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News Release - Manitoba

April 20, 2011

Competition Deliciously Fierce at Fifth Annual Great Manitoba Food Fight: Struthers

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A Taste for Quality Takes Food and Beverage Ideas From the Kitchen to the Marketplace: Minister

Three Manitobans can now prepare to launch their recipes out of their home kitchens and into the commercial food market after winning at the Great Manitoba Food Fight at the Capturing Opportunities rural business forum in Brandon, Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Stan Struthers announced today.

"Every year, I am amazed at the number and variety of food products that are pitched to the panel of expert judges,” said Struthers.  “The Great Manitoba Food Fight is the perfect opportunity for our province’s pallet-pleasing food and beverage entrepreneurs with a taste for quality and a hunger to win to advance new dishes or old family favourites to the commercial level.”

Eight food enthusiasts from six communities across Manitoba participated in the event held at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts at Assiniboine Community College where budding entrepreneurs worked with first- and second-year chefs to create savoury taste sensations.  Recipe development, product preparation and marketing plans for the finished product made this year’s competition more challenging, said Struthers.

Some of this year’s entries included multigrain pizza dough, wild rice sausages, imperial cookies, beet jelly, hemp cookies and meat pies.

The gold medal and product development award of $15,000 was presented to Natalie Dueck from New Bothwell for Rawdical Chocolate Hemp Cookies.

The silver medal and product development award of $10,000 was presented to Belinda Bigold from Winnipeg for Imperial Cookies.

The bronze medal and product development award of $5,000 was presented to Reynald Gauthier from St. Claude for Millet King Crunchies Cereal.

Product development awards support the cost of commercializing the winners’ products in a number of different areas including research and development, package design and market testing.  These eligible services can be accessed through a number of Manitoba’s research facilities including the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, and University of Manitoba. 

“It is exciting to witness the launch of new made-in-Manitoba products and encouraging to see new food and beverage ideas developed from Manitoba ingredients become a reality, appear in restaurants and on store shelves locally, nationally and internationally,” said Struthers.  “The success of each product enriches our communities with new business ventures and job opportunities, benefiting our cuisine and our economy.”

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