Canadian innovation taking plant-protein nutrition to new heights

Today, Protein Industries Canada held a tasting and networking event to celebrate the launch of its latest project announcement: A collaborative effort to de-risk, scale and expand Wamame Foods’ new high protein product line.

Working with project partners Apex Food Source, Crush Dynamics and AGT Food and Ingredients, Wamame Foods is using Canadian ingredients to develop, commercialize and scale a new functional athlete-focused high-protein line of food products, such as high-protein burritos, that exceeds the protein-to-calorie ratio of the average American protein bar. Soon to be available in a variety of North American and overseas retail grab-and-go locations, these high-protein products will add diversity of choice for athletes and health-conscious individuals everywhere and enable consumers to enjoy their food while maintaining an elite lifestyle.

“With support from Protein Industries Canada, Wamame and its project partners are helping to get premium plant-based meat alternatives to a wider network of food service, restaurant and grocery industries,” said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “The demand for plant-based products is rising, and this project will help Canada capture this economic opportunity and further strengthen its global leadership as a supplier of plant-based ingredients and products.”

The project builds on the success of Wamame’s first Protein Industries Canada investment, which led to the initial launch of their acclaimed premium Waygu line. This work also included early-stage development of a super high-protein base material, which contains 64 per cent more protein than cooked ground beef and uses a blend of Canadian proteins including pea, fava and canola.

Throughout the life of the second project, Wamame will develop new and improved high-protein products with ingredients from each AGT and Crush Dynamics—ensuring that the protein is not only Canadian, but also from environmentally sustainable sources such as wine derivatives that would have traditionally gone to waste. Apex, meanwhile, will increase production of the meat alternatives for international markets, helping the sector become more globally competitive and capturing new economic opportunity.

A total of $6.3 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada investing $2.8 million and the partners together investing the remainder.

“Consumers around the world aren’t just looking for diverse sources of protein—they’re looking for high-quality sources of protein,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “Each of these partners has proven they’re capable of creating such products. By coming together, they’ll be able to go even further, creating a line of high-protein foods that families around the world can enjoy.”

The partners marked the launch of the project with a tasting event of the new high-protein line of products in Toronto. Coinciding with the beginning of each Plant-Based Food Week and Plant Forward, the tasting highlighted the potential of Canada’s ingredient processing and food manufacturing sector.