Introduction

This appendix is organized by categories in alphabetical order to help you quickly find information on your topic of interest.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) does not endorse the information nor promote the use of any consultant or firm contained in this appendix. OMAFRA does not verify any qualifications, representations or claims made by the individuals or corporations listed. The appendix is provided free of charge and for information purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive. It is the responsibility of the person using this resource to conduct their own research to determine how this information will help them grow their business.

In addition to the resources and information provided below, please refer to OMAFRA’s Program Services for Food and Beverage Manufacturers factsheet to learn about the various program and services available for food and beverage manufacturers in Ontario.

Self-assessment and start-up assistance

The following organizations and websites provide information that can help you assess your entrepreneurial skills and business readiness as well as provide guidance on where to source general business start-up information.

Self-assessment

Startup assistance

Business plan resources and business incubators

The following organizations and websites provide useful information for researching and writing your business plan.

Commercial kitchens

Finance

The following organizations and websites provide information to help you access financing for your food business.

Chartered banks — major banks in Canada

Credit unions in Ontario

Government financial institutions

Other business financing

Food safety, traceability and recall

The following organizations and websites provide useful information to help you with food safety, traceability and recall programs for your food business.

Information regarding food safety at the federal level

Regulations and services

The following organizations and websites provide information to help you ensure your business meets the required regulations for your food business.

Federal food safety regulations

Other federal government regulations and services

Industry Canada

Provincial food safety regulations

Ontario: e-laws

Other provincial government regulations and services

Municipal regulations

Industry

US regulations

Human resources and training

The following organizations and websites provide information to help you plan your human resources needs, recruitment and training plans.

Human resources

Recruitment

Foreign workers recruitment

Education and Training Education

Find job opportunities, careers and training in the agriculture, agri-food and food industry — see the Government of Ontario’s Agriculture and food jobs in Ontario webpage.

General training

Food- and beverage-specific training

Occupational health and safety

Industry overview

The following organizations and websites provide helpful information and statistics on the food and beverage manufacturing sectors.

Information technology

The following websites provide information on how to use information technology to help you get connected to your customers as well as protecting personal information from becoming compromised.

Labelling requirements

The following organizations and websites provide information related to labelling requirements for Canada and the United States.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Health Canada

Other resources

Labelling in the United States

Food labelling software

Marketing

The following organizations and websites provide resources to help with planning your marketing and advertising campaign.

Publications

Additional marketing resources and support

Networking

The following organizations and websites provide information which will help you network and make the right connections for your food business.

Organizations

Product development

The following organizations and websites provide information to help you with product development and food preservation and processing.

Lab and testing services

Food preservation and processing

Research sources

The following organizations and websites provide information to help you develop your marketing plans, strategic direction plans and identify your target markets.

Federal government

Industry

Libraries specializing in government publications

Paid food product databases

Retail

The following organizations and websites provide information on how to get your products listed in retail stores.

Sustainability and CSR programs

The following websites provide information to help you know more about sustainability and CSR.

Sustainability and CSR certifications

Standards of production — input suppliers

Company and product standards

Leading retailers — committed to sustainability and CSR

Trade journals

The following list of trade journals will help you find general industry information as well as information specific to the food industry and its sub-sectors.

General

Food industry

For more information:
Toll-free: 1-877-424-1300
Email: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca