A southern Ontario company making gluten-free and non-allergenic flour products for domestic and U.S. markets has picked up provincial funding to boost its capacity.
International Food Products, “strategically located” at Wallaceburg, about 10 km from the U.S. border at Algonac, Mich., across Lake St. Clair from Detroit, plans to start its upgrades and expansions this summer.
The company specializes in making rice flour and “pulse-based alternatives” and carries organic and kosher certifications.
The province has pledged $273,658 from its rural economic development program for the work, which includes upgraded equipment and a second gluten-free processing line for flours made from pulse crops.
Read Also
Feed Grains Weekly: Price likely to keep stepping back
As the harvest in southern Alberta presses on, a broker said that is one of the factors pulling feed prices lower in the region. Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge, added that lower cattle numbers in feedlots, plentiful amounts of grass for cattle to graze and a lacklustre export market also weighed on feed prices.
With the added efficiencies, the company said it plans to take on new packaging contracts for other food processors and cut its production costs. It also said it will boost its supply requirements for produce from Ontario farmers and packaging from Ontario suppliers.
“Having the provincial support to expand and modernize our milling operations has been essential,” the company said in a statement Thursday in a provincial press release.
“The market for gluten-free products is growing every year, and with this support, we’ll be ready to meet demand.”
