In a bid to tackle rising food insecurity in Ontario, Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) and Maple Leaf Foods Inc. have announced a new partnership to supply food banks with locally-grown chicken. The collaboration, announced on October 7 at the London Food Bank, will ensure a consistent supply of high-quality protein to food banks across the province, as part of the CFO Cares: Farmers to Food Banks Program.
Rob Flack, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, attended the event alongside representatives from Maple Leaf Foods, CFO, and Feed Ontario, the province’s largest hunger-relief organization. Flack praised the initiative, saying, “Thank you to the world-class Chicken Farmers of Ontario and our local agribusiness champion Maple Leaf Foods for this incredible partnership to help feed those most in need in our society with excellent Ontario poultry.”
Under this partnership, Maple Leaf Foods will process and package the chicken, simplifying distribution across Feed Ontario’s network of food banks. This effort addresses both immediate hunger needs and operational challenges faced by food banks, ensuring they can efficiently distribute healthy, locally-produced chicken.
“Through the CFO Cares: Farmers to Food Banks Program, Ontario’s chicken farmers donate chicken contributing to over 1 million meals each year,” says Murray Opsteen, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario. “With Ontario food banks experiencing increased pressure, we are pleased to be formally announcing a partnership with Maple Leaf Foods Inc., ensuring that Ontario food banks are continually able to access a steady supply of healthy, high quality, locally-grown chicken.”
Ontario food banks have seen a surge in demand, with over 1 million Ontarians relying on them in 2024—a 25 percent increase from 2023. In response to this growing need, CFO’s family-run farms are eligible to donate up to 300 birds annually, contributing to the program’s mission to provide high-demand protein to food banks.
Andrea Veldhuizen, 1st Vice-Chair and Board Director of CFO Cares, adds, “The CFO Cares program is persistently focused on getting chicken to food banks to support our local communities. This has been accomplished through a longstanding partnership with Feed Ontario, and now Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Together we are ready to keep the food bank chicken protein supply chain strong.”
Maple Leaf Foods is equally committed to addressing food insecurity. “Food insecurity is a crisis in Ontario,” says Sarah Stern, Director of Community Involvement at Maple Leaf Foods Inc. “With the support of our London poultry facility, we are proud to be part of this cross-sector partnership.”
Feed Ontario’s CEO Carolyn Stewart expressed gratitude for the collaboration, stating, “This important partnership will make a significant impact on our ability to ensure that high protein chicken is available to all food banks in our network.”
With food insecurity at an all-time high, this partnership between CFO, Maple Leaf Foods, and Feed Ontario represents a vital step in supporting those in need with nutritious, locally-sourced chicken.