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BC program supplies protective equipment to agricultural businesses

May 25, 2020  By BC Food & Beverage (edited)



BC producers who are having trouble sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) can now turn to BC Food & Beverage’s new program.

Offered exclusively to the food production, seafood and agriculture sectors in BC, eligible companies with a valid BC business number, email and address can purchase through this initiative.

PPE is essential for the agrifoods sector but in recent weeks has been difficult to obtain, as well as cost prohibitive. Key PPE items being sourced under this initiative include:

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  1. Surgical Masks
  2. Respirator masks
  3. Face shields
  4. Nitrite Gloves/Vinyl gloves
  5. Hand sanitizer, as required

BCFB’s goal is to order in large enough quantities to make them more affordable for industry to purchase them. The exact cost will be determined based on the contract of the suppliers, as pricing has been rapidly fluctuating.

This program is funded in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the government of British Columbia through programs delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. Vancouver-based logistics company, Evolution Fulfillment will manage order fulfilment, shipping, customer service and payment.

This is intended to be a short-term project to ‘bridge the gap’ until industry is able to secure PPE supplier through their normal channels, who are currently having challenges procuring PPE outside of the healthcare sector.

BCFB will be ordering from reliable, established suppliers with a demonstrated ability to provide quality supplies at competitive prices.

Click here to access the online ordering form on the BCFB website. Anticipated delivery dates will be posted on the BCFB website once the procurement contracts have been finalized.

For producers looking for funding, the provincial government has also announced support to manufacturers to purchase that PPE through the pre-existing Post-Farm Food Safety Program and the On Farm Food Safety Program. Eligible companies can seek funding to acquire Personal Protective Equipment and other approved safety supplies for use at their facilities, to maintain a safe workplace and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.


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