Ontario honours CFO’s food bank donation program

Ontario’s 2023 Excellence in Agriculture’s Supply Chain Excellence Award has been bestowed upon the CFO Cares: Farmers to Food Banks program for its innovative approach to strengthening and stabilizing the province’s agri-food supply chain while also supporting local food banks.

The Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) has been continuously improving the program to enable farmers to donate chicken from their individual farm businesses on an annual basis, under the supply management system.

Murray Opsteen, chair of CFO, expressed gratitude to agriculture minister Lisa Thompson and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for recognizing the program’s efforts.

He also acknowledged the resilience and innovation of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector, which has helped address supply chain challenges and ensure reliable access to safe, healthy, locally-grown chicken for Ontario families and food banks.

With over 500,000 Ontarians relying on food banks annually, the need for proteins like chicken is increasing.

CFO farmers have set an ambitious goal to provide one million meals each year, which they have achieved despite challenges in the supply chain and on Ontario chicken farms due to COVID-19, market access given up in recent trade agreements, and other factors.