Greuel, who has been with the organization since Oct. 2018, will leave the company on July 31^st.

“Bill has demonstrated strong leadership to (the company) and has been instrumental in our success to date,” said board chair Tyler Groeneveld. “Under his leadership, the organization has grown from one employee to 26 and currently manages investments worth more than half a billion dollars.”

CTO Meghan Gervais is also leaving the company to join Federated Co-op (FCL) as the VP of health, safety and compliance. Her last day will be July 31^st.

Gervais has been with the company since spring 2019, serving as the CTO since May 2022, and previously as the manager of intellectual property.

The acquisition is valued at US$235 million, payable at closing. An additional amount of up to US$45 million may be payable over the next three years if certain financial targets and conditions are met.

Based in Boardman, Ohio, Summer Garden employs approximately 200 people. It develops, manufactures, and markets a range of sauces and condiments, such as tomato and cream-based pasta sauces, BBQ sauces, dipping sauces, and salad dressings. Its product portfolio includes around 250 products sold at more than 20,000 locations under the Gia Russa, Little Italy in the Bronx, and G Hughes brands. Summer Garden also acts as a co-packer for other brands.

“The acquisition of Summer Garden supports our ambition to become a more diversified North American food and beverage company,” said Nathalie Lassonde, CEO and board vice-chair, Lassonde. “Growing our specialty food activities is one of Lassonde’s key strategic objectives and we are happy to have found the right company to help us achieve this objective.”

“This partnership ensures our legacy will continue to thrive,” said Thomas Zidian, president and CEO of Summer Garden. “We are confident it will benefit our customers through enhanced products and will offer our employees new opportunities for development and advancement.”

With a range of dairy-free alternatives including cream cheese, sour cream and frozen desserts, Tofutti has been a major player in the vegan food industry for more than four decades.

“We are excited to expand Tofutti’s exceptional products within the Canadian market by leveraging the Sweets from the Earth distribution network,” said Marc Kadonoff, vice president and co-CEO of Sweets from the Earth. “This acquisition aligns perfectly with our mission to provide delicious, ethical and sustainable food choices. We look forward to introducing Tofutti’s popular dairy-free options to our loyal customers and new audiences across Canada.”

“We are excited to partner with Sweets from the Earth to expand our product offering and distribution points within the Canadian market,” added Steve Kass, CEO of Tofutti Brands.

Meeting the functionality of dairy proteins with plant-based proteins is a major challenge, considering how structurally different plant seed storage proteins are from dairy proteins. Additionally, dairy proteins are generally more stable against aggregation and other quality defects at the pH of coffee compared to plant-based proteins.

Given these challenges, an approach to identify and quantify the functionality gaps between dairy and commercial plant-based milk products has been established via functionality mapping. Using barista-style non-dairy milk as a core example, a mapping approach was applied, then leveraged to understand from a structure-function standpoint why plant-based commercial offerings are functionally inferior to dairy; identify the quantitative targets for bridging the gap; and guide the creation of a winning plant-based solution.

Tracking patterns in how different formulations perform allows such an approach to have the highest level of success in developing a novel ingredient system for plant-based dairy beverage in general, and barista-style dairy beverage functionality in particular. It also demonstrates how utilizing a functionality mapping approach can progress ingredient structure-function understanding and catalyze the development of novel plant-based food and beverage applications.

Meeting consumer plant-based demands

The steady growth in sales of plant-based milk continues to be strong and already is closing in on US$3 billion annually at a double-digit CAGR of 11 per cent, according to research conducted by the marketing group SPINS conducted for 52 weeks, ending January 2023. Multiple reasons for this growth include overall consumer interest toward plant-based/healthier diets, sustainability, and animal welfare concerns.

In fact, as SPINS included in its report, plant-based milk currently makes up some 15 per cent of the overall retail milk sales market. But merely being plant-based isn’t enough: Consumers need plant-based milk alternatives to meet the functionality, taste, and nutrition of their dairy-based counterparts. As the non-dairy milk market grows, products must evolve to meet consumer needs.

Dairy milk is typically perceived as the benchmark standard when it comes to improving taste, nutrition, and functionality of a plant-based replacer. And functionality is especially important when it comes to crafting plant-based versions of so-called ‘barista milk.’ With the rise of specialty foamed coffee beverages, consumers seek strong foaming functionality as dairy milk.

Determining and measuring the texture gap

When it comes to popular barista milk, there is a major gap to fill between plant-based versions and the dairy ones being mimicked. The plant-based versions must overcome the common challenges of creating and holding a foam, having a smooth and creamy foam texture, and avoiding formation of particulates and separation in hot and/or acidic beverages, all while carrying perfect flavour.

The protein structure and composition of dairy components are perfectly designed for high water-solubility, leading to a smooth and stable system when added to coffee. Moreover, dairy protein structure and composition allow for strong foaming capacity and stability, such that their barista milk attain and maintain foam volume and quality over time.

Issues challenging plant-based dairy analogs, especially those of plant-based barista milk, include low water-solubility of certain components. This is because plant proteins are designed to pack tightly together in mostly dry environments—the protein molecules are typically large and highly hydrophobic. This lower solubility and marked structural and compositional differences translate to weaker foaming properties, poor foam height, poor foam quality, agglomeration/aggregation, and particle settling — the plant-based alternatives clump and separate when exposed to the heat and acid of a coffee or tea beverage.

However, these challenges go beyond barista milk and extend to all plant-based versions of animal-based dairy products. By approaching the advancement of plant-based ingredient structure-function understanding, it is possible to move closer to the animal-based ‘gold standards’ and develop analogs that effectively meet them with full organoleptic experience and functionality.

Bridging the gap with functionality mapping

To bridge the plant-based dairy/animal-based dairy ‘texture gap,’  it is important to first identify the key functionalities that must be met. Then, developers would design a methodology to adequately measure functionality, and map current plant-based functionality vs. animal-based gold standards to quantify key components of the  starting point and the desired end point. Once these processes are in place, it is possible to leverage that mapping into a hypothesis-based testing that drives development of the solution.

Using barista milk as an example, as described above the key  functionalities are: generation and stabilization of foam, having a smooth and creamy microfoam texture, and avoiding the agglomeration, aggregation, and particle settling that causes separation and textural challenges in hot/acidic beverages. And, of course, the solution must deliver the full promised flavours, without any off notes or bitterness that sometimes can accompany plant-based proteins. For example, when it comes to barista milk, the methodology developed for creating a plant-based version would focus on foam generation. This would include initial foam volume (foam capacity), foam stability (via measurement of liquid drainage volume over time), and finally its pourability, foam bubble size, and stability when actually poured over a true hot espresso coffee beverage.

Focusing in on foaming capacity and stability as an example, after relevant methodology is developed to characterize these functionalities, functionality mapping of the current commercial landscape would characterize the gap between plant-based and dairy. This could include characterizing and comparing foam volume and stability of multiple bases—almond, oat, pea, and true dairy milk—in both plain dairy milk and barista-style milk. This functionality mapping would reveal trends in functionality by base, protein content, presence of particular ingredients, etc. to characterize the landscape. Additionally, this would allow for quantification of dairy targets and the gap between commercial plant-based and dairy options.

Adjusting levers to unlock solutions

Adopting a multi-ingredient system approach to meet the performance targets of dairy with a plant-based milk product centres on the functional needs of the final product. This then requires establishing proposed structures to meet those functional needs. In the case of plant-based milk analogs, two components to a foaming solution that could work in harmony are protein and hydrocolloid. Certain plant-based proteins can provide foaming capacity depending on their structure and composition, whereas hydrocolloids can provide foaming stability to address functionality gaps between plant-based and dairy. Functionality mapping of different protein-hydrocolloid systems via hypothesis-driven testing can build the ingredient structure-function understanding that unlocks a plant-based barista milk solution. To do this, a proper design of experiments testing ranges of protein and hydrocolloid usage levels allow for tracking of impact of these levers on functionality, and optimization of these two components to meet the dairy-based product functionality target.

Answering key questions

Through the outlined methods of functionality mapping, the approach to crafting consumer-preferred plant-based dairy replacers and analogs can be successfully established. This involves first focusing on three key questions: Have the functionalities that matter to consumers been properly identified? Are the functional performance parameters being measured in a relevant way? And have the gaps between the starting point and the end goal been correctly identified and characterized?

In identifying and quantifying functionality and performance gaps between dairy and plant-based milk, including barista beverages, such a mapping approach can be leveraged to enhance ingredient structure-function understanding and guide the development of a novel plant-based solution.

Based in Westchester, Ill., Alexandra Hall, PhD, is an analytical characterization and texture scientist at Ingredion.

This article was originally published in the April/May 2024 issue of Food in Canada.

• while 67 per cent of Canadian respondents consider reducing their red meat consumption – nearly half of them (49 per cent) would rather give up social media for a month than red meat;
• two-thirds of Canadian respondents believe steak is the hardest meat to replicate in a plant-based alternative; and
• one-third of Canadian respondents who are looking to reduce their red meat consumption believe that plant-based protein alternatives do not taste good.

To prove these perceptions wrong, Beyond Meat launches its Beyond Steak in Canada. The seared steak tips are made using plant-based ingredients like fava beans. Beyond Steak contains 0 mg of cholesterol, 0.5 g of sat fat and offers 24 g of protein.

“We know that when it comes to food it’s all about taste, and our survey findings revealed 61 per cent of Canadian respondents agree taste would be the number one thing they miss when it comes to reducing red meat consumption,” said Heena Verma, senior marketing director, Beyond Meat. “Enter Beyond Steak! Recognized amongst TIME’s Best Inventions in 2022, it delivers juicy and tender bites of plant-based seared steak tips designed to deliver the same delicious taste and texture as traditional steak.”

Beyond Steak is sold in frozen format at major Canadian retailers.

“This plant-based version of the Laughing Cow is bringing the brand’s experience and know-how in creamy, delicious spreadable cheese to the plant-based category, where a better taste and textural product experience is needed, said Marie-Eve Robert, vice president, marketing and CSR, at Bel Group Canada. “For our plant-based offerings, we always collaborate closely with consumers to make sure we are getting the taste, texture, and quality just right. In fact, our consumers essentially serve as final decision makers in our innovations.”

The new plant-based product, made with almonds, is available in same convenient triangle format that the Laughing Cow is known  for. It is suitable for every occasion and perfect for snacking and lunchboxes.

The Bel Canadian portfolio now comprises 57 per cent plant-based and fruit products and 43 per cent dairy products.

Highbury Canco employs more than 600 Canadians at its 2.1-million sf facility in Leamington, where it produces some of Kraft Heinz Canada’s products, including Heinz beans, Heinz tomato juice and Classico pasta sauce.

“We’re proud to extend our agreement with Highbury Canco and look forward to continuing to have Kraft Heinz Canada products produced by the talented and hard-working employees at its Leamington facility for another four years,” said Simon Laroche, president, Kraft Heinz Canada. “We’ve built strong local partnerships across Canada, our second largest market globally, for over 100 years and this new deal signals our continued commitment to being a strong partner to Canadian communities.”

Kraft Heinz Canada continues to be Highbury Canco’s largest partner in Canada, with more than 220 million lb of Ontario tomatoes being used in its products annually. Highbury Canco’s Leamington facility exclusively produces the tomato paste that is used in all the Heinz Ketchup made at Kraft Heinz’s Mont Royal facility in Montreal.

“Extending our partnership with Kraft Heinz Canada for another four years provides significant stability for our facility, and for our workforce,” said Sam Diab, CEO at Highbury Canco. “This is a mutually beneficial alliance that is of great significance to the Leamington community, and for all the Canadians that can continue to enjoy Kraft Heinz Canada products being produced at facilities such as ours.”

The estimated retail value of Kraft Heinz Canada products that will be produced at Highbury Canco’s Leamington facility over the next four years exceeds $1 billion.

Pure J.L. Kraft comes in 12 flavours, six of which are new to the Canadian salad dressing category: Pomegranate Zaatar, Honey & Shallots, Miso Lime Ginger, Moroccan Lemon, Orange Turmeric Poppyseed and Black Garlic & Cracked Pepper.

“With Pure J.L. Kraft, we’ve created products that use simple ingredients and taste like they are homemade but offer people the bold, globally inspired flavours they are craving and convenience they are looking for in the grocery aisle,” says Stephanie Goyette, head of Taste Elevation Platform, marketing & strategy at The Kraft Heinz Company Canada. “There are endless ways to integrate our flavours into at-home recipes – from dressing a salad, to topping a grain bowl, or marinading proteins and vegetables. With Pure J.L. Kraft, we’re reminding people that just because something is made with simple ingredients does not mean it needs to be boring.”

The launch of Pure J.L. Kraft marks the third Kraft Heinz brand to launch or return to Canada in 2024.

“We are delighted to make a splash with the launch of Enjoy, which only further complements Lactalis Canada’s wide-ranging portfolio of now 20 iconic consumer brands and expands our plant-based offering to Canadian consumers by leveraging our expertise in this dairy-free category,” said Mark Taylor, president and CEO  of Lactalis Canada.

The plant-based brand offers 8 g of protein derived from peas per 250 ml. It features six SKUs: unsweetened oat, unsweetened oat vanilla, unsweetened almond, unsweetened almond vanilla, unsweetened hazelnut and unsweetened hazelnut & oat.

“As nutritious, high protein, unsweetened beverages, Enjoy responds to a growing consumer demand for plant-based options that taste great and have positive health impacts including non-GMO and gluten-free certification with no artificial colours, preservatives or flavours,” said Nathalie Cusson, general manager of Lactalis Canada’s Fluid Division.

“What sets Enjoy apart is its uniquely high protein content, which consumers are increasingly desiring in their daily diet,” Cusson added.

The company recently converted a 33,150 sf production facility in Sudbury, Ont., to a dedicated plant-based manufacturing plant.

The $24.5 million project will see the companies work together to address some of the most pressing challenges facing their industry, including increased global competition, and demands from CPG companies and consumers for taste and ingredient functionality. The consortium will build on their past success with both pea and fava to explore new fava-based ingredients and food products, while creating applications for pea starch and fibre.

More than $24 million will be invested into the project, with the partners investing $13.7 million and Protein Industries Canada investing the remaining $10.7 million. Roquette, the project lead, will focus on improving the efficiency of pea processing while further exploring the development of new ingredients at their facility in Portage la Prairie, Man.

Prairie Fava will work with growers to increase fava bean acres, while working to optimize dehulling technology development for current and new fava varieties. These activities will ensure Prairie Fava is able to supply increasing volumes of dehulled fava splits to Roquette.

From the Prairie Fava splits, Roquette will further process the dehulled fava to achieve high-performing fava protein isolates and co-products, diversifying from pea protein isolates and offering new ingredients to the global market.

Once Roquette has completed their work on testing and scaling-up their fava protein isolate, application and market development will begin. Plant Up will test the fava protein and co-products in their products and will provide Roquette with critical feedback on ingredient functionality and performance in finished food products. Plant Up will also work towards the development of a pea and fava-based alternative chicken whole cut product. This would be the first North American whole cut plant-based chicken offering.

The second aspect of the project will see BioNeutra focus on evaluating domestic sources of starch, the co-product of processing pea flour to make pea protien. Currently reliant on international sources for its starch supply, BioNeutra intends to explore the feasibility of procuring wet starch directly from Roquette. This strategic shift aims to reduce transportation costs and the need for additional starch drying processes, thereby enhancing operational efficiencies for both entities.

The brand, called Bettergoods, is just hitting Walmart stores and the company’s online shopping site. Walmart said Tuesday it expects to have 300 products in the line by the fall, including frozen foods, dairy items, snacks, beverages, pastas, soups, coffee and chocolate. The prices range from under $2 to under $15, with most products costing under $5.

The Bettergoods line is divided into three categories: plant-based options like desserts made with oat milk and non-dairy cheeses; products catering to other dietary lifestyles, such as gluten-free, or made without artificial flavours, colourings or added sugars; and “culinary experiences.” The last category features items like creamy corn jalapeno chowder and pasta from Italy.

The launch comes as inflation has driven shoppers to seek less-expensive alternatives, lifting the popularity of private-label brands. Private brands accounted for nearly 26 per cent of the overall market share in the number of units in the food and beverage category sold last year, up from 24.7 per cent during the previous year, according to market research firm Circana. That compares with 74.5 per cent for U.S. national name brands last year, down from 75.3 per cent in 2022.

For so-called core pantry items, including breakfast meats, baking items, fresh bread and salty snacks, private brands accounted for 36.6 per cent of market share in dollars in 2023, up from 36.2 per cent in 2019. That compares with national brands, which accounted for 63.4 per cent last year. That’s down from 63.8 per cent, according to Circana.

But these store brands are becoming tastier and higher quality, mirroring national brands. Walmart’s rivals, including Target, have been growing and sprucing up their own labels. Target’s Good & Gather food and beverage brand, launched in 2019, has expanded to include dishes such as chicken tikka masala.

Many U.S. grocery retailers face increasing competition from Trader Joe’s, which offers shoppers a treasure hunt experience with its variety of high-quality meals, ingredients and snacks.

Bettergoods joins Walmart’s other store label food brands, including Great Value and Equate, that provide lower-priced alternatives to branded products. In contrast, many of Bettergoods products are designed to be unique to Walmart while introducing its customers to new trends and flavors, the retailer said.

“As an industry, we’re seeing younger customers be more brand agnostic, prioritizing quality and value, and driving increased interest in private brands,” Scott Morris, Walmart’s senior vice president of private brands, food and consumables, said.

In addition to options that address medical nutrition needs, this project will create products for the active living and high-performance sports markets. The end products will contain a novel plant-based protein ingredient blend with high functionality and taste quality, reformulated from a past project.

The total project will see $5.4 million invested into the development, reformulation and commercialization of three consumer-ready protein products: a modular, a ready-to-mix and a ready-to-drink low-volume liquid protein. Protein Industries Canada will invest $2.3 million, with the partners investing the remainder.

“These innovative companies are rising to the challenge to provide Canadians with alternative options that offer exceptional health and nutritional benefits,” CEO of Protein Industries Canada Bill Greuel said. “With the support of the Global Innovation Clusters program, our partners are collaborating to bring important new products to the market that will offer Canadians a more diverse selection of protein-rich food choices to help them manage health challenges, as well as support a healthy lifestyle.”

Building from EMN and Gruppo Nutrition’s previous project of creating the original ingredient blend, this project will reformulate the blend using new inputs of yellow pea and canola protein isolates, while also researching other potential protein isolate options, such as hemp and sunflower. EMN and Gruppo Nutrition will collaborate with Acenzia to optimize manufacturing processes, to expand their consumer-ready products within current and new markets. This commercial scaling will allow for a larger return on investment for the consortium, product end-users and the sector.

A coalition of Nestle shareholders, co-ordinated by ShareAction, an investment NGO, had filed the resolution challenging Nestle to improve its impact on people’s health.

The shareholder coalition asked Nestle to implement internationally accepted standards that define healthy food rather than deviating from credible guidelines, amid concerns over the regulatory, reputational, and legal risks to the company, and public health impacts associated with an over-reliance on less healthy foods.

“While the vote we achieved today may be less than we wanted, the direction of travel is clear. Investors and consumers are recognizing the importance of addressing the business risks and public health impacts of an industry that is heavily reliant on the sales of unhealthy food. They have growing expectations not only from Nestle, but from all food manufacturers. Left unaddressed, the public health trends that spurred this resolution will only worsen; consequently we expect investor support for such resolutions at food companies to increase. We look forward to continued engagement with Nestle and hope to see progress towards the health goals the company itself claims. While the majority of shareholders did not support the resolution, we hope that it has encouraged them to think about the public health impacts of their investments,” said Simon Rawson, deputy chief executive of ShareAction.

That’s according to industry experts, including Bill Greuel, CEO of Protein Industries Canada, a not-for-profit that receives funding from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to invest in plant-based food and ingredient manufacturing.

There’s a lot of work being done in Canada to improve things like the meltability of plant-based cheese and the texture of plant-based meat, said Greuel in an interview at Plant Forward in Toronto, a conference focused on the plant-based food sector.

“Canada’s making great strides,” Greuel said, calling price, taste and texture the “Holy Trinity of consumer needs.”

Inflation and higher interest rates have made consumers more sensitive to price differences, he said, and therefore less willing to try plant-based meat alternatives.

In addition to innovating on the taste and texture side, the industry needs to build up its manufacturing and processing capacity in Canada to help address the price differences between plant-based meat and its conventional counterparts, said Greuel.

“Our belief is that if we create scale in ingredient manufacturing, that’s going to provide more options to food manufacturers, more options to consumers,” he said. “And that’s our path to relieving some of the inflationary pressures in the plant-based food side, is scaling up ingredient manufacturing in the country.”

The economic outlook for the plant-based protein industry was the subject of a presentation at the conference by two speakers from Ernst and Young.

Huzaifa Akhtar, economic advisory vice-president, and Mauricio Zelaya, partner and national economics leader, told conference-goers that businesses in the industry are working on multiple fronts to stay ahead of the curve.

This includes improving existing products and looking into new ones, said Akhtar.

“We’re really seeing that huge push for innovation across the board,” she said.

It’s also important for companies to mitigate potential supply chain disruptions by near-shoring — meaning seeking suppliers closer to the business — and diversifying the sources of their input crops, she said.

Over the longer term, Greuel said there’s still lots of growth predicted for the industry, though not at the steep rate previously thought.

Companies like Beyond Meat were all over the news when they launched products, including in major fast-food chains, that promised to mimic the taste and texture of a beef burger, but the initial excitement has faded in recent years and resulted in a stock price slide.

Ambitions for growth in the plant-based protein industry have been pared back, Greuel said.

“At the start of COVID, we were seeing compound annual growth rate in the double digits,” he said. “Now, we’ve had a market correction, and I think rightfully so.”

Recent estimates are more conservative at about six to eight per cent, he said. “That’s still significant.”

Scaling up manufacturing and processing in Canada is challenging, however, as the projects require a lot of growth capital, said Greuel.

“The cost of an ingredient manufacturing facility is measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s very hard to finance in the traditional (venture capital) models that we have in Canada,” he said.

“The other issue is that they can’t finance an entire processing facility with debt financing from traditional markets because the cost of debt servicing becomes too high.”

That’s why it’s important to find ways to incentivize more private-sector investment, said Greuel.

Regulations are also a key concern, he added, as it takes much longer in Canada to get novel foods approved versus the U.S. — sometimes several years longer.

While the latest federal budget makes mention of “regulatory sandboxes” to help businesses boost innovation, Greuel said “those are all things we’ve heard before.”

The project builds on the success of Wamame’s first Protein Industries Canada investment, which led to the initial launch of their premium Waygu line. This work also included early stage development of a super high-protein base material, which contains 64 per cent more protein than cooked ground beef and uses a blend of Canadian proteins including pea, fava, and canola.

Throughout the life of the second project, Wamame will develop new and improved high-protein products with ingredients from AGT and Crush Dynamics—ensuring the protein is not only Canadian, but also from environmentally sustainable sources such as wine derivatives that would have traditionally gone to waste. Apex, meanwhile, will increase production of the meat alternatives for international markets.

A total of $6.3 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada investing $2.8 million and the partners together investing the remainder.

“Consumers around the world aren’t just looking for diverse sources of protein—they’re looking for high-quality sources of protein,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “Each of these partners has proven they’re capable of creating such products. By coming together, they’ll be able to go even further, creating a line of high-protein foods that families around the world can enjoy.”

The partners marked the launch of the project with a tasting event of the new high-protein line of products in Toronto.

“This marks a new era where alternative meats don’t just meet the nutritional components of animal proteins, but exceed them by a wide margin and do so while tasting great,” Wamame founder and president Blair Bullus said. “With 65 per cent more protein than cooked ground beef, we feel Wamame has truly changed the plant-based protein space. We are so excited to finally share our vision where real chef-inspired food options will out-perform the protein-to-calorie ratio of even protein bars. We would not have been able to get here without the continued support of Protein Industries Canada and the investments they have made in building a stronger plant-protein sector across the country.”

Jillian Moffatt, regional president, McCain GB & Ireland said, “This investment bolsters McCain’s commitment to planet-friendly food, enabling us to extend our portfolio of healthier options that are grown, processed and shipped in a sustainable manner. With a vision and values aligned to McCain’s, we are excited to continue our journey to scale the Strong Roots brand globally.”

A brand advisory council will be instituted, including Strong Roots’ founder and members of the Strong Roots and McCain teams, as well as external advisors, to steward the brand and business for future growth.

Strong Roots have developed a range of vegetable dishes, including meals, sides and snacks, which complement McCain’s current portfolio.

Samuel Dennigan, Strong Roots founder and CEO, said, “We have witnessed tremendous growth since partnering with McCain and this move will enable Strong Roots to maintain its focus on sustainability while propelling innovation to bring delicious, vegetable forward products to more consumers around the world.”

Strong Roots products have so far joined the McCain Foodservice portfolio in GB and Ireland and retail portfolio in France, with further plans to scale retail and foodservice offerings globally. Strong Roots will operate as a distinct business under the leadership of Charlotte Turton, with founder, Dennigan, working alongside the team to propel portfolio innovation and brand growth.

Credit: Ojasvini Parashar

This year’s ‘Level Up’ theme is aimed at supporting the industry, helping foodservice professionals, restaurants, cafes and bars discover new ways to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the industry while embracing innovation.

Kelly Higginson, president and CEO of Restaurants Canada, said in a press release that the show was for everyone including people aiming to expand a business, foster a winning team, boost efficiency, or enhance the overall quality of service.

Credit: Ojasvini Parashar

As expected, several beverage brands were displaying their wares. The Food in Canada team saw multiple non/low alcoholic brands, such as Partake Brewing and Libra, as well as a smattering of coffee/tea brands with sparkling teas, functional teas, cold-brew coffees, and canned lattes. With single-source Colombian coffee and a smooth, rich taste, Manic Brews’ ready-to-use cold brews caught our eye. Other innovative products on display included Bliss Dough’s straight-from-the-jar, ready-to-eat edible cookie dough and Nana Pops’ nutritionist-approved vegan ice creams that are literally a smoothie on a stick. Many of the exhibitors were offering products, such as gluten-free breads and vegan desserts that catered to a diverse clientele.

“This year we’ll be celebrating innovation, excellence, and the dynamic and deep-rooted essence of the Canadian hospitality sector. Our emphasis is to empower attendees to elevate their skills in this constantly evolving industry, challenge conventional limits, invest in people, and wholeheartedly embrace the spirit of innovation,” Higginson said.

The new and returning competitions for this year included the Garland Canada Culinary Competition, Restaurants Canada Pizza Competition, Fried Chicken Sandwich Competition, Beyond The Rail Cocktail Competition, John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition, and Coffee Competitions.

Credits: Ojasvini Parashar

The show also had a range of dynamic speakers such as co-owner and chef of Vij’s Restaurant Meeru Dhalwala; sommelier, winemaker, and designer André Hueston Mack; chief economist and vice president of research for Restaurants Canada Chris Elliott; foodservice analyst for Circana Vince Sgabellone; senior vice president and head of Syndicated Solutions at Ipsos Asad Amin; senior principal and head of strategic partnerships at Technomic David Henkes; and founder of Marler Clark, Bill Marler.

Trends

The driving trends that we noticed this year at the The RC Show are “eatertainment”, sustainability and AI-powered personalization.

• “Eatertainment” is driving innovation in the industry, with restaurants leveraging interactive elements and entertainment to create memorable experiences that generate positive word-of-mouth.
• The food service industry remains focused on sustainability with a growing emphasis on plant-based products and menus including the ever-increasing trend of plant-based seafood.
• AI-powered personalization is revolutionizing the food service industry by allowing establishments to tailor their offerings and interactions to individual customer preferences. New trending technological advancements are widespread, impacting how customers eat and drink out, including helping businesses customize menus, and create more personalized recommendations and event-targeted diner messaging.

There was a total of 11 pavilions this year like, Bar & Beverage Pavilion, Canada Pavilion, Coffee, Tea & Sweets Pavilion, Design Pavilion, Eco Pavilion, Indigenous Pavilion, Ontario Pavilion, Quebec Pavilion, Tech Pavilion, The Black Experience Pavilion, and the World Pavilion.

Having most recently served as director, national sales with Kind, Poulain brings more than 15 years of customer leadership, national sales and marketing experience from other past roles at Irving Consumer Products and Ferrero.

Available in two variations – Original and White Cheddar Style – KD NotMacandCheese is now rolling out on shelves nationwide. KD Gluten-Free is available in Original flavour

“More Canadians than ever are looking for easy plant-based alternatives to pantry staples that don’t ask them to give up the foods they love, and they want options from their favourite brands that taste, look, and feel like the originals,” says Lucho Lopez-May, CEO, the Kraft Heinz Not Company. “This is the core mission of The Kraft Heinz Not Company: to bring easy, accessible, and delicious plant-based alternatives from the world’s most beloved brands to the masses. Found in nearly half of all Canadian pantries, KD is Canada’s most iconic mac and cheese brand, and we are excited to leverage its strength alongside NotCo’s revolutionary technology for our first branded Canadian product launch.”

Burcon will be offering hemp protein isolate, sunflower protein isolate and sunflower protein concentrate. In partnership with Burcon, HPS will assess hemp crop varieties to determine which are best suited for the new ingredients, while also developing, commercializing and scaling the technology needed to process the hemp into above-mentioned ingredients. Further along the value chain, Puratos and Burcon will each focus on using the hemp and sunflower ingredients in new food and beverage products, particularly baking applications, beverages and meat alternatives.

“The development of new ingredients and food manufacturing is integral to growing and strengthening Canada’s agrifood sector. Increasing ingredient manufacturing can help diversify our agriculture sector and increase our productivity, creating new economic growth for Canada,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “Together, Burcon, HPS and Puratos are developing a line of ingredients, food and beverage products that will do this, while also bringing new, diverse protein options to market.”

A total of $6.9 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada committing $3 million and the partners together committing the remainder.

“By bolstering the cultivation and processing of fava beans for use in Canadian ingredients and food, this project will increase the selection of healthy and sustainable food options for Canadians,” said François-Philippe Champagne, innovation, science and industry minister. “Projects like these show how Protein Industries Canada and its partners’ innovative approaches to food will not only increase Canadians’ access to nutritious options, but also build stronger and more resilient supply chains in Canada and abroad.”

As a crop growing in both acreage and use in plant-based products, fava is an ideal option for innovative work in the ingredient and finished goods market. Prairie Fava is building on this by growing DL Seeds’ fava varieties and then utilizing them in their patented processing methods, testing them for functionality and feeding information back to DL Seeds in order to inform new variety development. They’ll then supply Three Farmers with fava ingredients for further functionality testing in Three Farmers’ line of snack foods.

“Prairie Fava, DL Seeds and Three Farmers have taken a full value chain approach to strengthening the fava bean supply chain and market in Canada—an approach that’s needed if we’re going to make Canada truly competitive in the global plant protein space,” said Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel. “By working together across the ecosystem, crop breeders, ingredient manufacturers and food processors can capture the growing global protein opportunity, while providing consumers with a variety of healthy, high-protein snack options.”

The development of each the new varieties, ingredients and finished products will strengthen the supply of fava beans in the Canadian market, helping meet the rising demand for new sources of sustainable protein. The project will also enable each company to scale its product offerings and operations, including at Three Farmers’ recently opened facility in Saskatoon. Together, the partners will create new jobs and new opportunities for Canadians.

A total of $13.2 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada investing $5.4 million and the partners investing the remainder.

“Three Farmers is thrilled to embark on this journey with our new Protein Industries Canada consortium, dedicated to amplifying production and innovation in the realm of fava beans as a value-added food item. We remain committed to enhancing the agricultural landscape of the prairies, continuously adding value to crops and fostering growth for our communities,” said Three Farmers founder and CEO Natasha Vandenhurk.

“This transition to 100 per cent rPET represents a significant commitment to soften Califia’s environmental footprint,” said Dave Ritterbush, CEO at Califia Farms. “While Califia is an inherently sustainable business thanks to the plant-based products we produce, we recognize the importance of ongoing, forward progress in our sustainability journey. By moving to 100 per cent rPET for our iconic curvy bottle, we’re taking a major step in reducing our reliance on virgin plastic and advancing the principles of a circular economy.”

Califia Farms clarifies that the plastic cap and sleeve don’t use 100 per cent rPET materials.

“For the past five years, our vision to be the most sustainable protein company on earth has been our north star and raising the good in food is what gives us purpose every day,” said Maple Leaf Foods CEO, Curtis Frank. “As our business shifts from an intensive phase of investing in building and commissioning new plants to realizing the benefits of our world-class network, the time is appropriate to refine the strategies that underpin our purpose and vision through an evolved strategic blueprint.”

The company unveiled its new, evolved blueprint, which acts as a strategic compass for the organization. In order to execute the strategies outlined in the blueprint, the company will bring its meat and plant protein businesses together under a single umbrella.

Executive changes
Adam Grogan has been promoted to the role of chief operating officer, effective immediately. He has overall responsibility for leading prepared foods, including prepared meats, poultry, and plant protein; and the supply chain network across Canada and the United States. Grogan has been with Maple Leaf Foods for more than 25 years in diverse roles and brings a wide spectrum of experience in both operational and commercial leadership roles.

Casey Richards assumes the newly created role of president, Maple Leaf Foods USA. Richards is responsible for leading the company’s growth in this market. He has more than 20 years of global marketing and general management experience, including the last six years with Maple Leaf Foods.

The total project will see $19.2 million invested into R&D related to ingredient manufacturing and the creation of new food products, with Protein Industries Canada investing $7.3 million. During the project, Avena will further optimize and refine specialty-milled oat and pulse flours, while also creating specialty-milled pulse grits, meals and flours that match each customer’s unique processes. These minimally processed ingredients will be used to reformulate and develop new consumer-ready food products that are nutritious and made from clean-label and sustainably sourced oat and pulse ingredients.

“Investment into ingredient manufacturing is an untapped economic opportunity for Canada, and this project is an example of what is possible when we take our widely available Canadian crops such as pulses and oats to create new ingredients and food,” said Bill Greuel, CEO of Protein Industries Canada. “With the scale-up of ingredient processing, we can produce ingredients with enhanced functionality that can better meet the demand of consumers when it comes to taste, texture and nutritional benefits.”

Old Dutch, Danone and Big Mountain Foods will use the optimized new ingredients from Avena to create new snack options and reformulated products, including yogurt, plant-based beverages and creamers, veggie links, cutlets, pastries, fillings and non-soy/non-fava tofu products.

“Avena welcomes this investment from Protein Industries Canada, and the opportunity to work collaboratively with our customers. Our goal is to provide exactly what they need from our deck of functional and nutritious oat and pulse ingredients, and to further support them with sustainability metrics, such as life cycle assessment for our ingredients,” said Wayne Arsenault, CEO of Avena Foods.

“Big Mountain Foods is on an exciting journey into the realm of foodservice, marking a historic milestone for our brand. With the invaluable support of Protein Industries Canada, we are poised to revolutionize the culinary landscape by crafting offerings tailored for the diverse needs of large institutions, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, restaurants, universities, and beyond. This expansion not only showcases our commitment to innovation but also underlines our dedication to providing wholesome, plant-based solutions that redefine the standards of nourishment in institutional settings. Together, we’re cooking up a future where everyone can savour the goodness of Big Mountain Foods, one custom creation at a time,” said Jasmine Byrne, COO, Big Mountain Foods.

“Danone Canada’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible, so we are thrilled to be part of this project with Avena Foods, which will allow us to produce even more healthy and sustainable products locally. This collaboration will facilitate access to cutting-edge technology in plant-based ingredient production – allowing us to continue delivering on our promise of offering innovative and quality options for consumers,” said Pierre Morin, Danone Canada vice-president of research & innovation.

“Old Dutch Foods is committed to our ‘Quality Lives Here’ claim beyond traditional snack categories blending quality, taste, and innovative ingredients to build snacks that transcend expectations adding new benefits for consumers. We are proud to share 70 years of innovation with Canadians and this partnership fuels continued development of products like those in our Project Nice portfolio,” said Scott Kelemen, sr. national director brand and market strategy, Old Dutch Foods.

A presentation by Francis Parisien, SVP sales-SMB Canada, Nielsen IQ, and Kristine Churchward, VP, marketing and e-commerce, BritOn Solutions Group, offered a candid summary of the current situation. “It’s a tough time for the plant-based sector,” said Parisien.

According to their presentation, 50 per cent of Canadians are sticking to buying essentials and 56 per cent of all units are being sold on promotion. Unit sales of plant-based beverages were down four per cent and the dollar value of sales for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives had declined by seven per cent YoY.

The presentation wasn’t all doom and gloom. Parisien and Churchward shared that 61 per cent of Canadians use at least some plant-based products. Additionally, 61 per cent of that group consumes plant-based food/beverage at once monthly. Millennials and Gen Z are the biggest consumers of plant-based foods. The most popular ones are plant-based beverages and snacks as well as tofu, which is evident in the high proliferation of plant-based snack products on the market.

Churchward added that consumers gravitated toward plant-based foods because of their perceived health benefits, environmental concerns, and personal preferences. However, ‘plant-based’ claim on packages wouldn’t necessarily translate into sales. A Nielson IQ survey found ‘reduced sugar’ or ‘reduced salt/sodium’ more appealing than plant-based, which ranked 20 on that list.

Parisien and Churchward felt innovation in the right product segments and target marketing to the brand’s most valuable consumers would accelerate sectoral growth.

Age of disruption

While Parisien and Churchward highlighted the need for a course correction in the sector, Joe Jackman, founder and CEO of Jackman and author of the Reinventionist Mindset, shared the ‘how’.

In his keynote presentation, Jackman spoke about the age of disruption. “It’s never been easier to pry consumers from a brand than now,” he said. “It’s a good time to find the wherewithal to establish oneself, find that unique consumer and keep them.”

He was optimistic about new investments into the sector. He strongly believed VCs and private equity firms will be back in the market looking for investment opportunities, and plant-based F&B companies will be the beneficiaries. He offered several reasons for this optimism:

• consumes are increasingly incorporating their health priorities into decisions and consumption patterns;
• Canadians are more likely to buy from brands with values that align with their own; and
• Canadian universities, such as the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, and Western University, are offering plant-based meals, thus creating more exposure among younger consumers.

Jackman asked participants to focus on their unique customer base; have a real strategy (e.g. Simply Protein which grew five times since 2020); be truly different (e.g. Field Roast with its unconventional flavour profiles); amplify your brand (e.g. Flow Beverage’s association with celebrities and influencers); and partner with retailers.

He also urged attendees to broaden the aperture; seek insights everywhere; embrace uncertainty; launch products as fast as possible like the tech industry; and clearly define the outcome and go toward it relentlessly.

Jackman’s optimism was shared by many of the conference panelists. But the optimism wasn’t naïve or blind to market realities. Panelists spoke about the need to educate consumers through collaborations with chefs, universities, and sampling sessions. They also stressed on the importance of taste and texture especially in meat analogs.

Regulatory modernization

A longstanding issue for this sector has been the inability of Canada’s regulatory bodies to keep up with market conditions. This merited a whole panel discussion at the conference. Representatives from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency explained the lengthy process and what information they’ll need to make changes, such as evidence-based studies on food consumption patterns. I’m sure PBFC and its members are already planning surveys to collect the required data.

I left the conference with the confidence that the plant-based food and beverage sector isn’t having an identity crisis. However, a course correction is required so that consumers better understand the products as well as have easy access to innovative, healthy, affordable, and tasty options.

Dinah Martinez has been promoted to director, behavioural science – Canada and global markets. In her new role, Martinez will establish a comprehensive data strategy, build a robust multi-year innovation pipeline, and drive connectivity between international teams and U.S. counterparts. Since joining Conagra Brands Canada in 2018, Martinez has spearheaded the sprint process to fortify an innovation pipeline across the portfolio, championed the “Future of Frozen” initiative to enhance Conagra’s presence in the frozen aisle, led pivotal sales and marketing trainings aligning teams with the corporate strategic direction, and exhibited thought leadership crafting compelling narratives for customer meetings.

Tonya Moncrieffe has been appointed director of human resources. Moncrieffe will be responsible for leading the direction and execution of the human resources division for Conagra Brands international businesses in Canada (Mississauga site) and global markets. Over the span of her human resources career, Moncrieffe has worked across an array of industries including engineering, retail, and healthcare. More recently, Moncrieffe has worked as a human resources business leader at Hydro One, Ontario’s largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider.

With this project, Konscious Foods will advance the fortification and commercialization of its existing products, as well as develop an extended range of new offerings out of its 34,000-sf facility in Richmond, B.C., by using pulse ingredients sourced from Avena in the Prairies, as well as CPS’ locally sourced seaweed. Konscious Foods will also evaluate pulses and grains from other Canadian suppliers and work with multiple universities to enhance the nutritional profile of ingredients and products.

“The innovation showcased by Konscious Foods and its partners is what differentiates Canada in this growing market space. Our ability to have ingredient processors – in this case, Avena – who work directly with farmers, and then loop back to the food processors, is the benefit of Canada’s uniquely integrated value chain,” CEO of Protein Industries Canada Bill Greuel said. “This connection and collaboration, along with the support of the Global Innovation Clusters program, is supporting innovation at an accelerated rate, leading to more successful Canadian companies, the building of new facilities, and the development of new IP that is being commercialized in Canada.”

This project will launch new products like nori and tamagoyaki plant-based egg. Konscious Food’s will also improve the nutritional content of its existing seafood-alternative products, including increased protein and vitamin integration of Omega-3 fatty acids. The total value of this project is $5.1 million, with Protein Industries Canada investing up to $2.3 million and the consortium investing the remainder.

“We are grateful for our continued partnership and investment of Protein Industries Canada as we march onwards towards our goal of bringing good-for-you, good-for-the-planet alternatives to the masses,” said Yves Potvin, founder and president of Konscious Foods. “Widespread adoption of plant-based foods is simply impossible if we don’t focus on food that tastes good, is made of healthy high-quality ingredients, and is affordable. Protein Industries Canada is connecting our culinary and technical knowledge with locally sourced, best-in-class ingredient partners to advance our mission of transforming how people eat.”

Avena will supply Konscious with new pulse-based ingredients to incorporate into their existing products. As well, through proprietary milling methods, Avena will supply functional pulse ingredients that mimic conventional egg to be used in a plant-based Japanese-style omelet (Tamagoyaki).

“Konscious Foods is known for innovation. Avena is excited to be a partner offering pulse ingredient solutions that will help Konscious to develop innovative plant-based seafood products for this fast-growing market segment,” said Avena CEO Wayne Arsenault.

CPS will focus developing a locally sourced nori product, working with local B.C. farmers to select different types of seaweeds for testing and evaluation, from seedstock to growing and harvesting.

“At Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds, we’re honoured to be guided by a pioneering Japanese company, renowned for its innovation in nori snacks,” founder and CEO of CPS Majid Hajibeigy said. “Their expertise sets the gold standard in nori production, enriching our efforts to craft a locally sourced nori product in collaboration with Coastal B.C. farmers. With sustainability at the forefront, we’re charting a course towards an eco-friendly, efficient and non-hazardous alternative extraction method. This partnership underscores our joint commitment to excellence in seaweed cultivation, ensuring a premium, locally produced product for BC and beyond.”

Protein types included store-purchased breaded shrimp, minced pollock, fish sticks, white Gulf shrimp (headless/shell-on), Key West pink shrimp (headless/shell-on), Alaska Pollock fillets (skinless), chicken nuggets, top sirloin steaks, pork loin chops, chicken breasts, plant-based nuggets, plant-based fish sticks, plant-based ground beef, and tofu blocks.

While scientists have long documented the presence of microplastics in the digestive tracts of commercial fish and shellfish like salmon, halibut and oysters, there has been little research into whether these microplastics are entering the filets of the fish – the parts that are actually eaten by people; and little research into terrestrial protein sources like beef and chicken that make up a large part of the American diet. In this study, microplastics were found in all 16 protein types tested, suggesting humans are likely eating microplastics no matter the source of protein they choose. Further, there were no statistical differences in microplastic concentrations between land- and ocean-sourced proteins.

“This is a startling reminder of just how prolific plastic pollution has become – humans live on land and yet, seafood samples are just as likely to be contaminated with plastics as are terrestrial-derived proteins,” said study co-author Dr. Britta Baechler, a marine biologist and associate director of Plastics Science at Ocean Conservancy. “There’s no escaping them no matter what you eat, it seems. The plastic pollution crisis is impacting all of us, and we need to take action to address its many forms.”

The study found evidence that food processing is a likely source of microplastic contamination, as highly processed protein products (e.g. fish sticks, chicken nuggets, tofu, and plant-based burgers, among others) contained significantly more microplastics per gram than minimally processed products (e.g. packaged wild Alaska pollock, raw chicken breast, and others). However, no statistical difference was found between high-processed products and fresh-caught products, suggesting food processing is not the only source of microplastic contamination and opening avenues for further research.

“It’s tempting to want to draw conclusions like ‘eat less of this and more of that’ to avoid microplastics in your diet; but right now we still know very little about the microplastic burdens in commonly consumed foods. Our study adds to this knowledge but also demonstrates the need for further research to better understand the bigger picture, including where these microplastics are coming from and the potential human health risks,” said primary co-author Madeleine Milne, who conducted the research while at the Rochman Lab at the University of Toronto in 2022.

Notably, across all samples, nearly half (44 per cent) of the identified microplastics were fibres, which is consistent with other studies suggesting that fibres are the most prevalent form of microplastic in the environment. About a third of the microplastics (30 per cent) were plastic fragments.

Using survey data from a separate study by Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto (to be published in Frontiers in Marine Science), the authors estimate an American adult will consume, on average, 11,500 microplastics per year. Annual exposure could be as high as 3.8 million microplastics per year if calculated using the highest levels of microplastics found in each individual protein type and the average reported protein consumption rates.

“As ocean scientists, my co-authors and I are deeply concerned about the growing plastics crisis in the world’s ocean,” said Dr. George Leonard, Ocean Conservancy’s chief scientist and a co-author of the study. “But our study shows that plastics in our food goes well beyond fish and shellfish to a wide variety of other protein sources, as well. Our work is a call to action to reduce plastic pollution in its many forms to ensure a safe and healthy food supply for all consumers.”

While Health Canada has not formally amended simulated meat and poultry rules, they have altered their course on how protein ratings may be determined. The current rules governing simulated meat and poultry are not food standards, but they lay out nutritional requirements involving a protein rating and the content of fat, vitamins, and minerals. A protein rating is to be determined by Official Method #1 (FO-1), which was last updated on October 15, 1981. A protein rating is based on the protein efficiency ratio (PER) of the protein source. Unless there are published and representative PER values for a protein source, which are not so common these days, the only remedy is to determine PER by FO-1. This is based on an animal study, measuring growth (grams gain per gram of protein) in contrast to a standard protein diet based on casein. If a manufacturer is developing a vegan simulated meat or poultry product, it raises some interesting questions!

In late 2020, Health Canada and CFIA announced that they will accept either a PER method based on FO-1 or a PDCAAS (protein digestibility corrected amino acid score) method, with the intention to eventually update FDR. The PDCAAS method is used to calculate an estimated PER value, which is then used to calculate the protein rating based on the amount of protein per reasonable daily intake of food. The PDCAAS method considers the fecal true digestibility percentage of the protein source, which can be based on published values. Those values are derived from animal studies. The PDCAAS method offer some advantages over FO-1, as it is more adaptable, particularly when the protein content is based on multiple sources.

Challenging definition

In the past, one of the biggest concerns with simulated meat and poultry was the definition—“has the appearance of a meat/poultry product”. Tempeh by its nature could resemble meat and tofu strips could look like chicken. The question was who decides the product ‘has the appearance of meat/poultry’. CFIA’s updated guidance attempts to provide a more predicable approach to this question. The revised guidelines make it clear as to which food products must meet comprehensive nutritional and labelling requirements (i.e. include the word, “simulated,” in the name as well as the statement, “contains no meat/poultry.”).

In the updated guidance, CFIA acknowledges that while some foods may have certain visual characteristics (e.g. colour, texture, shape) that are similar to meat/poultry products, that alone is not a factor for them to be called simulated meat/poultry. As unstandardized foods, these products would be identified by a common name meeting the new definition in B.01.001, FDR,, and also CFIA’s new rules on the true nature of food.

Appearance, however, is still a factor. If a product is made to look like pork ribs, it is likely going to be classified as simulated meat. Terms like ‘burger’, ‘loaf,’ ‘patty,’ ‘jerky,’ and ‘sausage’ can, however, be used to describe a non-simulated meat/poultry product as long as it is not mistaken for a meat/poultry product. If the label of such products implies it has a relationship to meat/poultry products, it will likely be considered as simulated meat. However, it would be ok to label non-simulated foods as ‘chicken flavoured.’ For clarity, non-simulated meat/poultry products are not expected to contain products of slaughter but may contain other animal products such as eggs or milk.

Having simulated meat/poultry rules is a good thing, as it establishes nutritional equivalency. Similar rules, however, do not apply to other commodities such as simulated fish, eggs and dairy foods. If such foods are represented as being nutritionally equivalent to their counterparts, it could be considered as a misrepresentation.

One drawback of these kind of simulated foods is that there are no provisions for fortification. Health Canada is, however, considering further amendments to FDR to provide a broader range of discretionary fortification for conventional foods. For now, at least the old simulated meat/poultry rules provide manufacturers options and CFIA’s guidance provides relief for those foods, which were not intended to be captured as simulated meat/poultry products.

Gary Gnirss is a partner and president of Legal Suites, specializing in regulatory software and services. Contact him at president@legalsuites.com.

“Helping homegrown manufacturing companies expand helps us grow a strong, sustainable economy in B.C. that everyone can benefit from,” said Brenda Bailey, B.C. minister of jobs, economic development and innovation. “Through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, we’re investing in innovative projects around the province that create stable jobs and stronger communities.”

In Surrey, Dr. Ma’s Laboratories, which manufactures more than 800 natural health products, will receive as much as $1.25 million to establish a second processing facility and complete facility upgrades. Upgrades will accommodate scaling up and automation of production to meet increasing demand. The food, supplement and vitamin manufacturer will also bring raw-ingredient processing in house as part of a capital project, which will triple production, enable it to prioritize local suppliers and create 75 new jobs.

“The program’s support allows our company to open a second manufacturing facility and add new in-house production capabilities,” said Jie Ma, president, Dr. Ma’s Laboratories. “The funding helps us create sustainable and quality jobs, right here in Surrey.”

In Pitt Meadows, When We Eat Manufacturing, which produces frozen snack foods for grocery store chains and is working to become a net-zero processing facility, is receiving as much as $623,000 to expand production, build and install new equipment. The upgrade will help scale up operations and minimize CO₂ emissions from production. This project will create 50 new jobs and set the stage to increase manufacturing capacity and diversify product offerings.

“With deep gratitude to the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, our project modernizes production in the food industry with in-house, state-of-the-art equipment and facility expansion,” said Jae Park, owner, When We Eat Manufacturing. “This strategic investment enhances efficiency, generates jobs, ensures food safety and drives our commitment to global innovation, contributing significantly to food-industry competitiveness and growth.”

Other food and beverage manufacturers receiving funds from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund include:

• Pippin Point (Wynndel), a producer of juice, cider and reusable wooden boxes, which will receive as much as $176,610 to build a new production plant and buy machinery that will allow it to operate year-round, increase the manufacturing of reusable wooden boxes made from B.C. plywood and hire four full-time staff; and
• Soul Bite Food (Coquitlam), a plant-based food manufacturing and catering business that produces and distributes a line of vegan frozen dinners, will receive as much as $22,000 to complete planning activities for a future capital project that would help the company buy equipment to automate production, achieve economies of scale and create four jobs.

The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund supports for-profit organizations to plan and launch shovel-ready, high-value industrial and manufacturing projects that bring direct benefits and stable, family-supporting jobs to communities, while driving clean and inclusive growth throughout the province.

In the world of food choices, 2022 was marked by contractions in the valuations of big-name plant-based brands. Private investors re-circled with greater caution in due diligence, assessing unique selling propositions, and how products contribute to unmet consumer needs. Start-ups, scale-ups, legacy CPGs, and their suppliers are in deep iteration mode to meet these complex market aspirations.

Adding to the broader equation is the perceived dichotomy between animal- and plant- based diets. The relatively subtle rise of flexitarian diets is a broader marketplace consideration. Flexitarians represent a larger segment of consumers than vegetarians and vegans alone. Further, flexitarians don’t seem to compromise on taste, texture, pleasure, or expected value in price points. Likely we are seeing some of the continued fallout of this in 2023, with market adjustments, post-hype in 2022.

Heme can produce colour intensity, and ‘bleed’ in plant-based burger patties. Photo © Bill / Adobe Stock

New ingredients

By way of specific examples, globally competitive companies are pursuing food ingredient formulations to address specific needs in the market. Collagen, for example, adds texture and unique mouthfeel in food applications (currently largely produced from meat industry by-products). Companies like Canada’s Liven Proteins are seeking to produce collagen at greater scale through precision fermentation. Whey protein, another important ingredient in a range of dairy products, (traditionally sourced from bovine milk), is being produced at a growing scale by U.S.-based Perfect Day. Significant energy is being committed to food ingredients sourced from mycoproteins (from mushrooms, mycelia, and fungi), and from algal-based powders and oils, by Canadian companies like Smallfood and Mara, for nutritional food supplementation.

Colour also matters in food purchase decisions, as does its ‘naturalness’, and clean label, not an easy balancing act. An example of this is with ‘heme’, derived from either plants or animals, and developed by different alternative protein companies. Heme can produce colour intensity, and ‘bleed’ in plant-based burger patties. Currently, there is an ongoing legal dispute between Impossible Foods and Motif FoodWorks over production process claims in the application of heme.

Global competition in the food ingredients market is surging out of traditionally strong ecosystems in Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Japan, and Korea to name a few. Companies like Givaudan, IFF, Firmenich, DSM, McCormick, Lesaffre, Novozymes, Chr. Hansen, Griffith, Caldic and Ajinomoto are some of the leading providers of food ingredients meeting new expectations in the subtle art and science of food product formulation. So, where does this leave Canada?

Advantage Canada

In 2022, Canadian food and beverage exports grew at a healthy pace, at 14 per cent year-over-year, but food and beverage imports also increased, up 18 per cent. Changing multicultural demographics in Canada means international food imports are up. According to a recent Farm Credit Canada (FCC) report, expectations for 2023 are that grain and oilseed milling and meat product manufacturing will outperform plant-based protein products, seasonings, dressings. The report added that demand remains strong for ‘affordable, convenient, and sustainably produced foods’, and there is ‘strong demand for flour and edible oils from downstream food and beverage manufacturers.’ Specific to dairy alternatives, oat prices are down 40 per cent, which could make oat-made food alternatives more competitively priced.

Canada’s advantage lies in a traditionally strong land and natural resource base to source raw ingredients from farms, marine ecosystems, and forests. Canada is a leading producer of peas, lentils, flax, hemp, and oats, which increasingly is translating into value-added products such as protein isolates, starches, concentrates, flours, and fibres that are essential for a new generation of products. These lend themselves well to export markets seeking protein-rich foods.

Strong advances in the Canadian food ingredient sector have been driven by the government-backed efforts of Protein Industries Canada and Plant-based Foods of Canada that foster innovation in the ecosystem, especially over the past decade. Companies such as France-based Roquette Foods’ investment in Manitoba, as well as the establishment of Phyto Organix Foods and More Than Protein Ingredients (both in Alberta), are testament to ongoing efforts in plant-based food ingredient creation. It is also important to acknowledge industry challenges, such as Winnipeg-based Merit Functional Foods going into receivership in first half of 2023. A surge of effort by food ingredient companies, old and new including Ardra Bio, Genuine Taste, Mara, Bartek, Biofect Innovations, and Lallemand, are further evidence of an attuned industry seeking to bring valuable and functional ingredients to the marketplace, especially with the power of fermentation (both traditional and precision-based).

These providers will need to conform to the diversity of consumer and business needs in export markets, whether in functionality such as emulsification, stabilizing, texture, colour, or flavour enhancement. If Canadian companies are to thrive, they need to understand these subtle nuances. Realizing these objectives with trading partners in both developed and emerging markets across the Americas, the E.U. and Asia, requires agile ecosystems, supply chain partners, government co-ordination, financing, and university and college researchers astute to market segments. Canada also needs to protect its reputation in food safety, traceability, and lend itself to articulating this among the health, pricing, and sustainability drivers of today’s food sector.

Mark Juhasz is CEO and founder of Harvest Insights. He has more than 20 years of experience in the agri-food industry. He can be reached at www.harvestinsights.com.

This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue of Food in Canada.

“The Kraft Heinz Not Company creates plant-based versions of fan-favourite foods that taste like the real thing, yet don’t require people to drastically change their eating habits,” says Lucho Lopez-May, CEO, the Kraft Heinz Not Company. “NotCo brings its revolutionary AI technology that has a proven track record in creating mouthwatering plant-based foods to Kraft, the beloved mac & cheese brand that sells over a million boxes every day. Leveraging the strengths of both companies, we’re offering the creamy and comforting experience Kraft Mac & Cheese fans have loved for over 85 years, without the dairy.”