This week marks the first National Plant Based Food Week.
On Tuesday, Protein Industries Canada announced an investment into a project between Oat Canada, and Roquette.
The $4.1 million project will see the development of novel oat ingredients and nutritionally superior oat-based food and beverage products.
“Oats account for a good part of Canada’s crops used in the production of plant-based beverages and ingredients. This project will increase oat-processing capabilities within the country, a value-added economic activity in Canada. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with exporting raw oats and importing oat ingredients. Processing more oats in Canada means greater choice for Canadians and a stronger supply chain,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
The growing global demand for new plant-based products developed using sustainable processes has led to an increased drive for innovation among Canada’s agrifood sector, including an increase in domestic processing of Canadian crops, such as oats.
“Creating an oat milk that is actually nutritious meant collaborating with industry leaders and inventing entirely new technology,” said Jamari Ambursley, Co-Founder/COO of Oat Canada. “In 2020, we launched our zero sugar oat milk product which was the first oat-protein based food and beverage products in Canada and we are very excited to expand our product offering. As sustainability and environmental concerns continue to shift consumer preferences to plantbased alternatives, innovation is necessary to deliver equivalent, if not better, nutritional value as animal-based products. We remain focused and committed to innovation and will continue to collaborate with partners and customers, to produce products that give people the freedom to choose plant-based without sacrificing nutrition, functionality or taste.”
“Roquette excels at innovation and research on plant-based ingredients, it’s at the heart of our work with food innovators like Oat Canada,” said Leon Zhou, Head of Research and Development for Roquette Americas. “Through our partnership with Oat Canada and the support of Protein Industries Canada, we are well positioned to continue our innovation and research on oat protein with the goal of meeting consumer demand for new and exciting plantbased food options.”
Roquette will develop Canada’s first oat-protein ingredient through the project. Oat Canada will test the ingredient in its current line of products as well as in several new products.
“Increasing our domestic ingredient processing capacity is one of the most important steps in strengthening Canada’s economy and food supply chain, as well as the health of our environment,” said Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel. “By processing and utilizing more of our plant-based ingredients at home, companies like Oat Canada and Roquette are helping reduce our sector’s carbon footprint and GHG emissions, while supplying Canadians—and consumers around the world—with healthy, sustainable food options. Together, they’re creating a healthier, stronger and more sustainable Canada for everyone along the value chain.”
The partnership will further Oat Canada’s commitment to producing dairy alternative food and beverage products made with Canadian oats that are high in protein, low in sugar and deliver maximum nutritional value to Canadian consumers and beyond. Research shows demand for plant-based dairy alternatives could grow to $62 billion USD by 2030–an increase of more than 92 per cent–and double in size to reach 10 per cent of the total dairy market. For Roquette, this new partnership—the latest in a series of successful collaborations developed under Protein Industries Canada—will provide new opportunities related to the research and development of oat protein technology.
Oat Canada is an oat protein-based food and beverage company in Toronto, Ontario. In 2020, it launched the world’s first zero-sugar oat milk
Roquette in Canada operates its brand new, state-of-the-art pea protein plant, the largest of its kind in the world, in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. At capacity, the plant will employ 120 people and process 125,000MT of yellow peas annually.
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