Guelph – Curious Canadians wanting to learn more about how their food is made have three more opportunities available to them now at www.FarmFood360.ca. The new Virtual Reality Tours, filmed throughout 2022 on bean and potato farms and processors, as well as a broiler breeder farm, have been added to the popular website that attracts almost a million visitors each year, joining the 22 farm and food processing tours already filmed and available for viewing.
The tours were developed by Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) in partnership with the Ontario Bean Growers, the Ontario Potato Board and the Ontario Broiler Chicken Hatching Egg Producers Association. The project was also funded, in part, through the AgriCompetitiveness program of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal, provincial, territorial initiative.
Using 360 cameras and virtual reality technology, the award-winning FarmFood360° website gives Canadians the chance to tour real, working farms and food processing plants, all without putting on boots or biosecurity clothing.
The dry bean tour visited Dave and Amy Arand’s farm near Atwood, Ontario where they grow white pea beans (also known as navy beans). The tour also takes the viewer through the processing of the beans before they get to tables across Canada. Said Jennifer Mitchell of the Ontario Bean Growers, “Our growers take a great deal of pride in growing good, nutritious food for Canadians to enjoy and it is always wonderful to teach people how this effort reaches them at their grocery store. We loved being a part of this project so that Canadians across the country can see our work first hand.”
The second tour starts at the Alliston area potato farm of the Vander Zaag family and then visits an Ontario company turning potatoes into potato chips. Kevin Brubacher, General Manager of the Ontario Potato Board said, “It’s wonderful to showcase the hard work and delight that comes from planting and harvesting a successful crop, and to know that so many Canadians will have a chance to take our tour.”
The third tour takes Canadians through a broiler breeder farm and a broiler hatchery. This tour will show the process of raising hens and roosters together, collecting fertilized eggs and 2 hatching the chicks that are raised for meat. Melissa Sinnige of the Ontario Broiler Chicken Hatching Egg Producers Association (OBCHEPA) hosted the filming on her farm and said that her board was excited to be part of this project. “This is a part of the sector that not a lot of people think about, but is vital to making sure great quality, healthy chicken is available in grocery stores and restaurants.
Source : Farm Food 360