Protein Industries Canada is investing in a partnership that will develop new plant-based foods and ingredients using Canadian crops.

The initiative has seen Merit Functional Foods, TWC Nutrition, Daiya Foods and Grand River Foods join forces with the aim of producing new plant-based products using Merit’s pea, canola and blended pea-canola protein ingredients.

The project’s collaborators are providing half of the total CAD 7.9 million ($6.5 million approx.) project investment, with Protein Industries Canada providing the other half.

According to Protein Industries Canada, the project will see the scaling up of Merit Functional Foods’ ingredient development and the creation by TWC Nutrition, Daiya Foods and Grand River Foods of products such as meat and dairy alternatives.

“Canada has become a global supplier of ingredients and plant-based foods,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“This project, led by Merit Foods, will help producers reach new markets while meeting growing consumer demand for alternative protein products. This will help us find high-quality Canadian ingredients and strengthen the Canadian economy.”

Protein Industries Canada CEO, Bill Greuel, added: “Canada is known for our diverse selection of high-quality crops, but we have the potential to be known for what we can do with them.

“Merit Functional Foods has proven that our peas and canola make for ideal plant protein ingredients, and now TWC Nutrition, Daiya Foods and Grand River Foods will help show consumers around the world that these ingredients can be the base for healthy, delicious plant-based foods and beverages.”

Earlier this year, Protein Industries Canada announced that it was investing in a partnership to develop and commercialise soybean protein ingredients.

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