Feds lend $1M to Ontario-based food safety products firm

NEWMARKET, Ont.—The feds are lending almost $1 million to a Newmarket, Ont.-based firm to expand its line of food safety products, including a new bacteria-based products that can help prevent salmonella and other food-borne pathogens.

The funding for Gum Products International Inc. (GPI) will receive a $995,000 loan from Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) through its Investing in Business Growth and Productivity initiative.

“This funding will allow GPI to effectively implement its plan to bring new innovative products that are leading-edge and novel to the market,” GPI managing director Kenneth Tan said in a statement released by FedDev Ontario.

“Food-borne pathogens and the microbial safety of food are a growing concern worldwide. There is a huge latent demand for these anti-microbial ingredients which are highly effective but totally natural. Our goal is to continue to be pioneers in this niche and this investment will ensure we continue to achieve that.”

GPI produces anti-microbial vinegar and bacteria-based ingredients, which are used to protect against food-borne illnesses, at its nearly 48,000-sq.ft. facility in Newmarket, about an hour north of Toronto.

The company, which exports 97 per cent of its products, will use the funding to expand into new markets to sell its new bacteria-based products into the United States and abroad.

The project is expected to create four full-time jobs in Newmarket by 2017 and three additional jobs in the two years following the project’s completion.

“This investment is excellent news for Newmarket, as it will help grow the health and knowledge-based sectors for this region,” local MP Lois Brown said. “This funding will help Gum Products International, a manufacturer for the food processing industry, to expand its product line and extend its reach to the biotechnology sector.”