MAPAQ — Food Processing Program — Component 1

• A completed and signed financial assistance application form.
• A completed financing plan for the project.
• The latest financial statements covering one full year of operations, audited, reviewed, or compiled by an external CPA. Slaughterhouses and cheese makers may instead provide other documents that allow MAPAQ to assess their financial situation, such as a personal balance sheet, latest income tax return, financial statements, interim financial statements, or proof of financing sources.
• The external expert's service offer, if available at the time of filing.
• Documents supporting any ministerial bonus request, if available at the time of filing.

Who is eligible?

• Food processing businesses.
• Businesses carrying out at least two MAPAQ-recognized activities sold wholesale or online.
• Businesses operating a central kitchen.

Who is not eligible

• Businesses whose targeted establishment processes only feed for farm animals.
• Businesses whose targeted aquatic products processing establishment is in the régions maritimes and whose main activity is the preparation and canning of aquatic products.
• Ministries, budgetary and non-budgetary bodies, Crown corporations listed in Schedules 1 to 3 of the Loi sur l’administration financière, corporations directly or indirectly controlled by a government or Crown corporation, and municipal entities.
• Financial cooperatives, banking institutions, and applicants listed in the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA).
• Applicants with 25 employees or more in Quebec for at least 6 months that are not compliant with francization requirements, applicants that defaulted on obligations related to prior MAPAQ funding within the previous 2 years, applicants subject to an order under the Loi sur le bien-être et la sécurité de l’animal, and applicants under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, or the Farm Debt Mediation Act.

Eligible expenses

• Fees and travel expenses of external experts with no business relationship with the applicant.
• Training costs for personnel, including travel expenses aligned with the Government of Quebec management policies.
• Purchase of specialized information necessary for the completion of the project.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Business plans and strategic planning are not considered diagnostics.
• Costs not directly related to the project, cost overruns, and expenses incurred before the complete application is filed are not eligible.
• Expenses already funded under this Program or another MAPAQ financial assistance measure are not eligible.
• Salaries of the applicant’s employees, professional fees other than those of eligible external experts, and fees charged by the external expert to prepare or follow up the application are not eligible.
• Operating expenses, normal maintenance, land or building acquisition, equipment purchase or rental, consumables, exterior site work, communication expenses, participant food or gifts, debt service, and TPS/TVQ are not eligible.

• The relevance of the project to the objective of Volet 1.
• The applicant’s technical, organizational, and administrative capacity to carry out the project.
• The business’s financial viability and performance.

• Download the financial assistance application form and open it with a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader.
• Complete a separate application for Volet 1, including the financial assistance application form, the financing plan, and the required supporting documents.
• Complete all documents in French.
• Send the complete application package in a single email to transfo@mapaq.gouv.qc.ca.

• The Ministry sends an acknowledgement of receipt when the application is submitted.
• If information is missing, the applicant receives a written request by email.
• Eligible complete applications are confirmed as admissible; incomplete or ineligible applications are rejected.
• If approved, the applicant must sign a financial assistance agreement.
• A review request can be filed within 20 business days of the decision notice.

• A financial eligibility simulator is available to help applicants assess whether they meet certain Program financial criteria; using it does not guarantee eligibility for financial assistance.
• Applicants may receive pre-submission support from a regional food processing advisor.
• This support does not guarantee that the application will be admissible or accepted.
• Hiring a private consultant to prepare the application is not mandatory.