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Toronto, Ont., April 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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.

“This marks a new era where alternative meats don’t just meet the nutritional components of animal proteins, but exceed them by a wide margin and do so while tasting great,” Wamame Founder and President Blair Bullus said. “With 65 per cent more protein than cooked ground beef, we feel like Wamame has truly changed the plant-based protein space. We are so excited to finally share our vision where real chef-inspired food options will out-perform the protein-to-calorie ratio of even protein bars. We would not have been able to get here without the continued support of Protein Industries Canada and the investments they have made in building a stronger plant-protein sector across the country.”

“APEX Foodsource is excited to partner with Wamame, Crush Dynamics, and AGT Food and Ingredients to help innovate with the creation of new premium meat alternatives for the food industry,” Apex Food Source CEO Gil Goldstein said. “We are delighted to take part in this journey that will aide in further development of high a quality plant-based protein sauces for use in neo-conventional food offerings to a changing marketplace demanding change.”

“Crush Dynamics is honored to be partnering with Protein Industries Canada along with Wamame, APEX Foodsource, and AGT Food and Ingredients. This project represents the kind of innovation needed to advance the alternative protein industry in Canada. Crush Dynamics is committed to enabling our plant-based protein industry partners to achieve not only sensory parity but also price and nutritional superiority when compared to incumbent protein products available to today’s consumer.” Crush Dynamics CEO Kirk Moir said.

“This project furthers AGT’s ingredient expertise in extrusion processing of high-quality plant-based proteins. Meat alternatives represent a very interesting segment of the plant-based sector and is one that AGT has been very active in. This project, along with the partners involved, is a great opportunity to further expand our production capabilities, while having direct feedback and commercialization opportunities through our customer collaborators,” said Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.

Protein Industries Canada is one of Canada’s five Global Innovation Clusters. Protein Industries Canada and our members are working to embrace the $25 billion opportunity presented by Canada’s ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bio-product sector. Projects such as these add value to, and create new markets for, Canadian crops, generating local jobs and supporting new economic development in locations across Canada. More information can be found at www.theroadto25billion.ca.

 
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Toronto, Ont., April 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global leaders in the plant-based food and ingredient sector are gathering at The Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto for the second edition of Plant Forward, from April 16 to 18.

Plant Forward brings together global leaders in the agriculture and food space and features speakers, including Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of AGT Foods; Erica Orange, a leading futurist; and Paco Underhill, the author of How We Eat: The Brave New World of Food and Drink. Also on the agenda are representatives from Danone Canada, Roquette, Sobeys, Plant Up, Three Farmers, Louis Dreyfus Company, Corteva and more.

Also attending this year’s event are representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the USA.

This year’s conference program places a spotlight on themes of innovation, sustainability, consumer trends, capital and R&D. Also new to the conference is increased networking opportunities, which include the morning of Apr. 16 dedicated to meetings using the new Plant Forward app exclusively for attendees and two networking receptions.

Plant Forward is presented by Protein Industries Canada, Pulse Canada, Plant-Based Foods of Canada, and the Canadian Pulse and Special Crops Trade Association.

View the conference agenda: https://plantforwardconference.com/#js-agenda

 
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Cologne, April 2024: Norway has a long tradition of catching and processing fish. The country ranks second in the world for exports behind China. To ensure the high quality of their freshly caught products, Norwegians pay particular attention to an unbroken cold chain. One company that contributes to a high level of food safety is Atlantic Styro. The manufacturer, based on the Atlantic island of Lovund, just outside the Arctic Circle, produces containers made from expanded polystyrene (EPS). The polystyrene boxes keep fish and seafood fresh during transport and storage.

Modern liquid ring vacuum pumps

In addition to high quality, efficient production is more important than ever. In order to produce as sustainably as possible, the box manufacturer relies on a modern vacuum supply. The vacuum is used to extract the process vapor that is produced when the foam expands. "Atlantic Styro achieves this very effectively thanks to our modern vacuum solution," reports Roy Mikalsen, the responsible sales manager at Atlas Copco. "Three liquid ring vacuum pumps from the LRP VSD+ series are used on Lovund, which are very well integrated into the overall process," explains Roy Mikalsen.

Designed for energy and water efficiency

In addition to the high, stable vacuum performance, the liquid ring pumps are energy-efficient and ensure low operating and maintenance costs. Equipped with two variable speed drives – VSD: Variable Speed Drive Technology – the vacuum system saves energy and water: the first of the VSD twins maintains the required vacuum level by precisely controlling the operating speed of the pump, which ultimately reduces power consumption. The second drive controls the water circulation pump and thus optimizes the water flow in the pump.

Recovery mode secures the water supply

"The closed water circuit means that leaking seal water is collected in a tank and recirculated," continues Roy Mikalsen. This recovery secures the water supply. An additional energy recovery also reduces production costs. To achieve this, the LRP VSD+ series is equipped with the powerful, user-friendly Elektronikon™ vacuum controller from Atlas Copco, among other things. This enabled Atlantic Styro to integrate the vacuum solution into its system and control the entire system.

Uncomplicated plug-and-play product

With its compact design, the LRP VSD+ installation saves space. What's more, a soundproof bonnet insulates the background noise in the immediate working environment to a pleasant level of 65 dB(a). The ease of operation rounds off the ergonomic advantages: Inlet, outlet and power cable connections are located on the top of the pump for easy installation. These easily accessible features make the solution as a whole an uncomplicated plug-and-play product.

Energy savings of up to fifty per cent

For Atlantic Styro, the LRP VSD+ pumps combine high functionality with significant savings: Overall, the Norwegian company can calculate with fifty per cent less energy consumption. Its user-friendliness and centralization options make the vacuum solution from Atlas Copco the ideal system for the production of EPS boxes. This allows the full range of benefits of the raw material to be realized: a lightweight, cost-effective material that is perfect for packaging, insulating and transporting frozen fish and seafood. This means that seafood and fish retain their temperature and consistency over a long period of time and develop their full flavor when eaten later.

 
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Detection Technology, a global leader in X-ray detector solutions, announces the global availability of a comprehensive range of TFT (thin-film transistor) flat panel detectors. The portfolio includes IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) and a-Si (amorphous silicon) technology-based solutions optimized for medical and industrial applications.

"We are pleased to start worldwide sales of our TFT flat panel detector solutions as the timing is just right. IGZO is replacing CMOS and a-Si technologies in dental CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) applications for large fields of view, fast frame rates, and excellent low-dose performance. In turn, in surgical applications, IGZO will replace image intensifiers and offer improved low dose performance compared to a-Si. We now launch two IGZO detectors for surgical and will expand our portfolio soon to dental applications,” says Tuomas Holma, Director of Product Management of the Medical Business Unit at Detection Technology.

"The industrial market is rapidly changing. New requirements are coming in from the automotive industry, especially for inspection of large castings, electronics, and batteries. We have been pioneers in providing CT and line scan solutions for industrial customers and are now even better positioned to serve them with the addition of TFT flat panel detectors. We kick off global sales with a range of dynamic a-Si detectors that provide high resolution, large field of view, fast frame rates, and excellent radiation hardness for inline DR and CT applications. We are also launching a static a-Si panel for component counting. We are ambitious, and our TFT detector portfolio for industrial is also about to expand,” says Tomi Fält, Director of Product management of the Industrial Business Unit at Detection Technology.

At present, the portfolio includes the following sellable items:

X-Panel 2323z FDM, a dynamic IGZO X-ray flat panel detector, optimized for mobile C-arms, image intensifier (II) replacement, and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)

X-Panel 3030z FDM, a dynamic IGZO X-ray flat panel detector, optimized for mobile C-arms, medical CBCT and digital subtraction angiography (DSA)

X-Panel 4343a FQI, an a-Si X-ray flat panel detector, optimized for industrial CBCT and non-destructive testing (NDT)

X-Panel 2530a FQI-XM, an a-Si X-ray flat panel detector, optimized for battery inspection, in-line digital radiography (DR) and computed tomography (CT)

X-Panel 4343a FQI-H, an a-Si X-ray flat panel detector, optimized for high-energy NDT (applications utilizing linear accelerators)

X-Panel 4343a FSI, an a-Si X-ray flat panel detector, optimized for component counting.

“Our state-of-the-art TFT flat panel offering is rapidly evolving. We have numerous different solutions and their variants in the pipeline, and our portfolio will be further expanded for global sales towards the end of this year.”

The TFT flat panels are now available for purchase worldwide. For more information on pricing, availability, and technical specifications, please contact the Detection Technology sales.

Detection Technology will showcase the key features of its X-Panel portfolio at the upcoming exhibitions. The company will be exhibiting medical solutions at the CMEF show in Shanghai, China on 11—14 April, and solutions optimized for versatile industrial applications at the WCNDT show in Incheon, Korea on 27—31 May.

 
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Regina, Saskatchewan, April 10, 2024 – Canada’s food and beverage manufacturers face a mix of obstacles and optimism for profit margin improvements in the year ahead, according to the latest Food and Beverage Report.

After hitting a record $165 billion in food and beverage manufacturing sales last year, 2024 is expected to see sales moderate in sync with slowing inflation and tighter household budgets.

Despite sector-specific headwinds and changing consumer shopping habits, the overall outlook is more positive. Population growth and stabilizing input costs are two reasons margin improvement is expected in 2024.

“High inflation and interest rate increases over the past two years have put pressure on household budgets, leading to changes in consumer spending habits,” said FCC chief economist, J.P. Gervais in highlighting the evolving consumer landscape. “As a result, Canadians spent less on average on food and beverages in 2023.”

“While changing shopping habits may pose challenges, they also present opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers,” said Gervais. “Taste remains the top consideration for consumers, but price sensitivity has increased, leading processors to innovate and meet evolving consumer demands.”

“FCC Economics is projecting a slight decrease of 1.4 per cent in food and beverage manufacturing sales for 2024. However, we anticipate gross margins to improve by 1.7 per cent on average. One wildcard in our forecasts is the resilience of the U.S. economy, which could lead to growth in exports,” added Gervais.

Many commodity prices have declined which will work their way through the supply chain. These trends are anticipated to continue, boosting margins in 2024.

The report forecasts a decrease in the inflation rate for food purchased at grocery stores, falling below 2.0 per cent this spring and stabilizing around pre-pandemic levels thereafter.

“While challenges persist, 2024 holds promise for Canadian food and beverage manufacturers,” said Gervais. “By adapting to changing consumer preferences and leveraging opportunities presented by population growth, the industry can navigate the year ahead with cautious optimism.”

The annual FCC Food and Beverage Report features insights and analysis on grain and oilseed milling; dairy, meat, sugar, confectionery, bakery and tortilla products; seafood preparation; and fruit, vegetable and specialty foods, as well as soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

By sharing agriculture economic knowledge and forecasts, FCC provides solid insights and expertise to help those in the business of agriculture and food achieve their goals. For more economic insights and analysis, visit FCC Economics at fcc.ca/Economics.

FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture and food lender, dedicated to the industry that feeds the world. FCC employees are committed to the long-standing success of those who produce and process Canadian food by providing flexible financing, AgExpert business management software, information, and knowledge. FCC provides a complement of expertise and services designed to support the complex and evolving needs of food businesses. As a financial Crown corporation, FCC is a stable partner that reinvests profits back into the industry and communities it serves. For more information, visit fcc.ca.

 

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