REGINA, SASK. — Protein Industries Canada has contributed C$7.3 million ($5.4 million) of a total investment of C$19.2 million ($14.2 million) in a project to create new ingredient and food options, including allergen-friendly ones, for consumers. In the project, Avena Foods will create oat and pulse ingredients that will be used by Big Mountain Foods, Danone Canada and Old Dutch to replace ingredients and processing aids in their products.

Regina-based Avena Foods will refine specialty milled oats and pulse flours and create specialty milled pulse grits, meals and flour. Through the new ingredients, Old Dutch, Danone Canada and Big Mountain Foods plan to create new snack options and reformulated products, including yogurt, plant-based beverages and creamers, vegetable links, cutlets, pastries, fillings and alternative non-soy/non-fava tofu products.

“Investment into ingredient manufacturing is an untapped economic opportunity for Canada, and this project is an example of what is possible when we take our widely available Canadian crops such as pulses and oats to create new ingredients and food,” said Bill Greuel, chief executive officer of Protein Industries Canada, a Regina-based global innovation cluster. “With the scaleup of ingredient processing, we can produce ingredients with enhanced functionality that can better meet the demand of consumers when it comes to taste, texture and nutritional benefits.”

Avena Foods, a specialty miller, provides food, beverage, pet food and nutraceutical manufacturers with pulse ingredients and gluten-free oat ingredients.

“Avena welcomes this investment from Protein Industries Canada and the opportunity to work collaboratively with our customers,” said Wayne Arsenault, CEO of Avena Foods. “Our goal is to provide exactly what they need from our deck of functional and nutritious oat and pulse ingredients, and to further support them with sustainability metrics, such as life cycle assessment for our ingredients.”