A research facility at the University of Manitoba is hoping to prove that food can be your medicine.

The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (RCFFN) is looking at ways at replacing some of the drugs that we use with natural products that are grown on the prairies.

Director Dr. Peter Jones explains the mission of the facility.

peter jones rcffn small
Dr. Peter Jones

"Our centre is actually governed by a mission that looks at how we can take commodities such as barley, wheat, canola, flax, pulses and basically extract or refine some of the almost medicinal properties and what we call 'healthy ingredients' to be used in foods in a way to be able to replace some of the pharmaceuticals that we depend on."

Research done at the centre is funded in-part by Growing Forward 2.