Ontario Chicken Innovation Award accepting applications

Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) is accepting applications for its second Ontario Chicken Innovation Award, which is designed to inspire new, consumer-facing chicken products.

The awards program is open to primary processors, further processors, retailers, foodservice and restaurant companies in Canada. Applications are available at ChickenInnovation.ca, and will be accepted until Sept. 13. According to a press release, CFO has "millions of kilograms of chicken available for successful applicants."

Eligible applications are reviewed by an independent committee of experts, which considers the following four factors: historical sales/demand, projected future sales/demand, innovation/quality of ideas and economic value.

"This program is about bringing new, innovative products to market to meet consumer needs. That's why we're looking for innovations that are consumer facing, first-of-their-kind in Canada and that have some track record--piloted or introduced to the market in the last 18 months, so that historical sales data can be included in the application," said Ed Benjamins, chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario, in a press release.

Last year's winners were Grand River Foods and Maple Lodge Farms. The two companies collaborated to develop a frozen, cooked, smoked chicken product that delivered on the consumer's quest for convenience while leveraging current flavour trends.