BMC Ingredients, previously known as The Better Meat Co, has received a Letter of No Objection from Health Canada for the sale of its Rhiza mycoprotein ingredient.

The whole-food ingredient, made from mycelium of the Neurospora crassa fungal strain, is designed to boost taste, texture and nutrition across a range of food applications while addressing demand for cleaner-label options. It is non-GMO and provides an alternative to processed protein isolates, providing a source of protein, fibre, and key minerals and bioactives in one single ingredient solution.

According to BMC, Rhiza provides a strong nutritional profile with more protein than eggs (and a complete protein source with all essential amino acids), more fibre than oats, more zinc and iron than beef, and more potassium than bananas.

It has been introduced in two formats: Rhiza Tex, formulated to provide a suitable texture for meat and seafood applications; and Rhiza Pro, designed for applications such as smoothies, baked goods, pasta and other foods where solubility, emulsification and functionality are important.

The approval from Health Canada enables the ingredient to be sold in the country for use as an alternative protein and source of dietary fibre in meat, poultry, seafood, meat alternatives and dairy analogue products.

BMC has already celebrated several regulatory milestones in the US and Singapore. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ‘No Questions’ letter in 2024, concluding that Rhiza is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for its intended uses. Singapore Food Agency has also given it the green light for food use.

Paul Shapiro, CEO of BMC Ingredients, said: “Health Canada’s Letter of No Objection is another important validation of Rhiza’s safety and commercial readiness”.

“Rhiza is a new crop for humanity: a whole-food mycelium made by fungi fermentation. While this fungus has been consumed for centuries by traditional cultures, thanks to BMC, it’s now being farmed in a way that can help feed billions of people in a sustainable way.”

BMC is currently scaling up its fermentation technology, with large-scale commercial volumes expected to be available within Q2 2027.