(Merit Functional Foods video screengrab via YouTube)

Merit Foods co-owner Burcon partnering on bid for assets

Unnamed 'plant protein company' now in on Burcon's bid

A major shareholder in beleaguered pea and canola protein processor Merit Functional Foods has brought on an unnamed partner in its bid to buy the business out of receivership. After announcing last month it would submit a bid for the next-to-new Merit assets, Vancouver-based plant protein firm Burcon NutraScience said Monday it’s now “participating in […] Read more


(Screengrab from Merit Functional Foods video via YouTube)

Bidding open for Merit Foods for two more weeks

Stakeholder Burcon plans to put up 'compelling bid'

The fate of Winnipeg pea- and canola-based protein processor Merit Functional Foods won’t be confirmed until the end of April at the earliest. Merit, whose major shareholders include Vancouver plant-based protein firm Burcon NutraScience, U.S. agrifood firm Bunge and former executives of Hemp Oil Canada, was placed into receivership March 1. According to the first […] Read more

(Screengrab from Merit Functional Foods video via YouTube)

Plant protein processor Merit Foods in receivership

Company owes $95 million to EDC, FCC

The company behind a new Prairie processing plant extracting plant-based proteins from peas and canola has landed in receivership, in the high eight figures’ debt to its secured lenders. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on Wednesday announced it’s the receiver for both Merit Functional Foods Corp. and the numbered company that owns Merit’s processing plant and property in […] Read more



The McDonald’s “P.L.T.” (CNW Group/McDonald’s Canada)

McDonald’s to make its own ‘McPlant’ items

Beyond Meat says co-created patty

Reuters — Burger chain McDonald’s on Monday decided to debut its own plant-based meat alternatives line called “McPlant” in 2021, including a patty that Beyond Meat subsequently said it helped co-create. “Beyond Meat and McDonald’s co-created the plant-based patty which will be available as part of their McPlant platform,” a Beyond Meat spokesperson said in […] Read more


(Nestle photo)

Nestle launching pea-based vegan alternative to tuna

'Vuna' going first to Swiss supermarkets

Zurich | Reuters — Food giant Nestle is launching a new plant-based tuna alternative in Switzerland this month ahead of a global rollout, hoping that consumers eating at home during the COVID-19 pandemic will stay eager to try new products. Known for Maggi soups and bouillon cubes, Nestle has been investing in plant-based food to […] Read more

Cargill’s existing protein ingredient lines include Prosante textured soy flour (TSF), which is already used in plant-based ground beef substitutes. (Cargill.com)

Cargill to enter faux-meat market

Major processor/packer expanding plant-based protein product line

U.S. agrifood giant Cargill is set to bring its crop supply chain further into its proteins business via a new line of plant-based patty and ground products for the retail and foodservice sectors. Already a major player in meat protein, with assets including two major Canadian packing plants processing up to 6,000 head of cattle […] Read more


Canadian chain Pizza Pizza has added two plant-based options to its roster of pizza toppings. (CNW Group/Pizza Pizza Ltd.)

Pizza Pizza steps into plant-based proteins

A Canadian pizza chain offering up vegan cheese and vegan crust options is now adding plant-based sausage substitutes to its menu. Toronto-based Pizza Pizza on Monday launched its Super Plant Pizza, billed as “the first plant-based protein topping recipe available on the menu.” The company said it partnered with Yves Veggie Cuisine and Greenleaf Foods’ […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf quarterly profit misses estimates as costs rise

Reuters — Packaged meat producer Maple Leaf Foods reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, hit by higher costs as it invested more in new initiatives and capacity expansion. The company has been keen on expanding in the U.S., seeing growth opportunities in humanely raised animal products and alternative protein sources. In April, the company […] Read more