May 9, 2013, Guelph, Ont. — Two new donations worth $700,000 will help a
new University of Guelph institute tackle the world’s most important
food issues through research, innovation and action.
May 9, 2013, Guelph, Ont. — Two new donations worth $700,000 will help a new University of Guelph institute tackle the world’s most important food issues through research, innovation and action.
The donations from Longo Brothers Fruit Markets and Darcy and Cathy Rector will support the U of G Food Institute. The gifts were made through the BetterPlanet Project, the University’s $200-million fundraising campaign for teaching and research in food, environment, health and communities.
Spanning all seven colleges at U of G, the Food Institute is believed to be the first such group addressing global issues in all aspects of food production, safety and security, as well as the impact of food on culture, economies and the environment.
The new institute will help the University to share its strengths in food education and research with food producers and processors, consumers, non-governmental organizations and other partners locally, nationally and internationally. It will involve faculty experts across campus as well as undergraduate and graduate students.
THE DONORS
Longo’s $500,000 gift will establish the Longo’s Food Retail Innovation Fund and help create a research team to study grocery retailing and food service, technology, and health and wellness. The fund will be overseen by the College of Management and Economics.
A family-owned Canadian organization, Longo’s first opened its doors in Toronto in 1956 and now operates 21 traditional stores; four small format “The Market” by Longo’s locations; and GroceryGateway.com, the leader in online sales of home delivered groceries.
Longo’s has more than 4,600 employees.
A $200,000 contribution from Darcy and Cathy Rector is the first private gift to the Food Institute’s Founder’s Fund.
Darcy Rector is a successful food industry entrepreneur and an “ambassador” for Canadian food production and handling. He founded Rector Foods in Brampton, Ont., in 1978 before selling the company to Kerry (Canada) Inc.
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