• Why Plant-Based?
    • Overview
    • Sustainability
    • Better health
    • Compassion for animals
  • Resources
    • Virtual speaker series
    • Speakers program
    • Pamphlets
    • Newsletters
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Who we are
    • Contact us
  • How to Help
    • Join us
    • Donate
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
Earthsave CanadaEarthsave Canada
  • Why Plant-Based?
    • Overview
    • Sustainability
    • Better health
    • Compassion for animals
  • Resources
    • Virtual speaker series
    • Speakers program
    • Pamphlets
    • Newsletters
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Who we are
    • Contact us
  • How to Help
    • Join us
    • Donate
  • Subscribe to Newsletter

Canadian government invests in plant-based food innovation

Canadian government invests in plant-based food innovation

Canadian government invests in plant-based food innovation

July 13, 2020 Posted by Jen Flood

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

Share
Avatar photo

About Jen Flood

Jen is a lawyer with a J.D. from UBC and a B.Sc. in physics from Queen's University. A vegan for over a decade and an avid cyclist, she joined Earthsave Canada in 2018.

You also might be interested in

2022 in review: As veganism continues to explode in popularity, the importance of plant-based eating is recognized worldwide

2022 in review: As veganism continues to explode in popularity, the importance of plant-based eating is recognized worldwide

Jan 4, 2023

As we reflect on the developments and challenges of the past year, one thing is clear: 2022 has been a very significant year for the global plant-based shift. 

How oily is your food?

How oily is your food?

May 14, 2016

Sixty years ago, we used only 1/4 as much oil, per person, to produce our food as we do now. In the not-too-distant future we will have no choice but to do with a lot less than that. Let's do our very best to make sure the transition is as painless as possible.

Plant-Based Pooches: The benefits of a meat-free diet for dogs

Plant-Based Pooches: The benefits of a meat-free diet for dogs

Nov 2, 2020

The commercial plant-based dog foods available today do an excellent job at meeting the nutritional needs of our dogs, without the deleterious environmental, health, and animal welfare impacts of meat-based dog foods.

Donate

Recent Posts

  • How can we continue to honour our planet after Earth Month?
  • No, Bill C-293 on pandemic prevention is not the “Vegan Act”
  • Estimating the True Costs of Our Foods
  • CBC’s coverage of plant-based issues is all too often outrageously flawed

Follow us

Engage with us on facebook

Earthsave Canada

Earthsave Canada

1 day 2 hours ago

"Scientists have discovered that many baby animals experience grief in ways remarkably similar to humans, especially when they lose a parent, sibling, or close companion.

6
View on Facebook
Share
Earthsave Canada

Earthsave Canada

1 day 5 hours ago

Bottom line: Meat industry 'science' amounts to mostly lies. Quoting the study, "Our findings highlight that using animal protein as a comparator in industry-funded studies,

6
View on Facebook
Share

Earthsave Canada

1 day 7 hours ago

"Switching to plant-based diets could help protect our environment—and ocean life—in meaningful ways. A 2023 analysis from the University of Oxford, which studied data from

New Research Shows What Our Diets Are Doing to the Oceans: “An Existential Crisis”

New research reveals how ocean warming threatens thousands of species. Here’s how our diets could help protect them.

3
View on Facebook
Share

© 2025 · Earthsave Canada.