Funding for dairy product development

Get a non-repayable contribution of up to $150,000 to develop or improve food products using Canadian milk.

The Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) remains committed to supporting an environment that encourages growth and innovation in the manufacture and use of Canadian dairy products and ingredients. The Matching Investment Fund (MIF) provides non-repayable contributions for product development projects on a matching investment basis.

The MIF is designed to help eligible companies and Food Technology Centres (FTC) with product development initiatives that help stimulate demand for Canadian dairy products and ingredients. It supports:

• the development of new or innovative products;
• the reformulation of existing products;
• knowledge transfer activities;
• technology transfer projects;
• new opportunities for solids non-fat ingredients.

Eligible companies and Food Technology Centres (FTC) can access financial support for the following activities of product development projects:

• Consultation: Access to advice from specialists and experts on the many areas of the product development process: management and market research, dairy and food science, technical services, and food processing.

• Product Development: Support for product analysis, trials, and technology transfer, which includes, but is not limited to, the adoption of new or existing technologies, kitchen, lab, pilot or industrial scale tests, retrofitting of equipment, sample preparation costs, and packaging techniques.

Consultation and product development services can be accessed separately or combined depending on the nature of the project. Both types of services are designed to encourage knowledge and technology transfer.

Eligibility Criteria

1. A) Demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the CDC, that the project meets at least oneof the following criteria:

• Incorporates a Canadian dairy ingredient in a product formulation where no dairy ingredient(s) had been previously used.
• Replaces a substitute ingredient in a product formulation with a Canadian dairy ingredient, or significantly increases the dairy content of an existing product formulation.
• Develops and markets a new dairy product or a product pursuant to the Domestic Dairy Product Innovation Program (DDPIP).
• Develop and markets a new or innovative further processed product containing Canadian dairy ingredients.
• Includes technology/knowledge transfer activities having a demonstrated benefit for a company or for the Canadian dairy industry as a whole.

1. B) Demonstrate that the new/innovative dairy product formulation or further processed product satisfies all of the followingcriteria:

• The product has the potential to increase the use of raw milk components (in the case of a dairy product manufacturer) or Canadian dairy ingredients.
• The project involves a technical challenge associated with incorporating a Canadian dairy ingredient or developing an innovative dairy product.
• It uses dairy ingredient(s) which is/are made wholly or mainly from milk.

1. C) Demonstrate that the dairy product formulation or further processed product will not risk displacing existing Canadian dairy product(s) and/or further processed product(s) made with Canadian dairy ingredients.In order to meet criteria C, an applicant must demonstrate that:

• The project involves reformulating a product with dairy (rather than developing a new/innovative product); OR
• The product is not currently manufactured in Canada; OR
• Similar Canadian product(s) are not currently manufactured and sold in the province(s) where the organization intends to market the product; OR
• Similar Canadian product(s) are not currently manufactured and sold to the same clientele under the same distribution channel.

Give your application the best chance at approval. AKR Consulting has an 99% approval rating across all Canadian funding programs.