Federal funding to support Alberta’s plant-based food sector

“Plant-based foods represent a significant economic opportunity for western Canadian firms seeking to meet growing global and consumer demands for protein-rich foods that are healthy and environmentally sustainable,” read a release from the WD.

“With Western Canada already producing high-protein pulse crops such as peas, lentils, and chickpeas, the goal of this initiative is to enable agri-food producers to turn these crops into higher value ingredients or finished products before exporting them to markets around the globe.”

The Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc is operated by the provincial government. It is a fully equipped pilot plant and product development facility.

It’s staffed with food scientists, engineers and technologists. Thanks to this funding, over the next four years, the Centre will be able to assist about 100 small and medium-sized companies, and potentially bring up to 30 new products to market, according to WD.

In addition to the WD funding, the provincial government is also investing more than $919,000 towards this latest project, with industry partners providing more than $700,000.

by Justin Goulet

Federal funding to support Alberta’s plant-based food sector

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