Today we welcomed The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau to Niagara to meet with representatives from our farming community and to tour the outstanding distilling facilities at Niagara College.

Gathering at Pillitteri Estates Winery, my colleague Chris Bittle, Minister Bideau and I sat down with representatives of our grape and wine industries to discuss issues affecting that sector. Thank you to Aaron Dobbin, President & CEO, Wine Growers Ontario; Del Rollo Chair, Wine Growers Ontario; Richard Linley, President, Ontario Craft Wineries; Debbie Zimmerman, CEO, Grape Growers of Ontario; Matthias Oppenlaender, Chair, Grape Growers of Ontario; Kevin Watson, Vice Chair, Grape Growers of Ontario; Jamie Slingerland, Director of Viticulture, Pillitteri Estates Winery for joining us, and to the Pillitteri family for hosting such a wonderful conversation.

Food Waste refers to all food that is grown, harvested, processed, manufactured or prepared for human consumption, but never eaten by people. It occurs at all stages of the food supply chain, from farm to plate.

In Canada and around the world, food waste continues to increase, resulting in an overuse of our natural resources such as water, soil and land, while contributing excess greenhouse gas emissions to our atmosphere. Meanwhile, a growing number of Canadians are facing food insecurity.

In response, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), under the Food Policy for Canada, launched the $20M Food Waste Reduction Challenge.

By encouraging more solutions to food waste in Canada, we can increase food availability, save consumers and businesses money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen our food systems.

St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle and I joined Minister Bibeau for a tour of Challenge finalist, Clean Works Corporation which has developed innovative solution to prevent spoilage of pre-harvest crop. (https://www.canada.ca/en/agriculture-agri-food/news/2023/01/food-waste-reduction-challenge-finalists-for-the-novel-technologies-streams.html)