Ontario is continuing its strong support for local foods by investing in a ‘buy local’ marketing campaign in the Grey Bruce area.

The announcement was made during the Taste of Huron’s, Huron Country Supper event that brings leaders of the local food movement together to celebrate the ongoing initiatives within Huron, Bruce and Grey Counties.

The Taste of Huron 12-day festival of flavours and feasts ran from August 16-27.

The four-year Ontario Market Investment Fund program has provided more than $6.9 million for 125 projects to date and helps develop economic opportunities through trade events,marketing campaigns and industry research initiatives that promote Ontario foods.  It is part of the McGuinty government’s enhanced investment in ‘buy local’ initiatives.

This 2010 grant is the second that the Grey Bruce Local Food Project has received through the Ontario Market Investment Fund. With this financial support, the programs delivered have been effectively doubled and the website www.foodlinkgreybruce.com has been updated and continues to be a comprehensive resource for information about local food in Grey Bruce.

MPP Carol Mitchell

“Buying local food is good for our farmers and food processors, good for our families, good for our rural economies, and good for the environment," said Carol Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and MPP for Huron Bruce.  "Through this fund, we are helping our producers and processors reach out to communities all over the province to show them all of the good things that grow in Ontario.”

According to Freeman Boyd, Grey Bruce Local Food Project Coordinator, the growing interest in local food in Grey Bruce has seen growth from five farmers’ markets to 15 in the last three years.  "With the help of funding through the provincial Ontario Market and Investment Fund," says Boyd,  "the Grey Bruce Local Food Project has been able to establish a Grey Bruce Farmers Market Network, to assist our new Farmers Markets through the crucial first three years of operation.”