
• Product traceability and recall management systems;<br />
• Informatics systems for <strong>record</strong>ing and analyzing microbiological<br />
test data;<br />
• Enhanced sanitation equipment and operating protocols; and,<br />
• Third-party food safety certification and auditing against<br />
recognized global standards.<br />
Inspection will succeed only if matched by investments by<br />
businesses to prevent food safety problems rather than to react<br />
after the fact. A food safety tax credit would provide a simple,<br />
uniform incentive to keep food safety a high priority as critical<br />
business decisions are made.<br />
www.oimp.ca
[ Industry News ]<br />
SODIUM REDUCTION STRATEGY FOR CANADA<br />
Health Canada has been working to establish sodium reduction targets for foods sold in<br />
Canada<br />
According to Health Canada it is currently<br />
estimated that the average Canadian's<br />
sodium intake is 3,400 mg per day. Health<br />
Canada has been working to establish<br />
sodium reduction targets for foods sold in<br />
Canada. With more than 75% of sodium<br />
in the diets of Canadians coming from<br />
commercially prepared foods, much of the<br />
effort to lower sodium must focus on the<br />
food supply. Health Canada recognizes that<br />
the process of setting targets for sodium<br />
content in foods is complex since the role<br />
and function of salt, and other sodiumcontaining<br />
additives and ingredients, vary<br />
depending on the nature of the food. Health<br />
Canada held Stakeholder Consultations<br />
seeking feedback from industry to ensure<br />
that the proposed targets are substantive<br />
and realistic, thereby achieving the<br />
public health goal of reducing dietary<br />
sodium intakes while taking into account<br />
potential technical or transitional issues.<br />
For the purpose of establishing step-wise<br />
reductions and for monitoring progress in<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
sodium reduction, interim milestones have<br />
been established as sales weighted averages<br />
(SWA), to be achieved by the ends of 2012<br />
and 2014 respectively, as well as final targets<br />
to be achieved by the end of 2016. The<br />
interim sodium intake goal is on average<br />
2,300 mg of sodium per day to be achieved<br />
by 2016. Health Canada’s website has the<br />
full set of draft sodium reduction targets<br />
for each food category.<br />
Members can contact the Alliance of<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Food <strong>Processors</strong> (AOFP) office<br />
for a FREE resource: Reformulation of<br />
products to reduce sodium: Salt Reduction<br />
guide for the Food Industry. The 76 page<br />
resource was compiled by AOFP's Quebec<br />
counterpart, the Conseil de la transformation<br />
agroalimentaire et des produits de<br />
consommation (CTAC). The document<br />
is available in both English and French.<br />
Contact Julie Stalford at 519-896-5967 to<br />
receive your Guide.<br />
In the U.S., corporate initiatives are honing<br />
in on food health trends. Wal-Mart Stores<br />
Inc. announced it will reduce prices on<br />
fresh fruits and vegetables and lower<br />
sodium in meats, cheese and other foods as<br />
part of a broader effort backed by First Lady<br />
Michelle Obama to sell healthier foods.<br />
Luncheon meats, hot dogs, bacon and other<br />
fresh beef, pork and poultry products are<br />
among categories targeted for 25-percent<br />
reductions in sodium content by 2015. As<br />
the largest U.S. food retailer, Walmart will<br />
be pushing its suppliers to reformulate<br />
thousands of packaged food items to<br />
reduce unhealthy fats, salts and sugars.<br />
Wal-Mart also plans to cut sodium in dairy<br />
products such as processed cheese, cottage<br />
cheese, semi- and hard cheese. According<br />
to an article on www.cattlenetwork.com,<br />
Walmart will be asking their suppliers to<br />
voluntarily fill out a scorecard annually so<br />
they can assess and report their progress<br />
towards their target.<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 25
[ Commodity Partners]<br />
ONTARIO PORK MOVING AHEAD<br />
Since <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork’s inception in 1946 it has experienced numerous changes to reflect the<br />
continuous evolution of the pork industry<br />
December 4, 2010 was a significant<br />
milestone for the <strong>Ontario</strong> pork industry.<br />
It was the first day of a deregulated<br />
provincial hog industry. Since <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Pork’s inception in 1946 it has experienced<br />
numerous changes to reflect the continuous<br />
evolution of the pork industry. At its<br />
inception, the <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork Producers’<br />
Marketing Board was mandated to market<br />
all hogs in <strong>Ontario</strong>. The core functions were<br />
to sell, arrange assembly, transportation<br />
and settlement of all <strong>Ontario</strong> market hogs.<br />
Over the years, <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork evolved<br />
into an organization that provides overall<br />
representation for producers and the entire<br />
swine industry from farm to fork.<br />
On May 13, 2010 the Honorable Carol<br />
Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Food<br />
and Rural Affairs provided her decision<br />
regarding <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork’s marketing<br />
authority and governance structure and<br />
concluded that producers can choose to<br />
sell their hogs directly to processors or<br />
hog marketers/brokers. She also confirmed<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Pork’s powers to collect and share<br />
price data as well as extend the power to<br />
collect fees on all classes of swine (sows,<br />
boars, bbq’s, feeders, weaners, etc). As<br />
a result of the ruling, <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork split<br />
into two separate divisions - the <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Pork Marketing Division and <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork<br />
Universal Services.<br />
The <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork Marketing Division<br />
operates independently from <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Pork Universal Services and is available<br />
as a selling agent for those producers that<br />
require marketing and settlement services.<br />
For the time being the set marketing<br />
service fee is .65 cents, which will be<br />
collected on every hog marketed through<br />
the <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork Marketing Division.<br />
Marketing services are those programs<br />
and activities that enable an <strong>Ontario</strong> hog<br />
producer to get their market hog from farm<br />
to processor through the transactions of<br />
selling, scheduling, transporting, settling,<br />
and arranging processing.<br />
26 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Pork Universal Services are<br />
provided to all pork producers in<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong>. License fees will be collected<br />
on all classes of swine for the purpose<br />
of maintaining universal services. This<br />
fee is largely collected by the processors<br />
who send data and fees to <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork<br />
Universal Services; however, it is still the<br />
responsibility of the individual producer to<br />
ensure that their license fees are remitted.<br />
Beginning December 4, 2010 the service fee<br />
collected for universal services is $1.00 and<br />
is collected on market hogs. At this point in<br />
time the license fee for all other classes of<br />
swine has not been determined.<br />
Universal Services are those programs,<br />
activities, and initiatives that not only<br />
benefit the individual producer, but<br />
contribute to the betterment of the <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
swine industry overall. These are services<br />
that require interaction with government,<br />
processors, retailers and other industry<br />
associations, rural and urban neighbours<br />
and the general public on areas including<br />
environment, government lobbying,<br />
consumer marketing, animal care, food<br />
safety, agriculture education and awareness,<br />
pork promotion, and regulatory affairs.<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Pork Universal Services is dedicated<br />
to working with all industry partners<br />
throughout the value chain with the<br />
common goal to increase the consumption<br />
and value of <strong>Ontario</strong> pork products.<br />
Recently the <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork Retailer News<br />
was launched, the newsletter is targeted to<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> retailers to keep them informed<br />
of activities, programs and initiatives that<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Pork is responsible for or supports<br />
that would benefit <strong>Ontario</strong> retailers.<br />
The most recent newsletter had articles<br />
featuring the <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork consumer<br />
website, Foodland <strong>Ontario</strong>, <strong>Ontario</strong> Pork<br />
label program, recipes and resources that<br />
are available and a piece on how <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Pork is interested in working with retailers<br />
who are interested in developing a pork<br />
program, event or promotional material.<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong>’s pork producers continue to<br />
advocate the need to promote local and<br />
the importance of labeling. Producers,<br />
and processors alike, are dedicated to<br />
delivering pork products of the highest<br />
quality and adhering to the strictest food<br />
safety guidelines. Communicating these<br />
messages to the consumer is critical and is<br />
a way of differentiating our local <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
pork products from imports. <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
Pork Universal Services supports various<br />
‘Buy Local’ initiatives, and has recently<br />
responded with a pork label program for<br />
three popular cuts, Grilling Chops, Pork<br />
Oven Roast, and Pork Ribs.<br />
“ Producers, and processors alike, are dedicated to delivering<br />
pork products of the highest quality and adhering to the strictest<br />
food safety guidelines.”<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Pork would welcome the<br />
opportunity to work with interested<br />
independent meat processors in <strong>Ontario</strong><br />
that are interested in enhancing their pork<br />
program, either by product innovation,<br />
promotions, marketing programs and<br />
events.<br />
OIMP appreciates the strong support from our commodity partners “Working Together, Moving the Industry Forward”<br />
Contact:<br />
Katie Sinclair<br />
519-767-4600, ext 1201<br />
Katie.sinclair@ontariopork.on.ca<br />
www.oimp.ca
RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS<br />
A sneak peek at behind the scenes at the <strong>Ontario</strong> Finest <strong>Meat</strong> Competition<br />
Continued from Front Page...<br />
With a welcome from OIMP Executive<br />
Director Laurie Nicol and an overview of<br />
how the judging would proceed, the day<br />
kicked off with the 12 eager judges divided<br />
into four teams, each team judging different<br />
categories. Dave Tiller and Don Ruppe were<br />
on hand to answer technical questions.<br />
Four rounds of judging took place, and by<br />
the end of the day each of the judges had<br />
sampled and carefully reviewed close to 50<br />
different products.<br />
The scores were tabulated throughout the<br />
day, and judging was completed early in<br />
the afternoon. The judges were impressed<br />
and excited by the quality of the products<br />
they’d sampled. Clean-up was a long<br />
process, but it was all hands on deck for the<br />
tired but satisfied OIMP team to package<br />
up the leftover product for a delivery to<br />
the very grateful Good Shepherd Mission.<br />
While clean-up continued, photography<br />
commenced with the Platinum, Gold<br />
and Silver winners in the Fresh Sausage<br />
category.<br />
Photography continued into Friday with<br />
each of the category winners having a<br />
professional photo taken.<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
The winners of the 2011<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Finest <strong>Meat</strong><br />
Competition will be<br />
announced at the Awards<br />
Gala on March 5. This<br />
year, beyond just industry<br />
recognition and bragging<br />
rights, each winner will<br />
benefit from:<br />
• Use of designated logo<br />
• Professional product photo taken at<br />
time of judging by Geoff George<br />
• Press release distributed province-wide<br />
to food, lifestyle, business, trade and<br />
agricultural media announcing winners<br />
• Local release targeted directly to media<br />
in their region<br />
• Recognition on oimp.ca,<br />
ontariomeatproducts.ca<br />
and in BLOCKtalk<br />
• Social media announcements (on<br />
Facebook and Twitter)<br />
• Opportunity to have product showcased<br />
at events such as Premier’s Agri-Food<br />
Summit, Queen’s Park Farmers Market,<br />
Alliance MPP Queen’s Park Reception,<br />
OIMP Annual Conference, Grocery<br />
Innovations<br />
And, if the award winning product is<br />
eligible, it will be included with the OIMP’s<br />
Market Development Pilot Project (MDPP)<br />
and:<br />
• It may be chosen to be featured in one<br />
of three videos that will be produced for<br />
Special thanks to our <strong>Ontario</strong> Finest <strong>Meat</strong> Competition Sponsors<br />
[ Market Development ]<br />
social media (YouTube, website, MSN,<br />
Yahoo, etc.) and broadcast media<br />
• It may be chosen for professional<br />
recipe development and photography<br />
which will be used in media outreach<br />
initiatives<br />
• The product will be permitted to use the<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong> Finest <strong>Meat</strong> logo/brand free of<br />
charge for two years<br />
• If the product is chosen by retailers<br />
participating in the MDPP it will be<br />
sold and promoted in-store with a<br />
retail launch in spring 2011 that will<br />
include point-of-sale materials, instore<br />
demos, and promotion in retail<br />
flyers and on retail websites. There will<br />
also be ongoing media outreach (e.g.<br />
TV segments, print promotion, social<br />
media) to drive customers to look for<br />
product.<br />
The unveiling of the 2011 <strong>Ontario</strong> Finest<br />
<strong>Meat</strong> Competition winners promises to<br />
be an exciting night. Guests at the Awards<br />
Gala will get a peek behind the scenes with a<br />
short event video. Many of the judges have<br />
indicated that they will be in attendance, as<br />
will the team responsible for planning and<br />
executing this very successful event. Don’t<br />
miss it!<br />
For tickets and more information on the<br />
Awards Gala, please visit www.oimp.ca.<br />
Follow us @OntFinest<strong>Meat</strong><br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 27
For more information<br />
please call<br />
1 800 668 8111<br />
28 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
www.oimp.ca
[ Featured Recipe ]<br />
BRAISED ONTARIO PORK WITH CREAMY POLENTA<br />
This rustic Italian recipe offers a touch of comfort in every bite. Tender pork chops topped<br />
over stick-to-your-ribs polenta will soothe your soul and appetite. Share this recipe with<br />
your family, friends and customers - For more recipes visit www.homegrownontario.ca<br />
Ingredients:<br />
4 <strong>Ontario</strong> pork chops 4<br />
(about 1-1/2 lb./750 g)<br />
1 tsp each, salt and cracked pepper, divided 5 mL<br />
2 tbsp olive oil, divided 30 mL<br />
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, quartered 500 g<br />
4 cloves garlic, halved 4<br />
1/2 cup dry white wine 125 mL<br />
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme 15 mL<br />
1 bay leaf 1<br />
2 cups chicken broth 500 mL<br />
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley 30 mL<br />
Polenta:<br />
2 cups water 500 mL<br />
2 cups milk 500 mL<br />
1 tsp salt 5 mL<br />
3/4 cup fi ne cornmeal 175 mL<br />
1/4 cup fi nely grated Parmesan 50 mL<br />
1 tbsp butter 15 mL<br />
Pinch freshly cracked black pepper Pinch<br />
www.oimp.ca<br />
Preparation:<br />
Sprinkle pork with 1/2 tsp (2 mL) of the salt and pepper. Set aside.<br />
In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium<br />
high heat. Add pork and cook just until browned on both sides,<br />
about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.<br />
Add remaining oil to skillet. Add mushrooms, garlic and remaining<br />
salt and pepper; cook, stirring oft en, until golden, about 5 minutes.<br />
Add wine, thyme and bay leaf scraping up any bits from the bottom<br />
of the pan. Pour in chicken broth and cook until mushrooms are<br />
tender and liquid has been reduced by about half, about 10 minutes.<br />
Return pork and any accumulated juices back to the pan. Cover,<br />
reduce heat, and simmer until pork is cooked through, about 15<br />
minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve over creamy polenta.<br />
For creamy polenta:<br />
Combine water, milk and salt in a saucepan and bring to boil<br />
over medium high heat. Whisking constantly, gradually whisk<br />
in cornmeal until smooth. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer<br />
stirring oft en, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from<br />
heat and stir Parmesan, butter and a pinch of fresh cracked pepper.<br />
Serve immediately.<br />
Makes 4 servings.<br />
www.homegrownontario.ca<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 29
[ Advertiser Index ]<br />
Donnell Insurance Brokers Ltd. pg. 25<br />
www.donnellins.com<br />
Duropac pg. 22<br />
www.duropac.com<br />
Flewwelling Insurance Brokers ltd. pg. 14<br />
www.Flewelling.com<br />
Handtmann Canada pg. 32<br />
www.handtmann.ca<br />
M&M Enterprise Canada Inc. pg. 20<br />
www.mmenterprisescanada.com<br />
Malabar Super Spice pg. 32<br />
www.malabarsuperspice.com<br />
OnTrace Agri-Food Traceability pg. 21<br />
www.ontrace.ca<br />
30 BLOCKtalk January/February 2011<br />
Pemberton & Associates Inc pg. 28<br />
www.pemcom.com<br />
Sanimax pg. 23<br />
www.sanimax.com<br />
Scott Processing Equipment & Controls pg. 24 & pg. 32<br />
www.scottpec.com<br />
Sipromac In. pg. 5<br />
www.sipromac.com<br />
The <strong>Meat</strong> Depot pg. 28<br />
www.themeatdepot.ca<br />
VanLondersele Real Estate Brokerage Ltd. pg. 30<br />
www.vanlondersele.ca<br />
VC999 Canada Ltd pg. 8<br />
www.vc999.com<br />
www.oimp.ca
www.oimp.ca<br />
[ Classified ]<br />
CLASSIFIEDS<br />
Advertise items for sale, equipment needed, or help wanted in the classified section of<br />
BLOCKtalk and on the OIMP website<br />
Business Opportunities<br />
Excellent for someone in the food<br />
processing business. Industrial unit for<br />
lease in the Toronto Airport area. Total of<br />
4,740 sq feet, 10% office space, 14 ft clear,<br />
with large shipping dock. Is already zoned<br />
M2 with permit for food processing.<br />
Features: Has power of 600 volts, 400 amps<br />
and is equipped with trench drains and<br />
grease trap. Also available for purchase<br />
are three walk-in coolers, freezers and<br />
stainless steel sinks. Building is in excellent<br />
condition and close to major highways.<br />
Please call Alex<br />
Tel: 905-293-9915 - Mississauga<br />
Northern <strong>Meat</strong> Packers is a provincially<br />
licensed abattoir located in Trout Creek,<br />
<strong>Ontario</strong>. We are looking for full time<br />
and part time meat cutters or an investor<br />
wanting to work in the meat industry.<br />
Situated in beautiful Northern <strong>Ontario</strong>, this<br />
plant is ideal for a family moving north.<br />
Contact Mark<br />
Tel: 705-723-5573 - Trout Creek<br />
Classifieds<br />
VIP2020 Colour Label Printer Prints<br />
up to 5” wide labels. Works with any<br />
computer graphics program. On demand<br />
colour labels that can include barcodes,<br />
print one to one thousand labels at a time<br />
- $3,000; 2001 GMC C6500 Refrigerated<br />
white ext, Top kick with refer and walk in<br />
box, diesel CAT 3126B, certified, e-tested,<br />
meets food inspection standards, fibreglass<br />
and aluminum interior, Mileage: 191,000<br />
kms - $25,000 obo; and Hobart Grinder 3<br />
horsepower, 208 3 phase - $3,000.<br />
Call Cory,<br />
Tel: 519-426-2000 - Simcoe<br />
100 lb Mixer, Stainless Steel, Power 208,<br />
Single Phase - $1,500; 4 x 8 Stainless Steel<br />
Cooked Ham Forms, 60 pieces - $20/piece;<br />
Food Warmer, 20 Trays, Bought new $2000<br />
- $1,000; and Ham Skinner, Almost New<br />
- $2,400.<br />
Call Ted,<br />
Tel: 905-383-4433 - Hamilton<br />
Zubber S/S Smokehouse. Stainless<br />
steel single truck oven/smokehouse. All<br />
s/s construction, N.S.F. grades, super<br />
batch, oscillation airflow for temperature<br />
uniformity, 24-28 air changes per minute,<br />
285 CFM air makeup, built in shower, built<br />
in wash-rinse system, electric fired, 3 phase,<br />
208-220 volts, 45 amp, 2 HP blower fan, 3<br />
stage control, liquid system, liquid smoke<br />
atomizer, automatic chart reader/<strong>record</strong>er,<br />
unit in excellent condition.<br />
Fully Restored Antique Sausage Stuffer.<br />
All original parts. Wonderful piece of art for<br />
a company to display in their head office.<br />
They don't make them like this anymore!<br />
- $2,500.<br />
Call Mike,<br />
Tel: 519-352-6630 - Chatham<br />
Interested in Placing a classified ad?<br />
OIMP Business Members advertise items<br />
for sale, equipment needed, or help wanted<br />
in the classified section of BLOCKtalk and<br />
on the OIMP website for FREE.<br />
Send your classified ads to:<br />
Janet - news@oimp.ca by April 1, 2011<br />
to guarantee space in the next issue.<br />
Call today for more information<br />
1-800-263-3797<br />
BLOCKtalk January/February 2011 31
the TASTE<br />
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Lower Total Seasoning Costs,<br />
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RAPS ® , exclusively from Malabar Super Spice.<br />
To TASTE THE DIFFERENCE for yourself, go to<br />
www.malabarsuperspice.com<br />
or call 1-888-456-6252 (MALA)<br />
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