The feds have promised up to $6.1-million to help food producers in southwestern Ontario operate safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk spoke on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food at Friday's virtual meeting. He says Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent will receive up to $4.2-million.
Under Sun Acres Inc. north of Leamington will receive cash from the Emergency Food Processing Fund. (EPF)
General Manager Lucas Semple says the greenhouse operation is one of many trying to keep the food chain going while keeping its workforce safe.
He says money from the fund will be invested in biometric security entrances and sanitation stations.
"Including mandatory hand sanitization and shoe washing units in order to permit entry into the facility," he says. "Thermal scanning cameras that scan each person entering the building to ensure they don't have a fever."
Leamington's Lakeside Produce received close to $1.2-million from the fund.
Chief Operating Officer Sudeshna Nambiar (Soo-desh-na Nam-bee-ar) says the cash will be invested in worker safety.
"We wanted to take every precaution possible to keep people safe and comfortable in the workplace, which is possible with the additional funding we received in order to combat this new challenge we have faced this past year," she added.
There was no way to plan for what's happened this past year, according to Nambiar.
"The support we received in such a short period of time has made all the difference for our people," she says. "We are truly humbled by the generosity and selflessness of our funders."
Kusmierczyk announced an additional $10-million in overall funding to the Emergency Food Processing Fund (EPF) to bring the total to $87.5-million to help farms and food processors operate safely across Canada.
The funding is being used for everything from adapting production lines to allow for more space between workers to providing safety measures to prevent an outbreak.
Thirty-four food processing companies in southwestern Ontario were part of Friday's announcment.