Canada
November 13, 2018

Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced the signing of an agreement to invest up to nearly $153 million, matched dollar for dollar by the private sector, in the Prairie-based Protein Industries Canada Supercluster. Protein Industries Canada is a group of businesses, post-secondary institutions and non-profits working together to make Canada a world leader in the growing market for plant-based proteins. 

“The Protein Industries Canada Supercluster is great news for the economy of the Prairies and for Canadian agriculture. By bringing together the best brains from business, academia and non-profits, we’re positioning our talented workers to be global leaders in the fast-growing plant protein market,” stated the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Member of Parliament for Regina-Wascana 

The mandate of the industry-led protein supercluster is to unleash the potential of Canadian crops and accelerate the innovation of plant protein products and co-products. The funding agreement means Protein Industries Canada can move forward with activities to help Canada increase the value of key crops in premium markets and meet the growing demand for plant-based protein. It is projected that this supercluster will create more than 4,500 jobs and add more than $4.5 billion to Canada’s economy over 10 years.

Frank Hart, Chair of the Board for Protein Industries Canada, has been involved in this initiative from the proposal stage. “Today marks a significant milestone. The completion of the agreement demonstrates genuine commitment of the Government of Canada to advance innovation and growth hand-in-hand with industry. We are excited to start identifying and executing projects with our industry partners.”

The announcement was held at Mera Food Inc., a local success story for plant protein innovation. Mera is a team of engineers, scientists and economists dedicated to the production and processing of vegetable protein for human consumption. Using a patented processing technology with proprietary control and measurement systems, Mera takes whole grains and pulses to create full fibre protein rich food ingredients or beverages requiring no chemical additives and producing zero waste. Protein For Life™ is Mera Food’s trademarked, full cycle delivery system proudly implemented for both commercial and humanitarian purposes.

Website: https://www.proteinindustriescanada.ca

Published: November 13, 2018