Quality Of Quinoa To Be Tracked Extensively Throughout Production

Industry collaborators in the Pure Ontario Quinoa project have conducted an assessment of traceability and purity during production; two factors that are integral to the proposed processing facility that is projected to break ground in the Winter/Spring of 2015. The state-of-the-art facility will house equipment to process a premium, differentiated, locally grown quinoa seed called Quinta Quinoa, which will require a highly-controlled, verifiable traceability and identity preservation system. This system will allow for seamless, prompt traceability from seed production through harvesting, storage, cleaning, packaging and distribution to the end customer. Procedures for control at each step of the value chain will be put into place for ongoing evaluation to ensure integrity is sustained over time. Adopting a full traceability and identity preservation system will uphold the high-standards of this facility, aiming to position locally grown Ontario Quinta Quinoa as the highest-quality locally-grown quinoa seed on the market. This system can also be applied to future superfood production in Ontario, creating a platform for expansion of potential new crops for Ontario soils.

This project is funded in part through Growing Forward 2 (GF2), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of GF2 in Ontario.