OTRE-DAME-DU-NORD, Quebec – VitaliPré-Développement has been granted $193,050 (US$183,949) in non-repayable financial assistance through Canada Economic Development's Community Diversification program. This funding is for the commercialization of VitaliPré beef, a value-added specialty meat produced in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, made the announcement.

VitaliPré beef is the result of a major research program conducted by the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue's agri-food research and development unit-the Unité de recherche et de développement en agroalimentaire (URDAAT). These activities led to the production of all-natural, growth hormone- and antibiotic-free, fodder- and milk-fed cattle whose meat is more tender and lower in fat, according to a news release.

As a recently-established non-profit organization, VitaliPré-Développement is made up of an alliance of producers and retailers (butcher shops and specialty distributors, restaurants and grocery stores) whose mission is to commercialize VitaliPré products on the Abitibi, Témiscamingue and Montréal markets. The organization's role will include evaluating the production costs of the processed products and developing a management model demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of these new products, among other things.