$2.5 M investment supports Merit Functional Foods plant build in Winnipeg

The governments of Canada and Manitoba will invest up to $2.5 million cost-shared funding to support new technologies in Merit Functional Foods’ new state-of-the-art, 94,000-ft2 plant protein production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen and Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary to the minister of economic development and official languages, and to the minister of environment and climate change, on behalf of Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced today.

Merit Functional Foods is building a new processing facility in Winnipeg that will derive protein from both canola and peas resulting in up to 17,000 metric tonnes of canola being purchased from Manitoba producers in its first year of operation and 10,000 metric tons of peas at an estimated value of $14 million. In three years, Merit Functional Foods expects that amount to increase up to 35,000 metric tonnes of canola and 20,000 metric tons of peas valued at $28 million. In June 2020, the Government of Canada announced additional federal financing support of nearly $100 million for the new Merit Functional Foods plant.

Through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the governments of Canada and Manitoba will be providing Merit Functional Foods with up to $2.5 million for new equipment purchases that will support the transformation of raw inputs into value-added goods. This investment will bring new technology into the production process for Merit Functional Foods new plant protein processing facility allowing them to be competitive on the global market, and creating up to 85 local jobs as part of its Phase 1 project, growing to more than 200 jobs in future phases.

The Manitoba government will also be providing $1 million for cost-shared training activities, as well as an up to $4.5-million rebate over a maximum of 20 years to Merit Functional Foods through the Manitoba Works Capital Incentive (MWCI) Program. Cost-shared training activities will support the training of more than 100 new positions, and the training of five existing positions.