Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announces funding to improve sustainability benchmark

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has announced funding of over $3.1 million to the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) under the AgriAssurance Program – National Industry Association Component. This program is under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

This funding will be used to make improvements to the National Index on Agri-Food Performance, which acts as a point of reference for companies to declare the sustainability of their practices. CAPI will use the funding to include more partners in refining the tool, fix missing information, and create an upgraded version of the Index.

The Index looks at how sustainable Canada’s farming and food sector is from food production to retail, covering things like how it affects the environment, the quality of food, and how it helps the economy and society. The new version of the Index will help show the agriculture sector is operating in a sustainable way, help Canadian food brands demonstrate their claims, and help consumers make informed choices when purchasing products.

Minister of AAFC, Lawrence MacAulay, says consumers around the world are looking for more sustainable products, so he has no doubt that Canadian farmers can meet that demand.

“This funding will improve the National Index on Agri-Food Performance, helping the sector take advantage of market opportunities, and backing up our efforts with concrete data,” says Minister MacAulay. “By making sure everyone measures sustainability in the same way, we’re moving closer toward our goals both nationally and globally.”