The Canadian government recently announced a nearly $100 million investment in a new plant-based protein production facility.
During his June 22, 2020 update on the federal government’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Trudeau announced (at 03:49):
As people around the world start eating more plant-based products, we have an opportunity to bring together Canadian innovation and Canadian crops and a chance to create good, well-paying jobs. We’ve already invested in this space with the prairies-based Protein Industries supercluster supporting thousands of jobs but this industry is growing fast, so we’re not stopping there.
Today I can announce that our government is contributing almost a hundred million dollars for the new Merit Functional Foods location in Winnipeg. This facility will be a world leader in plant-based proteins and will create good jobs in a fast growing field. And by using 100% Canadian inputs, it will also support farmers who produce the canola and yellow peas used in Merit’s products.
According to Merit Functional Foods, the new facility, which is currently under construction and set to be operational by the end of this year, will extract high-quality protein from Canadian-sourced peas and canola for use in plant-based food products. It is said to be the world’s first commercial facility with the capability to produce food-grade canola protein.
The uses for canola and pea-based proteins include dairy alternatives, protein shakes and bars, baked goods, and meat, seafood, and egg alternatives. While these products are not necessary for a healthy and balanced plant-based diet, many people enjoy them for convenience or to replicate animal-based products that they used to enjoy.
The Merit project previously received a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, an industry-led, not-for-profit organization created to position Canada as a global source of high-quality plant protein and plant-based co-products.
Protein Industries Canada is one of Canada’s five new “innovation superclusters” in which the Canadian government is making strategic investments. The goal of the Protein Industries Canada supercluster is to “challenge Canadian businesses to collaborate with other businesses, and post-secondary and research institutions to create projects that have the potential to transform the food processing sector in Canada, creating jobs and stimulating local economies.”
The government’s effort to support and accelerate innovation in plant-based foods is exciting and welcome news, as the evidence overwhelmingly shows that producing protein from plants takes far less land, water and energy than producing protein from animals, and of course spares animals from the cruelties inherent in animal agriculture. The announcement also comes at a time when recent surveys suggest people have become even more interested in plant-based alternatives to meat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You may wish to contact your MP to let them know this is a move in the right direction and you want to see even more investment in plant-based food innovation.
Photo by Red Zeppelin on Unsplash
