News

We are committed to promoting Indigenous inclusion and uplifting Indigenous voices in Canada’s agrifood sector.

For National Indigenous History Month and to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, we encourage our members to start or continue their journey towards the reconciliation of Indigenous peoples this month and onward.

By working with Indigenous partners in the agrifood sector, Protein Industries Canada affirms its commitment and responsibility in improving the relationships between Indigenous peoples, and our understanding of their culture and the unceded land of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis in which we call home and from which we source ingredients.

Countries around the globe are actively working to secure their own food supply chains for now and the future. It is an unfortunate reality that the current challenges will continue for years to come. As populations increase, the climate continues to change, and while political uncertainty and supply chain fragility continue, it is without doubt that we will keep seeing increased instances of food insecurity.

Canada is not immune to these challenges.

With almost 58,000 youth engaged, including more than 11,000 Indigenous youth, the Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI), Actua and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) have surpassed their targets for the first two years of the project.

Protein Industries Canada is filling one vacant position for their Board of Directors at their Annual General Meeting on Sept. 14, 2022.

Chris Bryson didn’t found New School Foods because of a drive to create or expand a new market. Instead, when the Canadian entrepreneur looked at the development of plant-based seafood products, he saw a different opportunity: a chance to help improve the health of our environment and our planet as a whole.

Prester Foods Director Angela Oladiwura is driven by solving problems. One of the most significant in her life was what to do when faced with the challenge of switching industries during a major drop in oil prices several years ago. That challenge, however, led her to Canada’s plant-based food, feed and ingredients sector.

Plant Veda Foods Ltd., Avena Foods Ltd., HPP Canada and Thirstea Beverages Ltd., with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, will develop and commercialize cost-effective oat concentrates. These new oat concentrates will then be used to make new plant-based food and beverage products.

David J. Hendrick International (DJHII), ProSoya and the Eastern Canada Oilseed Development Alliance (ECODA), with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, are partnering to assess the feasibility of a commercial soy powder processing plant in Eastern Canada. Should they find a location that would prove feasible and cost-effective, the partners will collaborate with an international partner to build the facility, eventually offering a soymilk powdered beverage to consumers in North America and Japan.

Some of the best innovation in Canada’s plant-based food and ingredients sector is built off of collaboration. While this most often happens as partnerships between businesses, partnerships between businesses and academic institutions can be just as fruitful.

For the team at GrainFrac, a plant-protein ingredient processor, the benefits of working with the University of Alberta to utilize a piece of intellectual property in the development of a new processing method have been plentiful.

AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. (“AGT Foods”), Lucent BioSciences (“Lucent”), NuWave Research, IN10T and Aberhart Ag Solutions are collaborating to scale and distribute this new product. The project includes the installation of a new manufacturing process for the production of Soileos in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, that, when completed, will produce up to approximately 6,500 tons per year of micronutrient fertilizer and create 25 jobs.

In April, through Budget 2022, we received the good news that Protein Industries Canada, as part of the Global Innovation Cluster program, received funding through to March 2028. This six-year runway allows us to plan with confidence and be bold in our actions to build Canada as the global leader in plant-based food and ingredients. We appreciate the support of Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François Philippe-Champagne and the Government of Canada, and we are looking forward to being able to continue our work.

To help ensure the sector has access to skilled talent to help fill these job vacancies, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Whitecap Dakota First Nation, with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, are coming together to create a new micro-credential for Indigenous youth in Western Canada. This micro-credential will be developed in partnership with industry stakeholders across the country, helping narrow its focus onto skills most needed by employers in the sector.