First animal-free milk protein approved for sale in Canada

Feb 16, 2024

Canadians have a new alternative protein option: animal-free milk. In a first for this country, Health Canada said it has no objection to the food use of Remilk’s beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) protein, which is produced from a genetically modified yeast strain. The protein “does not raise concerns related to food safety,” the department concluded following its assessment.

Canada is the fourth country to allow the sale and use of the Israeli cultured food company’s cow-free milk protein. In February 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Singapore Food Agency approved its BLG protein, followed by the Israeli Ministry of Health in April.

Article content

“Regulatory approvals serve to not only open new markets for the sale of our proteins but also as reassurance for both industry and consumers that our protein is the same milk protein they have been consuming and enjoying for decades,” Ori Cohavi, Remilk’s co-founder and CTO, said in a statement.

Health Canada’s “Letter of No Objection” will open the door to various animal-free products, including nutritional bars and beverages, cheese, ice cream and yogurt, and plant-based drinks. The company says these foods will have the same taste and texture as milk while being free of lactose and cholesterol and having a smaller environmental footprint than dairy production.

Source : National Post

Video: Developing disease resistance in new wheat varieties

Dr. Colin Hiebert, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – Morden, is focused on developing new tools that wheat breeders can use to improve, diversify and strengthen disease resistance in new wheat varieties. This includes new genomic tools that address resistance to five diseases including: Fusarium head blight, leaf rust, stripe rust, stem rust and common bunt.

Learn more about how research conducted at AAFC-Morden will impact wheat variety development, production and profitability for the future. This research is part of the Canadian National Wheat Cluster and funding is provided through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Grains, Sask Wheat, Manitoba Crop Alliance, Western Grains Research Foundation and Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance.