Celebrating plant-based food innovators during Canadian Innovation Week

The pace of demand for plant-based foods and beverages is increasing. Consumers are continuously looking for new products that taste good, are healthy and match their environmental concerns and lifestyles. Canada’s plant-based food, feed and ingredient sector is keeping up with these demands through innovative research and development.

We celebrate this innovation in our sector, and others, from May 17 to 21 during Canadian Innovation Week. Canadian Innovation Week recognizes the Canadian entrepreneurs, researchers and others across the country working to develop and commercialize new intellectual property to help move the country forward, whether it be technology, knowledge transfer tools, food products or any of a plethora of other possibilities.

Here at Protein Industries Canada, we’ve seen the innovative nature of Canada’s entrepreneurs and researchers first-hand. We’ve worked alongside companies developing new fertilizers made from plant-protein coproducts and new uses for the under-used protein in canola. We’re working alongside others now as they develop new on-farm and food processing technology that will improve sustainability, new crop breeds that have higher protein content than their predecessors, and new consumer-facing products that taste better, have improved texture and help meet the protein needs of all Canadians.

We have accomplished a lot in just over two years. Still, there’s more to be done. If Canada is to achieve its goal of supplying the world with one out of every 10 plant-based meals, investment into our at-home food processing and manufacturing innovation needs to continue. Protein Industries Canada plans to make this happen through strategic collaboration and co-investment into projects along the value chain, while celebrating the work accomplished so far through opportunities like Canadian Innovation Week.

We hope you’ll join us.