Administered by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) · Funded by Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Canada and Ontario)
Up to $75,000 per project (50% cost share) for Ontario food businesses with fewer than 100 staff upgrading food safety and traceability. Opens Oct 19, 2026.
Intake 2 of the Food Safety and Growth Initiative is a cost-share program from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. It covers 50% of eligible project costs, up to $75,000 per project, for primary producers, processors and service providers in the agriculture or food sector with fewer than 100 employees at the project location. Projects must modernize food safety systems or adopt new food safety and traceability equipment, technologies and standards, and eligible costs must be directly tied to a listed food product as a final product at the end stage of handling at the project location. Up to $2 million is allocated to this intake, each applicant can have only 1 application, and applications are reviewed in the order received. Applications open October 19, 2026 and close March 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET, or when funding is fully committed, whichever comes first.
The total program pool, per-organization max, and what your contribution has to be.
Aggregate annual funding across all recipients. Includes federal and provincial allocations where applicable.
50% of eligible project costs, up to $75,000 per project, paid against claims; 1 application per applicant. Up to $2 million allocated to intake 2, which closes early if funding is fully committed.
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Find your matches →A small envelope reviewed in the order received: by our estimate, $2 million at up to $75,000 per project funds about 26 projects if every applicant asks for the maximum ($2,000,000 / $75,000 = 26.7), and the intake can close before March 1, 2027 once funding is committed. Each applicant gets only 1 application. If your food is on the eligible list and you have fewer than 100 people at the site, get third-party quotes in hand before October 19 so you can submit in the first days of the intake.
The practical sequence, from a firm that files these claims every week.
Check that the costs are tied to a listed food that is the final product at the end stage of handling at the project location, and that the site has fewer than 100 employees. Ready-to-eat meals, prepared meals and meal kits containing meat are not eligible.
Both are posted on the official Ontario program page. Read the guidelines in full. Intake 2 allows only 1 application per applicant (intake 1 allowed up to 2 approved projects).
Get written third-party quotes detailing the proposed eligible costs. If training is part of the project, include a course outline with outcomes and a cost summary or a quote from the training provider.
Send the completed application form and required documents to SustainableCAP1@ontario.ca. The intake opens October 19, 2026 and closes March 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET, or earlier if funding is fully committed.
What you need ready before you apply.
Live estimator using this program's rate and cap. Drag the slider to see the impact on your project.
Enter the total cost of the project you want to fund with Food Safety and Growth Initiative. We'll estimate the grant amount, your matching contribution, and your net cost.
Estimates are illustrative — actual funding depends on eligibility, cost classification, and review outcomes. For a firm quote, book a call with our team.
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PhDs, CPAs, and ex-CRA auditors prepare, submit, and defend your application — audit-ready, on a success-fee basis. You stay focused on the business; we handle the forms, the narrative, and the back-and-forth with the agency.
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The program cost-shares 50% of eligible project costs, up to $75,000 per project. A $150,000 project is the smallest that reaches the $75,000 maximum.
Applications open October 19, 2026 and close March 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET, or earlier if the $2 million allocated to this intake is fully committed.
Primary producers, processors and service providers in the agriculture or food sector with fewer than 100 employees at the project location. Eligible costs must be directly tied to a listed food product as a final product at the end stage of handling at that location.
You cannot apply for a project that has already received Sustainable CAP funding. If the project has funding from other sources, total assistance from all funding sources cannot be greater than 100% of total eligible costs.
Download the guidelines and application form from the Ontario program page, gather third-party quotes and any training documents, and email the package to SustainableCAP1@ontario.ca.
Changes to the program tracked by our team.
Ontario posted intake 2: up to $2 million, 50% cost share up to $75,000 per project, 1 application per applicant, open October 19, 2026 to March 1, 2027. Intake 1 had up to $5 million and closed October 2, 2024.
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