Protein Industries Canada has announced a partnership that will develop and commercialize high-quality, made-in-Canada, non-GM soybean protein ingredients.
Canada Protein Ingredients Ltd. - Ingrédients Protéiques du Canada Ltée (CPI-IPC), DJ Hendrick International, Agrocorp Processing, Semences Prograin and Synthesis Network have partnered to produce clean label protein ingredients from Canadian grown soybeans.
The $27.3 million project will result in an innovative proprietary process to produce high-quality and highly sought-after soybean protein ingredients and soybean oil that comply with non-GM and Organic labelling standards. Canada Protein Ingredients (CPI-IPC) will process the crops at a brand-new, first-of-its-kind facility in Canada, expected to break ground in the next 18 months.
"As worldwide demand continues for high-quality protein ingredients, Canadian farmers and processors are rising to the occasion. Today’s announcement is a big first step to putting exciting new Canadian-grown soybean products on the market. This collaboration shows the results we are achieving with the Protein Supercluster, helping to position our agriculture sector as a global leader of innovation," said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Semences Prograin will develop and test new non-GM soybean varieties optimized for Canada’s growing conditions, while DJ Hendrick International and Agrocorp Processing will assist in developing, testing and marketing the new end products to international markets. This will add increased value across the Canadian agri-food value chain; farmers will receive premiums for growing specialty crops, and food manufacturers will benefit from a local source of plant-based protein ingredients that currently can only be imported.
"Helping Canada rise from being a commodity supplier to a world-renowned supplier of plant-based ingredients is part of Protein Industries Canada's mission," said CEO of Protein Industries Canada Bill Greuel. "This project is yet another step we take in that direction. Harnessing the potential of new crop varieties developed and grown in Canada generates more opportunities across our entire value chain, from farmers to food manufacturers."
Plans for the upcoming processing facility are currently at a site selection stage. Once completed, the commercial plant will process 25,000 MT of crops per year, with the potential to increase capacity and expand to other crops, following the growing demand for clean-label plant-based protein products.
A total of $27.3 million is being invested in the project: approximately $20 million committed by CPI-IPC and the consortium members will be met by $7.3 million from Protein Industries Canada.
This is the 17th technology project announced by Protein Industries Canada. Together with industry, Protein Industries Canada has committed more than $347 million to the Canadian plant-protein sector.
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