Canada

Stay up-to-date with the latest news, trends, and developments in Canada’s thriving vegan, plant-based market, and cutting-edge cellular agriculture sector. Discover Canada’s vegan market for food & beverage and fashion, beauty & design. Notable companies leading the way include Daiya Foods, bettermoo(d), Lallemand, Protein Industries Canada, Wamame Foods and Future Fields.

A photo of a Odd Burger restaurant

© Odd Burger
Investments & Finance

Odd Burger Opens $4M Round to Fuel Vegan Fast Food Expansion Following Strong Q3 Results

Odd Burger Corporation, the company behind the vegan fast food chain Odd Burger, has announced a non-brokered private placement to raise up to $4 million via convertible debentures. As explained in the announcement, the debentures have a 36-month maturity and carry a 15% annual interest rate. Additionally, they can be converted into common shares at $0.25 each and may be forcibly converted if share prices increase significantly. Odd Burger is a franchised vegan fast-food chain with a vertically integrated supply chain and 17 operational stores across Canada. The first Odd Burger restaurant opened in London, Ontario, in December 2016, becoming the country’s first vegan-fast food restaurant. Today, the firm focuses on smart kitchens, advanced cooking technology, competitive pricing, and high-quality ingredients to offer healthier options …

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Sperri plant-based meal replacement beverage

© Sperri
Health

Plant-Based Meal Replacement Brand Sperri to Expand Into the US Following New Investment

Sperri, a Canadian brand of organic and allergen-free plant-based meal replacement beverages, has announced a new investment. Led by Nàdarra Ventures and supported by Invest Nova Scotia, the funding will allow Sperri to expand into the US and develop new products. Sperri was co-founded by Gregg Curwin, President and CEO of nutrition company Novagevity, and Dr. Mary Lynch, a physician and pain management specialist. Lynch was inspired to develop the beverages after noticing that many of her patients struggled to tolerate existing meal replacements due to ingredients such as dairy, gluten, refined sugars, and soy protein. To come up with a solution, Lynch partnered with Curwin, a seasoned entrepreneur. Their collaboration resulted in the development of Sperri, which is said to be Canada’s first organic …

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A plant-based burger

© Lallemand Bio-Ingredients
Ingredients

Lallemand Invests in Enzyme Firm Livzym, Expanding Alternatives to Proteins, Chemicals & Sugar

Canada’s Lallemand Bio-Ingredients announces an equity investment through its Swiss affiliate, Danstar Ferment AG, in Livzym Biotechnologies, a Turkish company specializing in fungi-based enzymes for industrial use. With additional equity from Turkish investors, the funds will help finance the expansion of Livzym’s production plant in Tuzla, near Istanbul, to meet the increasing demand for sustainable enzymes across a wide range of industries, including food, textile, paper, animal feed, and biofuels. Lallemand Bio-Ingredients president Lars Asferg, shares, “We are committed to making biotechnology one of the answers to the challenges the world faces concerning nutrition, health, and the environment. The inclusion of Livzym’s enzymes within Lallemand’s portfolio will enable us to offer our customers an exciting range of high-performance enzymes.” Strategic collaboration As part of the strategic …

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Sandwich with vegan sausage and greens

Image courtesy of Lallemand
Ingredients

Bakon® – Traditionally Smoked Torula Yeast: Embracing Alternative Smoked Ingredients as EU Tightens Regulations

Smoking is a traditional method used to preserve certain foods, such as fish, meat, and dairy products, while also altering their flavor. As an alternative to traditional smoking, smoke flavorings can be added to foods to impart a smoky taste. These flavorings can be used in foods not typically smoked, such as soups, sauces, or confectionery. How is the use of smoke flavorings regulated by law in Europe? Due to the complexity of smoke flavorings, which consist of numerous chemical substances, they are subject to special provisions that differ from those applied to chemically defined flavorings. In the European Union (EU), the use of smoke flavorings is regulated to protect consumers through various regulations. Regulation (EC) No. 2065/2003 focuses on the safety assessments and authorization …

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Students from the University of Waterloo in Canada, have received over $700,000 in grants to expand their AI-based research in advancing cultivated seafood.

© Von Firn - stock.adobe.com
Cultivated Seafood

University of Waterloo Students Secure $700,000 to Revolutionize Cultivated Seafood with AI

Kevin Shen and Rikard Saqe, students from the Faculties of Science and Mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, have received over $700,000 in grants from Good Food Institute (GFI), Mitacs, and New Harvest to expand their research in advancing cultivated seafood with AI. The research goals, formulated within the Waterloo Alt Protein Project design team, a global network of over 60 student-led organizations supported by the GFI, aim to establish the large-scale production of cultivated seafood, specifically fish. Using AI, the researchers will predict and enhance cell behavior and create detailed genomic and proteomic profiles. Additionally, they will employ multi-omics technologies and use single-cell RNA sequencing to gain insights into the cellular makeup of fish. The collected data will be used to develop …

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Further Foods, the company behind the cruelty-free pet food brand Noochies!, will submit a feeding trial protocol for dogs and their cultivated chicken to the FDA later this month.

© Noochies!
Pet Food

Noochies! Takes First Regulatory Steps to Launch a Cultivated Chicken Product for Dogs in the USA

Canada’s CULT Food Science (“CULT” or the “Company”) (CSE: CULT) (OTC: CULTF) (FRA: LN0) announces that its subsidiary, Further Foods, the company behind the pet food brand Noochies!, will submit a feeding trial protocol for a cultivated chicken ingredient to the FDA later this month. Noochies!, a brand leveraging alternative proteins to avoid factory-farmed chicken and beef, has already introduced two unique products featuring a dried yeast protein developed by CULT Food Science to meet pets’ daily nutritional requirements: Freeze-Dried Dog and Cat Snacks. The brand has plans to formulate new Noochies! with cultivated chicken. The feeding trials, necessary for regulatory approval as cultivated chicken is a new ingredient that pets have never consumed, are planned to commence in Q4 of this year. This is contingent …

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Fava or broad beans

©[email protected]
Investments & Finance

Canada: New $7.7M Consortium to Develop Pea and Fava Protein Meat Alternatives

Protein Industries Canada has announced a new project to advance the development of pea and fava protein ingredients and food products. The consortium, including Lovingly Made Flour Mills, TMRW Foods, and Dutton Farms, will focus on optimizing ingredient processing and developing new meat alternative products. A total of $7.7 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada investing $3.3 million. The project aims to add value to Canadian pea and fava crops, creating a value-chain feedback loop that benefits ingredient processors, food manufacturers, and consumers. This effort is expected to improve the affordability, nutrition, and consistency of end products, strengthening the domestic ingredient manufacturing industry and capturing new economic opportunities for Canada. Resilient supply chains “Canada is proud to support Protein Industries …

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Lactalis Canada

© Lactalis Canada
Manufacturing & Technology

Lactalis Canada Reopens Former Dairy Plant as Plant-Based Milk Facility

Major dairy producer Lactalis Canada has announced the reopening of its manufacturing plant in Sudbury, Ontario as a plant-based milk facility. The site was a liquid milk processing plant for 60 years, but shut down in 2022 when Lactalis Canada announced plans to convert it into a 33,150 sq. ft facility for the production of plant-based beverages. The company said at the time that fluid milk had seen a “long-term volume decline”, reducing the profitability and sustainability of the plant. The Sudbury facility will now produce Lactalis Canada’s new plant-based milk brand, Enjoy!, which was launched this May. The milk alternatives are unsweetened and high in protein, with six varieties currently available — Oat, Oat Vanilla, Almond, Almond Vanilla, Hazelnut, and Hazelnut & Oat. The …

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Alex Bergquist, co founder of Seed to Surf

Alex Bergquist, co founder, Seed to Surf. Image supplied
Interviews

Seed to Surf: “With Tinned Fish Being Popular Right Now, We’re On Trend in the Marketplace”

Canada’s Seed to Surf is unique in its offering of tinned fish created from whole vegetables and fungi to create a “fresh reinterpretation of seafood that highlights the incredible potential of plants”. While the brand is recreating the traditional seafood experience with these products, Seed to Surf stresses that these are not replicas but, rather, an “homage to vegetables and their incredible capacity to take on taste and texture. By preserving and preparing them just right, we found vegetables can remind us of the seafood classics we love (or loved)”. These unusual, original canned products are firm consumer favourites, so we had to catch up with co-founder Alex Bergquist, still celebrating the brand’s recent listing at over 150 Whole Foods Market locations in North America, to …

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Beans,Pulses,Lentils,Rice and Wheat grain

© Arundhati - stock.adobe.com

Ingredients

Canada Strengthens Plant-Based Sector With $11M Federal Boost for Pulse Production

The Canadian government recently announced increased support for the country’s plant-based protein sector, with over $11 million in new federal funding allocated to Pulse Canada to enhance agricultural production, processing, and food manufacturing nationwide. Leah Taylor Roy, Liberal MP for Aurora, Oak Ridges, and Richmond Hill, told the Commons Agriculture Committee during a meeting last month, “I believe it gives us a way to grow our incredible agricultural sector and create wealth, but also lessen the impact of emissions on global food systems and help secure our food chain, bringing more processing and manufacturing back home.” Dual benefits Roy also spoke to the dual benefits of this investment, noting that while Canada currently exports a significant amount of pulses and crops, there is a substantial …

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Prairie Fava

© Prairie Fava
Investments & Finance

Protein Industries Canada Launches $24.5 Million Plant-Based Food Development Project

Protein Industries Canada recently announced a new initiative in partnership with Roquette, Prairie Fava, BioNeutra, and Plant Up to advance plant-based food innovation and market diversification. The $24.5 million project seeks to enhance Canadian companies’ competitiveness by developing new ingredients and food products, improving process efficiencies, and exploring new market opportunities for co-products. The project will address several challenges currently faced by the plant-based industry, including increasing global competition and the demand for improved taste and ingredient functionality. Focusing on pea and fava beans, the consortium will work on developing new fava-based ingredients and applications for pea starch and fibre, expanding product offerings and creating new market avenues for protein, starch, and fibre. Government support Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, The Honourable François-Philippe …

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Leslie Ewing PBFA Canada

Supplied by PBFA Canada
Interviews

Plant-Based Foods of Canada: “Canada is in a Position of Strength in Plant-Based Foods”

Plant-Based Foods of Canada (PBFC) is a Canadian industry association focused on promoting the growth and awareness of plant-based foods in the country, acting as a collective voice for companies that produce and sell plant-based food products. The association works to raise public awareness about the benefits and options available in plant-based foods and advocates for policies and regulations that support their development and accessibility in Canada. Notable members of the PBFC include Daiya, Califia Farms, Gardein, Oatly, NotCo, and Yves. Leslie Ewing is the executive director of PBFC and a recognized leader in the Canadian plant-based food industry. In this interview, Leslie discusses the dynamic trends in consumer behaviour and market growth, noting the industry’s resilience amidst economic challenges and consumers’ evolving demands. She …

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©Beyond Meat
Products & Launches

Canadians Are Dubious About Plant Alternatives. Beyond Brings Beyond Steak to Canada to Prove Them Wrong

Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND) recently commissioned a survey in order to understand the attitudes of Canadian consumers towards red meat. The findings indicate that many Canadians are skeptical about plant-based meat and despite a willingness to reduce meat consumption, the overall sentiment is that such products would not offer the same quality of taste. The results of the Beyond survey were as follows. 67% of participants would consider reducing their red meat consumption A third of those who would like to reduce red meat feel that plant-based meat products do not taste good 49% would rather give up social media for a month than forego red meat Two-thirds of respondents believed steak to be the hardest meat to replicate in a plant-based alternative 55% …

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Wide Open Agriculture lupin

© Wide Open Agriculture
Investments & Finance

Protein Industries Canada and Partners Invest $6.2M to Expand Lupin Industry in Canada

Protein Industries Canada has announced a collaborative initiative with Lupin Platform, the first commercially grown lupin in North America, PURIS Holdings, and YOSO Canada to bolster the lupin value chain in Canada. The project aims to enhance opportunities for farmers and ingredient processors while introducing new plant-based protein products to the market. Lupin, a high-protein legume containing all nine essential amino acids, is gaining attention for its versatility in plant-based products. It can be processed into flour or extracted for protein to create dairy alternatives such as yogurt, cheese, and ice cream. Additionally, lupin protein serves as a fat substitute in products like dressings and mayonnaise. Current market applications Companies currently utilizing lupin ingredients include Wicked Kitchen with its lupin-based ice cream, Wide Open Agriculture’s enriched …

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Laughing cow plant-based

© Bel Group Canada
Products & Launches

The Laughing Cow Plant-Based Debuts in Canada Following UK & US Launches

Bel Group Canada,  a subsidiary of the Bel Group, has announced the launch of The Laughing Cow Plant-Based on the Canadian market, adding to its growing lineup of plant-based products. This introduction follows the successful earlier releases of other dairy-free cheese products, including plant-based versions of Boursin and Babybel. While the Bel Group announced the plant-based Laughing Cow cheese back in 2022, it held off on the release to spend more time perfecting the recipe. Finally, after further development, The Laughing Cow’s plant-based offering launched in the UK in late 2023 and hit the shelves at Whole Foods in the US this January.  The Laughing Cow Plant-Based is made with almonds sourced from a sustainable supplier in Spain. It retains the familiar triangular format of …

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Canadian plant-based seafood startup Save Da Sea has secured CAD 650,000 in a seed II financing round to accelerate its US expansion and hire additional team members in Victoria.

© Save da Sea
Investments & Finance

Save Da Sea Secures Funds for Expansion, Proving that “Profit with Purpose” is Possible

Canadian plant-based seafood startup Save Da Sea recently secured CAD 650,000 in a seed II financing round to accelerate the US expansion of its salmon and tuna alternatives and hire additional team members at its headquarters in Victoria. The startup made its US debut at Market of Choice, a retail chain with 11 locations throughout Oregon, last week, as reported by Betakit. Meanwhile, its US expansion plans include other listings following a strategy to concentrate on natural foods retailers in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, CEO and founder Aki Kaltenbach reported that the company’s revenue in the Canadian market had tripled year over year, encouraging a US launch of its fresh refrigerated smoked salmon and tuna products. The round was led by the Business Development Bank …

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Lactalis Canada launches plant-based brand 'Enjoy'

© Lactalis Canada
Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

The World’s Leading Dairy Company Launches a Plant-Based Brand Called ‘Enjoy!’

Lactalis Canada, a subsidiary of Lactalis Group — the world’s leading dairy company, headquartered in Laval, France — has launched a plant-based brand called Enjoy!. Lactalis Canada is known for household names in dairy including Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro, and Lactantia. The brand is already on the Canadian market and has debuted with a line of high protein, unsweetened, plant-based beverages, featuring six SKUs: Unsweetened Oat, Unsweetened Oat Vanilla, Unsweetened Almond, Unsweetened Almond Vanilla, Unsweetened Hazelnut, and Unsweetened Hazelnut & Oat. The brand’s new website states that the drinks are certified non-GMO, with paper-based packaging certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and that the products offer 8 grams of pea protein per 250 mL. ESG goals With meat and dairy representing one …

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A drawing of a happy dog under the sun by Noochies!

© Noochies!

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

CULT Food Science Secures Funds to Expand Noochies! Line of Cultured Yeast Pet Food

CULT Food Science Corp. announces it has raised CAD$800,000 to expand the portfolio of Noochies! and solidify its position as a fast-growing, sustainable pet food brand. According to the announcement, CULT Food Science completed a private placement by selling 16,000,000 units for CAD$0.05 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant. The warrant allows the holder to purchase additional shares at a specified price within two years. PowerOne Capital Markets Limited acted as a finder in the private placement transaction and received $36,750 in cash finder’s fees and 735,000 finder’s units (Finder Warrants) as compensation. Each Finder Warrant can be exercised into one unit for $0.05 within two years from closing. Mitchell Scott, CEO of CULT Food Science, comments, …

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Odd Burger Corporation-Odd Burger Set to Open Record Number of locations

Famous Burger by Odd Burger (CNW Group/Odd Burger Corporation)
Company News

Odd Burger Announces Opening of 3 New Canadian Restaurants Bringing Total to 16 Locations

Vegan fast food chain Odd Burger reveals it is poised to enhance its market presence with the upcoming launch of three new restaurant locations within the next month. Additionally, the company announces it has signed a consulting agreement with Ahimsa Foundation, one of the most prominent investors in the vegan industry, notably including a recent investment of USD $16 Million in JUST Egg. As part of the consulting agreement, Odd Burger will issue Ahimsa Foundation 1,500,000 stock options at a price of $0.15. This latest expansion marks the largest number of openings the company has achieved in a single month, elevating the total to 16 operational sites. The initial opening will take place at 336A Mayfield Common Northwest in Edmonton, anticipated around May 11th, representing …

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Planted Expo

© Planted Expo
Fairs & Events

Planted Expo, North America’s Largest Plant-Based Event, Celebrates 10th Consecutive Year

Planted Expo, North America’s largest plant-based event, is set to return to Vancouver this summer for its 10th consecutive year. Scheduled to take place from June 1st to June 2nd at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the expo aims to celebrate and promote plant-based living and sustainability. With over 200 exhibitors, Planted Expo offers attendees the opportunity to explore a wide array of plant-based, vegan, and sustainable products. Among the notable exhibitors are bettermoo(d), OmniFoods, Save Da Sea, The Better Butchers, WOOP4, and Azuma Foods. Insights from industry experts The event will feature informative talks from leading experts in the plant-based movement on various topics, including the health benefits of plant-based diets, culinary demonstrations, and emerging trends in sustainable living. Dr. Michael Greger, American physician and …

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