2021-22 Accomplishments

By almost every metric, 2021-22 was a good year for Protein Industries Canada – with significant progress made toward both long- and medium-term goals. By the end of fiscal year 2021-22, Protein Industries Canada had met, exceeded or surpassed every metric set out by the Government of Canada.

The initial $153 million from the federal government has now been fully committed, plus the additional $20 million received in the 2021-22 federal budget, through 53 total approved and contracted projects. Evaluation of projects to date indicates that Protein Industries Canada will exceed our goals related to job creation and GDP. Internationally, Canada is gaining traction as the place to do business in the plant-based food sector. The world is noticing Canada, and we are quickly solidifying our position as the preferred country to invest and do business with, when it comes to plant-based foods and ingredients.

Our members are attracting new clients, forming new partnerships, scaling up, creating jobs and growing. From our perspective, the Cluster Theory is proving true: by focusing on transformative industries, collaboration and being industry led, we are accelerating innovation and achieving commercialization quicker.

• Continue to focus on priority areas of regulatory modernization, international engagement, and skills, talent and access to labour.

RESULTS

In Spring of 2021-22, Protein Industries Canada issued a special call for capacity building projects, with a focus on four key areas: regulatory, skills, labour and access to talent, infrastructure, and international engagement. The call resulted in 13 new expressions of interest. From the 13 EOIs, seven projects were invited to move to full application. The seven projects fell into a mix of priority areas, with a strong focus on skills, labour and access to talent. Through the specific call, several new capacity building projects were approved in the priority areas:

1. Increasing Canada’s Training Capacity in Chemical and Food Science Technologies

This $565,000 project will result in the development of two new three-year diploma at Assiniboine Community College to address the challenges in labour shortage and to meet the opportunities presented through the investments in plant-protein processing and other food and beverage manufacturing across Canada. The Chemical Technology Diploma and Food Science Diploma will be offered to students across the Prairies and Canada, as well as to international students, with a special focus on Indigenous students, given the college’s current focus on Indigenous student recruitment and retention. These programs will be the first in Manitoba and the Food Science Diploma will be the first in the Prairies.

2. Regulatory Centre of Excellence

This $1.5 million program works with key industry partners to generate the data to inform and support changes to Canadian regulatory frameworks as well as develop the first Regulatory Centre of Excellence to assist companies in the sector. This project will help drive change with Health Canada and other regulatory bodies, and the Centre of Excellence will help Protein Industries Canada members and other industry players to work through their regulatory issues, create a repository of regulatory knowledge and bridge the conversation with regulators to support the commercialization and competitiveness of innovative products and processes.

3. Reskilling Workers for Digital Agriculture

This $1 million project is focused on designing and delivering a reskilling pilot program in digital skills in the agrifood sector in Saskatchewan. The project includes consultations with key stakeholders and industry partners, and leverages existing reports to determine the most pressing needs of industry and develop a short program to meet the demands of employers. The project will help unemployed Canadians, including under-represented populations, to access specific training on digital skills in the agrifood sector and have access to job placement opportunities, with a special focus on bias-mitigation. The project will also build a case for a potential expansion across the Prairies.

4. Micro-Credentialing of Indigenous Youth to Work in Food and Ingredient Processing/Manufacturing Businesses

This $946,000 project will bring together Indigenous leaders, technical training institutes, governments and industry to create one or more “agrifood processing micro-credentials” for Indigenous, and potentially non-Indigenous, youth in Western Canada. Ultimately, it will allow those youth to become engaged, successful and meaningful employees and contributors to agrifood processing businesses and form a potential long-term source of sustainable benefits to Indigenous communities (e.g., education, employment, community engagement, agricultural business development, health, etc.). Interconnected to these new employment opportunities for youth, the proponents assert that as sources of Indigenous investment capital seek the ability to meaningfully deploy assets into these businesses as co-investors, Indigenous leaders will further be able to ensure that numerous long-term benefits (e.g., investment returns, youth employment, education, equitable access to opportunities, etc.) continue to accrue for multiple generations.

• Support the development and tracking of sustainability indicators for Canadian plant-based ingredients.

RESULTS

Consumers around the world are choosing plant-based foods to support their health and to help reduce their own impact on the environment — a trend that will only accelerate in the years and decades to come. At the same time, nations across the globe are dealing with issues around population growth, mass urbanization, food security, nutrition and climate change. These countries need assurance of a reliable supply of healthy and sustainably produced food — and Canada can be that supplier.

In 2021-22, Protein Industries Canada co-invested into a $650,000 project to establish the sustainability benchmarks for Canada’s agrifood sector. A private–public coalition of more than 80 diverse partners are working together to create the indicators, and together will help shine a spotlight on the sustainability of Canada’s agriculture and agrifood industry, improving both consumer trust and our national brand. The creation and adoption of sustainability indicators will increase Canada’s competitiveness and market opportunities.

• Position sector as an attractive investment opportunity.

• Increase the stature of Canada in global value chains pertaining to food processing and manufacturing.

RESULTS

Canada has risen to the top when it comes to international profile. Conversations regarding plant-based food and ingredient innovation cannot be had without Canada being mentioned. Our strength as a supplier of high-protein crops, commitment to sustainability, supportive government, and leading-edge research and academic institutions, combined with our trailblazing companies, has positioned Canada as a leader in innovation and the production of plant-based food and ingredients.

To further showcase Canada to the world, Protein Industries Canada, in partnership with Pulse Canada and Plant Based Foods of Canada, announced the first Canadian-led international event. Plant Forward – The Future of Food is Canada – will take place Nov. 1 and 2, 2022, in Toronto, Ont. – and will showcase Canada to the world.

In addition to hosting our first own international event, Protein Industries Canada continues to increase the profile of Canada on the global stage, making connections to support the growth of Canada’s ecosystem. A specific example is the multiple international events Protein Industries Canada participated in – including multiple events to Japanese audiences, South Korea, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and more. These events – and more so the relationships that emerge – are key to positioning Canada as a global leader in innovation.

In the past year, Protein Industries Canada invested in two key reports to advance Canada’s position as an attractive investment opportunity – the Ernst and Young Report and the Ady Advantage Report. Both reports outlined Canada’s competitive advantages and areas of improvement in attracting investment. The insight and direction garnered from the reports are an important first step in furthering investment into the growing sector.