A Message from Bill Greuel

Regardless of where you are in the value chain, the emergence of plants every spring is an uplifting sign. While this year has been a bit different than others, in that COVID-19 has had far-reaching effects on many industries, Canada's agrifood sector has once again demonstrated its resiliency. Farmers have seeded their fields; the growing cycle is underway and hopefully we're on our way to another successful harvest.

Our members are no exception to this perseverance. Despite the challenges many may have faced throughout the pandemic, ingredient and food processing companies have continued to serve Canadians. And perhaps now more than ever we are witnessing an increased demand for their products.

I want to thank the committed people who work in our food processing and distribution industries for their dedication throughout the pandemic.

At Protein Industries Canada, we have also continued to work with our members to keep advancing projects. To date, Protein Industries Canada has announced five projects, representing an investment of more than $70 million into Canada’s plant protein ecosystem. More project announcements will be made shortly.

Our third call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) is currently open, and we have had a very strong response from industry. We will be reviewing the first round of EOIs in July, with the hopes of advancing projects by fall. If you are interested in submitting an EOI, and have not yet submitted your project, I would encourage you to do so quickly.

I believe the strong interest from industry in Protein Industries Canada’s technology program is a positive indicator for Canada’s agrifood sector. We are well positioned to drive Canada’s economic recovery. In order to fully realize the potential of our agrifood sector, and to capture our share of the global plant protein opportunity, we need to maintain and accelerate our momentum.

We are committed to doing that at Protein Industries Canada. We will continue to work with the companies and make the investments to build for future growth.

Take care of yourself and your loved ones and have a wonderful summer.

Bill Greuel