Manitobans with a flair for inventing new food products are encouraged to participate in the seventh annual Great Manitoba Food Fight. This announcement was made by Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn.
“Every product on store shelves today started off as an idea,” said Kostyshyn. “Whether it’s an old family recipe or a solution to a health issue, new foods are launched daily and we want to help talented Manitoba food entrepreneurs get their products to market,” said Kostyshyn.
In addition to the competition, this year’s event will include a workshop called How to Effectively Communicate with Decision Makers from the Grocery and Food Service Industries. The workshop will be held on April 17 and the competition on April 18 at Assiniboine Community College’s Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts (MICA) in Brandon.
The Great Manitoba Food Fight (GMFF) provides food entrepreneurs with an opportunity to fast track their products to commercialization by competing for product development and service awards. Participants provide their products to a panel of judges, as well as to students from the MICA. Students are then challenged to create a new food product using the GMFF competitors’ products as a significant base or ingredient.
This competition is open to all Manitobans and more than 97 entrepreneurs have taken part in this event since it began in 2007. In recent years, winning products have included Walleye Wonders, Buckshots, Boreal Berry Bar, Manitobar, The Great Gorp Bar, Maple Mead, Good Old Fashion Red Millet Beer, Apple Breakfast Sausage, Rawdical Chocolate Hemp Cookies, Imperial Cookies and Millet King Crunchies Cereal.
Applications for the GMFF are due by March 11.
A complete business plan that outlines how the participant plans to commercialize the new food product and a $50 entry fee must accompany the application. The number of finalists who compete in the GMFF 2013 will be limited to 10 competitors. Applications not accepted will have their entry fee returned.
The application form, rules and eligibility, and the business plan template are available online under Enter Your Food Product at www.manitoba.ca/foodfight or by contacting Kathy Sawchuk at 1-204-871-5015 or Kathy.Sawchuk@gov.mb.ca.
