By Dr. Alejandra Regand, Senior Director, Research & Development and Baking Technology, Bimbo Canada

Protein has shifted from a once-niche ingredient to a mainstream dietary priority – and it’s reshaping how Canadians shop, including in the bakery aisle.

Today, seventy percent of Canadians are actively seeking more protein in their diet and demand is extending well beyond traditional sources like meat, dairy, and supplements. Consumers are now looking for ways to add protein to everyday staple foods like bread, bagels, and tortillas.

Meeting this demand, however, is not as simple as adding protein to a tried-and-true recipe. It requires a fundamental rethinking of how bakery products are developed, processed and scaled.

The addition of plant-based protein to baked goods significantly alters dough behaviour. Plant-based proteins react with dough differently than regular wheat flour, affecting hydration, gluten network formation and shelf life. Without optimized recipes and proper manufacturing processes in place, protein-enriched baked goods can suffer from weak structure, inconsistent performance and compromised texture, ultimately leading to inferior product quality.

The real challenge is not simply increasing protein content, but doing so while preserving the taste, texture, and overall experience consumers expect from their favourite bakery products.

This means protein fortification isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach – each product category presents unique recipe and processing challenges. For example, high-protein breads require careful optimization of hydration and dough strength to maintain volume and softness. Bagels demand a stronger, more resilient dough structure to withstand boiling, while tortillas require pliability and flexibility without cracking.

Overcoming these challenges requires deep technical expertise grounded in bakery science and supported by iterative testing and process optimization to fully unlock the potential of protein ingredients. Equally important is continuous consumer validation to ensure the final product delivers not only on nutritional value, but also on taste, texture and appearance.

Consumers are not looking to compromise. They want food products that are both nutritious and enjoyable while fitting seamlessly into their lifestyle. For bakeries, this raises the bar: protein-enriched products must deliver the same quality and experience as traditional offerings, while delivering clear and meaningful nutritional benefits.

At the same time, there is a growing interest in where protein-rich ingredients come from. As demand for protein grows, sourcing strategies are also becoming a larger part of the conversation, with many seeking local Canadian sources.

For commercial bakeries, protein is no longer a trend. It is a structural shift that is redefining how products are developed and how value is delivered on the shelf.

The next wave of innovation will not be defined by how much protein is added, but by how seamlessly it can be integrated into everyday foods – balancing nutrition, taste and consumer experience at scale.

By Carl Rodgers

Disclosure: I run ClearBorder, a Canadian customs compliance tool. I have a commercial interest in this topic. Every source below is public and can be checked directly.

For independent grocers and specialty food importers across Western Canada, managing margins has never been harder. But the biggest emerging threat to operating cash flow in 2026 isn't coming from supply chain costs or inflation — it's coming from a shift in Canadian customs liability that most importers haven't fully priced in.

There is a chart on CBSA's own website that tells the story.

These are targeted verification results, not random-market rates. CBSA selected importers in these categories because risk-profiling flagged them. That distinction makes the numbers more meaningful, not less: when CBSA decides to look at a category, this is what they find.

The $55.2 million figure is from eighteen closed cases. That averages roughly $3 million in assessed revenue per closed case — a number large enough to be material for any independent importer it lands on.

What changed on January 1, 2026

Three things came into force on the same day.

Section 17 of the Customs Act was amended. The entity named as importer of record on the customs accounting document is now jointly and severally liable, along with the importer and owner, for duties, taxes, and post-accounting reassessments. CBSA's Memorandum D17-2-5 describes the importer of record as "the primary contact for verifications and the entity with direct liability for post-accounting obligations, including record keeping, making corrections, and payment of duties."

The CARM transition period ended. From January 1, 2026, every entry filed produces structured, queryable data CBSA can analyze at scale.

The four-year reassessment window under Customs Act sections 59–61 started running entirely against the new regime. By 2030, the rolling lookback will be populated almost entirely by CARM-era entries filed under the new Section 17 liability framework.

Why this matters for Western Canada

Western Canada is the centre of Canada's specialty food import economy. BC Asian importers, Prairie wholesale operators, Alberta specialty distributors, and Western independent grocers are disproportionately represented in the categories on CBSA's January 2026 priority list: supply-managed goods (dairy, poultry, eggs), frozen desserts containing 5% or more dairy, spent fowl, animal feed, CUSMA/CETA/CUKTCA origin verifications, China and US surtax verifications, and the 25% steel derivatives surtax in force from December 26, 2025.

If your imports touch any of those categories, you are inside the current verification perimeter.

What "your business is liable" actually means

Section 17's liability attaches to the importer of record as named on the customs accounting document. For most Western importers, that entity is the operating corporation — the BN account holder. This is not automatic personal liability for the human who owns the business. A properly incorporated business remains a legal shield. What Section 17 does is make the business the primary party CBSA pursues — not the broker who filed, not the freight forwarder, not the supplier.

For an SMB owner, that matters because reassessed amounts come out of operating cash flow. The frozen-dessert results show per-closed-case assessments averaging in seven figures. For most Western independents, that's not a line item — it's an event.

The broker-model issue

Most customs brokers are paid per entry. That model prices the work of getting an entry through CBSA today. It does not necessarily price the cost of defending that entry against a reassessment years from now. Many brokers have done good work educating clients about CARM and importer-of-record liability. But release and post-entry defence are structurally different activities. Under Section 17, the entity CBSA pursues for the reassessment is the importer of record — not the broker.

Three things to check this week

First, map CBSA's 2026 verification priority list to your imports. If you import supply-managed goods, frozen desserts, animal feed, goods claiming CUSMA/CETA/CUKTCA preference, or anything caught by the surtax orders, you are in the priority perimeter.

Second, pull a recent CAD and confirm who is named as importer of record. If your business's BN is there, your business is the entity CBSA will contact first.

Third, reconcile your filings against your broker invoices and CARM Statement of Account. This surfaces both reassessment exposure and potentially unclaimed Input Tax Credits — claimable up to four years back.

Many importers have never done that reconciliation. CBSA now has a data environment that makes it easier for the agency to spot inconsistencies. Importers should give themselves the same visibility.

Cows eat grass…everyone knows that. But climate change is forcing producers and scientists to rethink some of our long-held assumptions about livestock nutrition. Crop costs are climbing. Traditional pastures are under pressure. And researchers are casting a wider net for unconventional feed sources that might help the industry adapt.

Wade Abbott, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based in Lethbridge, Alberta, was curious whether cattle can digest seaweed. And if they can, what's happening inside their guts to make it work? Abbott and his colleagues used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at USask to answer those questions. Seaweed is fundamentally different from grass or hay at the molecular level. Breaking it down requires entirely different enzymes, ones that land-plant digesters wouldn't normally need.

The researchers looked at what happened inside the gut of cows that were fed seaweed. They observed a bloom or proliferation of bacteria they believe was involved in digestion – which suggested the cattle were successfully breaking down and digesting the marine material.

Abbott and colleagues have named this the "latent trait hypothesis": Beneficial microbe digesters persist at very low levels in the gut, essentially waiting, ready to rapidly multiply when the right dietary signal arrives. "Crystallography (at the CLS) gave us the molecular blueprint for how these enzymes work," Abbott said. "We could finally see exactly how the bacteria crack the code of seaweed digestion.” The team's findings are published in the science journal Nature Communications.

Abbott is quick to note that seaweed won't replace hay or traditional animal feeds; it's far too expensive for that. But the health benefits may be significant. "We're seeing potential for seaweed as an alternative to antimicrobials, or as an immunity booster," he said.

Looking ahead, Abbott sees this work as opening a much larger door. "We're only beginning to understand the genetic mechanisms that allow gut microbes to process these marine sugars," he said. "If we can map those pathways fully, the applications go well beyond cattle. We're talking about a new framework for sustainable agriculture, one that embraces unconventional feed sources and works with the biology that's already there, waiting to be activated."

By: Ryan Coburn, Technical Sales Specialist, Hapman; and Clark Wright, Technical Development Engineer, Hapman

Moving dry bulk materials in industrial settings comes with unique challenges, especially when handling substances that are abrasive, sticky, or prone to clumping. These difficult-to-handle materials can disrupt operations, decrease efficiency, and cause excessive wear on equipment. Choosing the right feeder to address these challenges is critical for ensuring consistent performance and minimizing downtime.

Dosing feeders are designed to tackle these challenges head-on. This article explores the common issues encountered when moving difficult dry bulk materials and explains how selecting the right feeder features can mitigate these problems, improve process efficiency, and enhance operational safety.

Common Challenges When Handling Difficult Materials

Clumping and Material Bridging

Materials like flour, cocoa powder, and sugar often clump and bridge within hoppers, particularly when exposed to moisture or pressure. This behavior disrupts feeding consistency, leading to uneven distribution and process interruptions. For industries such as food production or chemical manufacturing, these inconsistencies can significantly affect product quality and throughput.

Inconsistent Material Flow

Achieving a uniform flow rate is essential for production environments. However, materials with varying densities or adhesive properties, such as powders with high fat content, can create blockages that disrupt feeding. These interruptions lead to operational inefficiencies and complications in downstream processes.

Abrasive and Corrosive Wear

Handling abrasive or corrosive materials poses a significant challenge to feeders, often leading to rapid equipment wear and contamination risks. This issue is particularly critical in industries such as pharmaceuticals or food production, where hygiene and material purity are paramount.

Maintenance and Safety Concerns

Balancing ease of maintenance with operational safety is another challenge. Traditional feeders may require frequent disassembly for cleaning or repairs, increasing the risk of accidents and downtime. Ensuring compliance with safety standards while maintaining efficiency can be a difficult equilibrium to achieve.

Key Features to Address Challenges

Selecting a dosing feeder with specific design features can help overcome these obstacles. Here are some key considerations:

An internal agitation system is essential for breaking up clumps and preventing bridging. Agitators, driven by independent motors, ensure a consistent flow of material into the screw, even for sticky or cohesive powders. Adjustable agitation speeds allow operators to adapt to varying material properties, enhancing feeder versatility.

Dosing feeders with independent motor controls for the screw and agitator provide greater flexibility and precision. By adjusting these components separately, operators can fine-tune feeding rates to match material characteristics, reducing over-agitation and optimizing performance.

Stainless steel construction, particularly grades 304 and 316, offers excellent resistance to corrosion and is easy to clean. This durability ensures that feeders can handle abrasive materials and meet strict hygiene standards required in sensitive industries like food processing.

Volumetric and gravimetric feeding systems provide tailored solutions for maintaining consistent feed rates. Gravimetric feeders use weight-based measurements for high precision control, making them ideal for applications where ingredient consistency is critical, such as pharmaceuticals or specialty chemicals.

Modern dosing feeders incorporate enhanced bolt-on safety features, such as nozzles and bar grates, that reduce maintenance complexity while protecting operators. These features prevent accidental exposure to moving parts and ensure compliance with safety standards without compromising operational efficiency.

Customizable components, such as different screw types or extension hoppers, allow dosing feeders to handle a wide range of material properties. Whether it’s a progressive pitch screw for low-density powders or an extension hopper for increased storage, customization ensures optimal performance.

Best Practices for Feeder Operation

Beyond selecting the right feeder, following best practices is crucial to ensure long-term reliability and efficiency:

• Avoid Material Buildup: Regularly clearing hoppers of residual materials prevents clogging and contamination.
• Conduct Material Testing: Testing materials for bulk density, moisture content, and flow characteristics helps optimize feeder configurations.
• Schedule Routine Maintenance: Periodic inspections and cleaning ensure components remain in peak condition, minimizing downtime.

The Hapman PosiPro®: A Comprehensive Solution

Hapman’s PosiPro® dosing feeder is engineered to address the challenges of handling difficult dry bulk materials. Its advanced design features, including independent motor controls and robust agitation systems, ensure consistent material flow and adaptability for a wide range of applications. Constructed with durable stainless steel, the PosiPro® offers resistance to corrosion and ease of cleaning, making it ideal for industries requiring strict hygiene standards. For additional material storage Hapman offers a conical extension hopper with the PosiPro Feeder. The conical shape of the hopper allows for unrestricted flow of material into the feeder and eliminates harborage areas for material to gather.

By incorporating bolt-on safety features and offering customizable components, the PosiPro® minimizes maintenance requirements while enhancing operational safety. Additionally, Hapman provides material testing services to help customers identify the optimal feeder configurations for their specific needs.

For industries seeking a reliable solution to the challenges of moving difficult materials, the Hapman PosiPro® dosing feeder delivers consistent performance, durability, and precision. By addressing these challenges head-on, operators can improve production efficiency, reduce downtime, and ensure long-term operational success.