Canada's plant-based cheese market enhanced by new partnership
Consortium will use innovative techniques to use Canadian-grown crops in plant-based cheeses
21 January 2022
2 minute read
Protein Industries Canada has announced a new project that brings together Lumi Foods, Winecrush Technology and Save-On-Foods. The aim of the collaborative effort is to enhance Canada’s plant-based cheese market. This includes developing new products, as well as giving them a more prominent placement in grocery stores across the country.
Using Lumi Foods’ cultured cheesemaking methods, which enables the continued use of the term “cheese," the partners will create a new line of plant-based cheeses made from Canadian-grown crops, including oats, legumes and pulses.
Once developed, the plant-based cheeses will be sold in the deli sections of Save-On-Foods at locations across Canada. According to the Protein Industries Canada press release, this will be the first time plant-based cheeses will be placed alongside dairy cheeses.
To help ensure the plant-based cheeses are shelf-stable for longer lengths of time, Winecrush Technology will test shelf-extending ingredients in the recipes, including dietary fibre and unsaturated fatty acids.
In addition to expanding this line of cheeses, the partners are also dedicated to strengthening Canada’s plant-based cheese sector as a whole. To help make this happen, they’ll work with the University of Alberta to perform complimentary research, focused on identifying strains of microbes that can be specialised for plant-based cheesemaking. This research will help improve the flavour, structure and aroma of plant-based cheeses, meeting consumer demand for plant-based products that are healthy and sustainable while also tasting delicious.
The partners have together invested $5.4 million into the project, with Protein Industries Canada investing an additional $5.4 million. The total project co-investment is $10.8 million.
