Direct Access Fund

The Direct Access Fund (DAF) provides eligible companies faced with product development challenges with direct access to expert guidance and advice.

The Fund is directed primarily at small and medium-sized companies who typically lack the resources and expertise to resolve dairy product innovation and/or product re-formulation issues. However, the DAF is available to all Canadian dairy and food processors.

Eligibility Criteria

Companies deemed eligible to receive initial free access are defined as follows:

Dairy Product Manufacturers:

For the purpose of the Direct Access Fund, a dairy product manufacturer is any Canadian registered company holding or applying for, a federal or provincial milk processing license.

Further Processors:

A further processor is defined as a Canadian registered company that manufactures further processed products such as bakery and confectionery products, prepared foods, nutraceutical/functional foods, pharmaceutical products, and beverages, which incorporate or have the potential to incorporate, dairy products/ingredients.

Eligible Activities

To qualify for access to expert technical advice, a company must show to a recognized institution that it can meet at least one of the following criteria:

• incorporate a dairy ingredient in a finished product formulation where no dairy ingredient(s) had been previously used;
• replace a substitute ingredient in a product formulation with a dairy ingredient, or significantly increase the dairy content in an existing product formulation;
• develop and market an innovative dairy product;
• develop and market an innovative further processed product containing dairy ingredients.

Examples

Eligible

• replacing the use of whey powder in a food formulation with skim milk powder or whole milk powder;
• designing/creating a specialty cheese or milk-based beverage not yet available/manufactured in Canada.

Ineligible

• incorporating animal/vegetable-based substitutes in the place of cream or butterfat;
• incorporating whey protein concentrate in a food bar in the place of skim/whole milk.

Summary

The Direct Access Fund allows eligible companies to seek expert advice directly from a recognized food science institution for up to 7.5 hours or $1 500 dollars of free consultation on a specific project. 

In the case where a company requires additional technical advice in excess of 7.5 hours, the CDC may elect to share the costs associated with the additional consultation(s) up to a maximum contribution of $1 500.

Please visit the MILKingredients.ca Web site for more information and to download the Information Guide.

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Manitoba Contact(s):
See National Contact.

National Contact(s):
Mark Lalonde
Chief of Marketing Programs
Canadian Dairy Commission
Building 55, NCC Driveway
Central Experimental Farm
960 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0Z2
Telephone: 613-792-2072
Fax: 613-792-2009
Toll-free (information): 1-866-366-0676
TTY (hearing impaired): 613-792-2082
E-mail: mlalonde@agr.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.cdc-ccl.gc.ca/cdc/index_en.asp?caid=85