Four B.C. businesses that are developing solutions to help ensure the province’s food systems remain secure, resilient and sustainable are the first to receive funding through the recently launched B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI).

The B.C. government is planning to build a new Plant and Animal Health Centre to provide diagnostic services that support agricultural producers, food safety and the growth of a resilient food system in the province.

Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food, has issued the following statement in support of the B.C. Agriculture Council’s Ag Day:

New funding for the BC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program will help improve access to healthy, locally grown food for lower-income British Columbians and people who are pregnant, while increasing the number of Elders and seniors participating in the program.

B.C. families will enjoy more local raspberries in the years ahead as growers continue revitalizing their fields through up to $300,000 in new funding from the Raspberry Replant Program.

After keeping workers and communities safe and healthy for the past two years while preserving B.C.’s food supply, the quarantine program for seasonal agricultural temporary foreign workers will be ending.

Thousands of students, faculty and staff in 20 of B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions are enjoying more local food on their campuses through the Province’s Feed BC initiative.