Thursday, November 19, 2020

Feds spending $20 million to find ideas

The federal government is spending $20 million to find bright ideas to reduce food waste.

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced there will be Challenge Streams A and B with a grand prize of $1.5 million for the best ideas.


Concept applications with a closing date of January 18 are now open.


Canadians are being challenged to propose concepts that will reduce food waste along the delivery route from farms to meals. 


Applications will be judged in stages by an external group of subject matter experts will recommend which applicants move to the following stage and receive funding. For Challenge Streams A and B, at the last stage, one winner per stream will be awarded a grand prize of up to $1.5M.


At each stage of the Challenge, “an external group of subject matter experts will recommend which applicants move to the following stage and receive funding,” the government news release said.


“Funding will be awarded to those whose innovative solutions have the potential of reducing the most amount of food waste, with a focus on new innovators looking to accelerate and grow their solutions and who may not have the necessary resources.”


In the spring a second set of Challenge Stream C and D to “support technologies that can extend the life of food or transform food that would otherwise be lost or wasted.”