Quinoa Processing Facility To Uphold High Standards

Collaborators on the Pure Ontario Quinoa project have worked to determine the ideal site for a specialized quinoa processing facility using a variety of industry resources and contacts. The facility is designed to achieve the high standards that Katan strives for in processing and packaging their locally grown Ontario Quinta Quinoa. This will include maintaining a low carbon footprint, meeting Global Food Safety Initiative and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point standards, meeting certified organic standards, as well as providing the food processing industry in Ontario with an opportunity for growth and expansion by constructing a facility that can also process other gluten-free crops. In considering locations for this facility, involved consultants have concluded that distance to major transportation routes, energy supply, environmental impact, and traceability and identity preservation are of the utmost importance to the success of this leading edge facility. With the potential for the addition of quinoa to Ontario crop rotations with projected yields exceeding 5,000 metric tonnes annually, it is evident that a specialized gluten-free processing facility for quinoa is an essential next step in bringing quinoa to full commercialization in Ontario.

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.