MARKET ACCESS – QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY SUPPORT FUNDING

This component of the Seafood Accelerator Program focuses on assisting companies in overcoming a specific quality and food safety requirement or obstacle that is preventing them from entering a new market or in keeping markets open when requirements change.

Specifically, this program will support a limited number of companies with:

• obtaining Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification which will, in turn, open more export markets
• meeting the food safety requirements of new markets to support market entry or market expansion
• gaining knowledge required to produce safe, high-quality products by maintaining and reassessing quality and food safety management systems

Eligible Services

Gap assessments for specific food safety program requirements to assess what needs to be done for compliance with a specific standard. This is a mandatory first step if seeking funding for Program Coaching.

Program coaching of a company’s quality and food safety program manager or quality assurance staff on plan development or revisions and implementation.

Pre-audit assessment in preparation for a third-party audit to meet a specific food safety program standard.

Training for all relevant personnel performing tasks that directly impact quality and food safety.

Internal Audit of a company’s quality and food safety management system to confirm that it continues to be effective in controlling hazards through a food safety plan, implements prerequisite programs and meets customer, regulatory, and third-party requirements.

Consultation of a company’s quality and food safety management system in meeting requirements and overcoming challenges.

Service Definitions

Gap Assessment: on and offsite assessment and report to a predetermined standard supplied by the individual company involved; facility inspection (onsite) and written food safety program review; written food safety program review only (onsite or offsite); facility inspection onsite only.

Program Coaching: assistance with the development and/or implementation of a quality and food safety program. This can be done on or offsite, depending on the aspects the individual company needs assistance with. This may or may not include employee/individual training.

Pre-Audit Assessment: conducted at a facility or offsite based on the company’s written quality and food safety program at least 6 weeks in advance of a third-party audit that is already booked. The individual company must consider itself to be audit ready, have a quality and food safety program in place and implemented with a history of completed records.

Training: customized training tailored to fit your business, ensuring that relevant personnel performing tasks that directly impact quality and food safety are confident and capable of performing their role and managing your business’ quality and food safety management systems. In-person and virtual options are available.

Internal Audit: independent onsite audit and report to a predetermined standard/regulation at least 6-8 weeks prior to a scheduled third-party audit. The objective is to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the written quality and food safety program.

Consultation: on or offsite one-on-one access to our quality and food safety specialists for all your quality and food safety questions, concerns and challenges.

To apply for the Market Access component of the Seafood Accelerator, please complete this form and submit it to Ashley Sprague at asprague@perennia.ca.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT FUNDING

This component of the Seafood Accelerator Program focuses on assisting companies to develop new products, improve upon existing ones and overcome challenges impeding the production of high-quality seafood products.

Specifically, this program component will support companies:

• accelerate the commercialization of new seafood products
• meet the requirements of new markets to support market access or market expansion
• adapt to and overcome challenges in the production of seafood products
• gain the knowledge required to produce high-quality (sea)food products

Eligible Services

Product development using seafood resources for food or agricultural uses to bring new or improved products to market. Perennia offers support throughout the commercialization cycle, from idea to commercialization, with the following services:

• Market Assessment
• Recipe Development and Optimization
• Food Safety/Regulatory Review
• Process Development and Optimization
• Analytical Testing Supporting Product Development
• Packaging Optimization
• Prototype Development
• Label Review and Nutrition Facts Table Development
• Shelf Life Evaluation

Technical support for companies experiencing challenges related to product quality, process efficiency and innovation. Perennia offers support for companies looking to recover maximum value from fisheries resources.

• Post-Harvest Handling Practices of Fish and Seafood
• Fish Processing Techniques and Technologies
• Seafood Product Development
• Fisheries Bioresource Utilization

Service Definitions

Product Development

Market Assessment involves performing a global market survey of product formats, attributes of differentiation, costing and marketing strategies.

Recipe Development and Optimization involves developing product formulations or improving upon existing ones, to meet defined product specifications. This work is performed at the Perennia Innovation Centre.

Food Safety/Regulatory Review involves assessing food formulations and production steps to verify if products adequately control food hazards.

Process Development and Optimization involves developing, assessing, improving, or verifying step-by-step procedures to produce seafood products.

Analytical Testing Supporting Product Development involves performing analyses required to develop new products or to comply with regulatory requirements.

Packaging Optimization involves assessing the performance of existing packaging and evaluating the impacts of adopting different packaging solutions.

Prototype Development involves the creation of bench-scale prototypes of finished products for preliminary evaluations.

Label Review and NFt Development involves assistance in ensuring that product labels comply with regulatory requirements of your target market.

Shelf Life Evaluation involves determining the durable life of seafood products using a suite of analytical methods, including sensory evaluation, chemical testing and microbial enumeration.

Please Note: Perennia services are non-accredited.

Technical Support

Post-Harvest Handling Practices of Fish and Seafood includes providing education, expert advice and applied research capabilities for the strategies adopted in the handling of fish and seafood from boat to plate.

Fish Processing Techniques and Technologies includes providing education, expert advice and applied research capabilities on the practices adopted in the processing of fish and seafood from raw materials to value-added products.

Seafood Product Development includes providing education, expert advice and product development-related services to support the commercialization activities of bringing new and existing seafood products to market.

Fisheries Bioresource Utilization includes providing education, expert advice and research services to support 100% fish utilization.

To apply for the Product Development and Technical Support component of the Seafood Accelerator, please complete this form and submit it to Ashley Sprague at asprague@perennia.ca.