Manitobans with a great food or beverage idea who have the desire to move their recipe from the family kitchen to the public marketplace will have the opportunity to test their products at the sixth annual Great Manitoba Food Fight during the Capturing Opportunities 2012 rural and northern business forum. This announcement was made by Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn.
“New products emerge from someone’s popular family recipe, the need for a specialty item to meet a dietary requirement or a perceived missing link in the public’s food chain,” said Kostyshyn. “There is no limit to a good cook’s imagination and we are pleased to challenge and support the entrepreneurial drive of Manitobans through this competition.”
The top 10 applications to this competition will be selected to proceed to the preparation and presentation stage. Applications and accompanying business plans are due March 9. Applications are available from any Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) GO office or online at www.capturingopportunities.ca.
Winning products in past years have included the Edible Cup, Super Green Smoothie, Totally Organic Blackcurrant Beverage, Gorp Energy Bar, Manitobar, Maple Mead and Rawdical Chocolate Hemp Cookies.
This year’s food fight will take place April 24 at Assiniboine Community College’s Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts (MICA) in Brandon. Participants will provide a sample of their food or beverage to contest judges and MICA students will use these products as ingredients in food items they will create and serve at the reception preceding the Capturing Opportunities banquet.
Prizes valued at $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 will be awarded and can be used for expenses such as research and development at the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie, the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals in Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba or at other Manitoba research facilities. Development opportunities include recipe refinement, package design, marketing and business management.
“This outstanding annual competition has been the launching pad for many exciting and innovative food and beverage products,” said Kostyshyn. “It is helping to keep Manitoba a leader in new product development by encouraging and supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of people who live, work and raise their families here.”
Through Capturing Opportunities, the Great Manitoba Food Fight is presented by MAFRI in partnership with the Assiniboine Community College’s Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts.
