Alberta’s plant-based food sector receives federal support

The Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc, Alberta has received an investment of more than $2.6 million in federal funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD).

This investment will support the installation of equipment specifically focused on supporting companies to develop new plant-based foods and products. Plant-based foods represent a significant economic opportunity for western Canadian firms seeking to meet growing global and consumer demands for protein-rich foods that are healthy and environmentally sustainable. With Western Canada already producing high-protein pulse crops such as peas, lentils, and chickpeas, the goal of this initiative is to enable agri-food producers to turn these crops into higher value ingredients or finished products before exporting them to markets around the globe.

Operated by the Government of Alberta, the Food Processing Development Centre is a fully equipped pilot plant and product development facility. It is staffed with experienced food scientists, engineers, and technologists who work with businesses to develop and fine-tune their products. Over the next four years, Government of Canada support will enable the Centre to assist approximately 100 small- and medium-sized companies, and potentially bring up to 30 new products to market.                                                                                                                                        

Quick Facts

• Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) is investing $2,682,249 towards the Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc, Alberta.
• The funding provided by WD will be used to purchase, install and operate fractionation equipment to complement and complete processes currently available to the private sector at the Food Processing Development Centre.
• The additional equipment and technical expertise will provide plant protein product innovation and value add to commodity and semi-processed agricultural and food products. The Centre will help western Canadian small- and medium-sized firms to enter the plant protein market by providing access to the needed equipment and technical support services to develop their products, prior to investing the large amount of capital required for a full-scale processing facility.
• In addition to WD funding, the Government of Alberta is also investing more than $919,000 towards this project, with industry partners providing more than $700,000.