NEW ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN OPTIONS FOR HEALTH-CONSCIOUS MARKETS
April 30 2024 - 11:00AM
Today, Protein Industries Canada announced a new project with
Enhanced Medical Nutrition (EMN), Acenzia and Gruppo Nutrition to
bring new protein products for Canadians with special nutritional
requirements. The project partners are utilizing innovative
solutions to offer alternative plant-based protein options that
meet the quality, sensory and muscle health benefits of whey
protein isolate.
In addition to options that address medical nutrition needs,
including those associated with surgery, critical illness and
chronic disease, this project will also create products for the
active living and high-performance sports markets. The end products
will contain a novel plant-based protein ingredient blend with high
functionality and taste quality, reformulated from a past
project.
“The development of a reformulated plant-based protein
ingredient blend represents a significant advancement in medical
nutrition,” said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne,
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “With
support from Protein Industries Canada, this project could help
offer Canadians, including those in hospital, long-term or
outpatient care settings, new plant-based meal-replacement options
that meet the quality and functionality of existing animal protein
products.”
The total project will see $5.4 million invested into the
development, reformulation and commercialization, of three
consumer-ready protein products: a modular, a ready-to-mix and a
ready-to-drink low-volume liquid protein. Protein Industries Canada
will invest $2.3 million, with the partners investing the
remainder.
“These innovative companies are rising to the challenge to
provide Canadians with alternative options that offer exceptional
health and nutritional benefits,” CEO of Protein Industries Canada
Bill Greuel said. “With the support of the Global Innovation
Clusters program, our partners are collaborating to bring important
new products to the market that will offer Canadians a more diverse
selection of protein-rich food choices to help them manage health
challenges, as well as support a healthy lifestyle.”
Building from EMN and Gruppo Nutrition’s previous project of
creating the original ingredient blend, this project will
reformulate the blend using new inputs of yellow pea and canola
protein isolates, while also researching other potential protein
isolate options, such as hemp and sunflower. EMN and Gruppo
Nutrition will collaborate with Acenzia to optimize manufacturing
processes, to expand their consumer-ready products within current
and new markets. This commercial scaling will allow for a larger
return on investment for the consortium, product end-users and the
sector.
“EMN is excited to be a part of this forward-thinking initiative
aimed at diversifying plant protein options for Canadians,” said
Néma McGlynn, Manager of R&D at EMN. “By collaborating with
these partners and leveraging our expertise in clinical nutrition,
we will improve access to high quality plant-based nutrition
interventions for people undergoing treatment for or living with a
wide range of medical conditions.”
"Cultivating innovation and advancing health and wellness are at
the core of Acenzia's mission,” said Grant Bourdeau, Co-founder and
President of Acenzia. “Acenzia has a longstanding history of
science-based product innovation and development of proprietary
technology which has been a key to our development and distribution
of effective health and wellness product solutions. As a proud
partner in this Protein Industries Canada-supported project, we are
excited to harness our expertise in contract manufacturing, product
formulation, R&D and sustainable packaging to develop
ecologically friendly, evidence-based, plant protein products that
cater to the evolving needs of consumers in the active living
market.”
"As pioneers in ultra-premium sports nutrition, we are thrilled
to join forces with EMN and Acenzia in this collaborative
endeavor,” said Darcy Haggith, CEO of Gruppo Nutrition. “Our
commitment to excellence drives us to push boundaries and create
innovative products that enhance athletic performance while
optimizing health. This project will help empower athletes with
cutting-edge, plant-protein nutrition solutions, while contributing
to the advancement of the high-performance sports market."
Protein Industries Canada is one of Canada’s five Global
Innovation Clusters. Protein Industries Canada and our members are
working to embrace the $25 billion opportunity presented by
Canada’s ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bio-product
sector. Projects such as these add value to, and create new markets
for, Canadian crops, generating local jobs and supporting new
economic development in locations across Canada. More information
can be found at www.theroadto25billion.ca.
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About EMN:
EMN is a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) specializing in
creating and commercializing evidence-based nutrition products for
the medical nutrition market. Incorporated in 2016, EMN has had a
successful track record developing, researching, validating, and
commercializing nutrition products locally and internationally.
Their products are designed to address the unique nutrition needs
of surgical and critically ill patients, while also being
compatible with hospital frameworks like Enhanced Recovery After
Surgery (ERAS®) and Prehabilitation.
About Acenzia:
Acenzia is a SME contract manufacturer with substantial
experience in developing evidence-based products for
consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands in the active living market.
With a mission rooted in advancing health and wellness, Acenzia
offers a comprehensive suite of services, including manufacturing
evidence-based products, pioneering research diagnostics, and
providing companies with sustainable packaging solutions.
About Gruppo Nutrition:
Gruppo Nutrition is a SME producing and commercializing
evidence-based, ultra-premium sports nutrition products for the
high-performance sports market. Gruppo Nutrition’s range of product
offerings include Polar Joe, a specialized line designed to provide
athletes with a protein supplement infused with coffee for enhanced
performance, and carbohydrate beverages that can be fully
personalized to meet athletes' unique energy, protein, and sodium
requirements.
Tiffany Stephenson
Protein Industries Canada
306-519-8202
tiffany@proteinsupercluster.ca