Canada gives multimillion-dollar boost to plant-based food industry

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed a $100 million investment into Merit Functional Foods’ pea and canola production site in Winnipeg

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the government will invest $100 million in the construction of a pea and canola protein production facility at Merit Functional Foods in Winnipeg.

“As people around the world start eating more plant-based food products, we have an opportunity to bring together innovation in Canada and Canadian crops, and a chance to create good, well-paying jobs,” said Trudeau.

Construction of Merit’s 94,000-square foot production facility is well under way. The site has been designed to produce the world’s highest purity and highest quality pea and canola protein.

Merit said the facility is optimised to meet initial market demand for its speciality protein ingredients, and it is being designed with future growth in mind.

“This facility is going to be key in redefining plant-based protein,” said Ryan Bracken, co-chief executive at Merit.

For Bracken, the flexibility of the manufacturing plant will enable Merit to produce an unprecedented pea protein and the first canola protein available for use in food and drink products.

“Both of these proteins will have functional and nutritional characteristics that will set them apart from other ingredients available in the market,” he said.

The company is committed to source the ingredients from peas and canola crops grown in western Canada.

Several major project milestones have been completed or are in progress: the facility’s superstructure was assembled in May, and the initial placement of equipment and enclosure of the building is occurring throughout June.

Marit claims that when complete, the new site will be the first and only commercial facility with the capability to produce food-grade canola protein, a new and exciting entrant to the plant-based protein ingredient segment.

Canada plant-based food market

Prime Minister Trudeau said this facility will be a world leader in plant-based proteins and will create good jobs in a fast-growing field. “By using 100% Canadian inputs, we will also support the farmers who produce canola and yellow peas used in Merit’s products.

“Standing up for hard-working farmers, creating good jobs, setting up Canada for success on the world stage — these are things that our government will always get behind,” he added.

The funding announcement comes at a time when Canada’s biggest cafes and restaurants start to include animal-free and dairy-free options on their menus.