Next-level food manufacturing to unlock whole-cut meat alternatives

Today, Protein Industries Canada announced a new project in partnership with NS/TX Industries, New Protein International (NPI) and Infusd Nutrition focused on scaling up NS/TX’s revolutionary manufacturing technology and expanding their whole-cut alternative capabilities. The project will introduce automation of NS/TX’s assembly line and expand their offerings to introduce whole-cut beef and pork alternatives, using value-added Canadian-sourced ingredients to improve nutritional profiles.

“This important project from Protein Industries Canada [PIC], one of Canada’s global innovation clusters, will strengthen Canada’s food system by building a domestic supply chain that transforms locally grown crops into high-value protein ingredients,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. “This collaboration between the government, PIC and project partners is a great example of how Canadian innovation can make the agri-food sector more resilient, retain economic benefits in Canada and ensure Canadians have access to sustainable, high-quality food products.”

NS/TX is the company and manufacturer behind the NEW/SCHOOL FOODS^TM brand, which launched the world’s first plant-based salmon filet that looks, cooks, tastes and flakes like ordinary salmon. NS/TX’s manufacturing process enables the production of whole-cut alternatives that are not possible to produce with conventional alt-protein manufacturing processes. The company is scaling its proprietary manufacturing technology platform to increase output, decrease unit costs, and support B2B manufacturing across a range of product applications.

“This project highlights the strength of Canada’s food production and value-added agriculture across the entire value chain—from our crops to the potential of advanced food processing and innovation,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Tyler Groeneveld said. “By scaling new technologies and increasing domestic production, we are creating economic opportunities here at home while delivering high-quality, accessible food products to consumers in Canada and around the world.”

The project will result in higher quality meat and fish alternatives for Canadian consumers, food-service operators and white-label brands.

“NS/TX Industries is committed to creating the highest quality meat & seafood alternatives possible, and this project will allow us to expand our output & product range to make this a reality,” Chris Bryson, Founder & CEO of NS/TX Industries said. “And by working with NPI and Infusd, we’ll have access to more high-quality ingredients to continuously improve our products & processes.”

NS/TX’s expanded manufacturing capabilities will feature support for improved nutritional profiles and a broader range of proteins, including Canadian pea, fava and, most notably, NPI’s soy varieties. Their work involves refining their first-of-its-kind, hexane-free soy production and supplying NS/TX with NPI’s clean-label soy proteins.

“This collaboration is an important step toward scaling Canada-made, clean-label protein ingredients,” Graham Markham, Chief Development Officer, New Protein International said. “Our team is excited to work with globally-recognized innovators to make more food, and food ingredients, here in Canada. This project also supports the next phase of NPI’s growth as we prepare to deploy our technology through Canada’s first soy protein manufacturing plant. Protein Industries Canada’s support and expertise is critical in making this happen.”

Infusd is developing at pilot scale and validating the world's first water-stable creatine ingredient, applying their nutritional processing knowledge into the nutraceutical and functional ingredient market.

“We are very excited to be working alongside NS/TX and Protein Industries Canada on this project. Our proprietary technology enables the incorporation of science-backed functional ingredients that face formulation issues such as solubility, taste and stability, into food and beverage applications. We’re thrilled to be working with NS/TX to help deliver many of the key nutritional benefits found in traditional seafood products.” Infusd Nutrition Co-Founder David Giffin said.

A total of $15.1 million has been invested into the project, with Protein Industries Canada committing $4.9 million and the industry partners together providing the remainder. This investment is expected to establish an end-to-end soy protein value chain, generate innovation-based jobs and increase significant economic output, transforming Canadian innovation into commercial success.

Protein Industries Canada is one of Canada’s five Global Innovation Clusters. These projects are part of Protein Industries Canada’s broader effort to support domestic innovation and drive forward The Road to $25 Billion—a national vision to grow Canada’s plant-based food, feed, and ingredient sector into a $25 billion industry and make Canada the leading provider of plant-based ingredients. This work toward a $25 billion industry builds on the industry's efforts to Make It Here, a Protein Industries Canada initiative to help bring more value and opportunity to Canada's crops, economy, food sector and families across the country.

Celeen George
Protein Industries Canada
celeen@proteinsupercluster.ca
204-295-7925

New Protein International (NPI) is a Canadian plant-protein company advancing clean-label soy ingredients for food and beverage applications. NPI’s proprietary hexane-free technology produces high-quality soy proteins designed to support great taste, nutrition and functionality. These ingredients are all non-GMO and made without chemical solvents. NPI will deploy this technology in Canada’s first soy protein manufacturing plant, expected to begin construction in 2027, helping build an important new domestic value chain for Canadian ingredients.

Infusd Nutrition is an ingredient transformation technology company developing breakthrough solutions for the food, beverage, and wellness industries. Infusd’s proprietary platform transforms fat-soluble and difficult-to-formulate ingredients into stable, water-soluble formats with enhanced bioavailability, clean-label compatibility, and seamless integration into existing products. Infusd works with global ingredient suppliers and CPG brands to enable next-generation functional beverages, supplements, and fortified products through scalable manufacturing and innovation-driven formulation technology.