{"id":35764,"date":"2020-08-05T09:18:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T13:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iposgoode.ca\/?p=35764"},"modified":"2020-08-05T09:18:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T13:18:00","slug":"plant-based-protein-the-governments-latest-investment-in-clean-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/osgoode\/iposgoode\/2020\/08\/05\/plant-based-protein-the-governments-latest-investment-in-clean-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant-Based Protein: The Government\u2019s Latest Investment in Clean Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While the Canadian government\u2019s recent investment in a plant-based food facility was a welcome investment in the agricultural industry, it was also a promising investment in clean technology.<\/p>\n

Recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an announcement that Federal Government would be supplying Merit Functional Foods with an interest-free $10 million loan through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada\u2019s AgriInnovate Program<\/a>. Merit Functional Foods<\/a> is a Canadian company that manufactures high-quality plant-based proteins, such as pea protein and canola protein, using Canadian crops. The $10 million loan brings the project\u2019s total government backing to over $95 million<\/a>, which Merit plans to use towards completing its state-of-the-art, 94,000 square foot plant protein production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba<\/a>. The facility is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020.<\/p>\n

The project was partly funded by AgriInnovate<\/a>, which aims to accelerate the commercialization of innovating technologies that increase Canadian agriculture\u2019s competitiveness and sustainability. Project applications are prioritized based on whether they advance the government\u2019s agenda in particular areas, one of those being the adoption of \u201cworld leading clean technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s unclear if the Merit project was prioritized through its classification as clean technology, it is clear based on the scientific record that an investment in plant-based food science is an investment in such technology.<\/p>\n

Background on the Plant-Based Movement<\/strong><\/p>\n

As someone who grew up in a vegetarian household, I was highly aware of the early phases of the plant-based movement in North America. The China Study<\/a> was an important book in our family, brought down from the bookshelf every few months for re-examination.<\/p>\n

Recently, however, plant-based foods have been gaining popularity at an unprecedented rate. It\u2019s not exactly clear what led to this change, but easy access to documentaries like Forks Over Knives<\/a> on Netflix and support from celebrities through things like Beyonce\u2019s plant-based meal plan<\/a> certainly didn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n

Today, some might say the final frontier has been reached: the fast food industry. There has been a major rollout of plant-based options<\/a> across McDonald\u2019s, A&W, Wendy\u2019s, and KFC. Even Maple Leaf Foods, a meat company, has introduced a 50\/50 burger<\/a>, consisting of 50% meat and 50% plant-based protein, which the company says will help consumers \u201ceat less meat, without giving it up all together.\u201d With the number of US food and drink products using the words \u201cplant-based\u201d in their labelling rising 287 percent from 2012 to 2018<\/a>, the plant-based movement is clearly gaining serious momentum.<\/p>\n

The term cleantech<\/a> refers to processes or products that improve environmental outcomes, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, and water and air pollution. Innovative plant-based foods, their chemical makeups, and their manufacturing processes fall into this category, because they reduce or eliminate the environmental impacts of meat consumption.<\/p>\n

The Environmental Impact of Meat Consumption<\/strong><\/p>\n

The meat industry is harmful to the environment<\/a> in four specific ways: (1) emission of greenhouse gases; (2) acidification and eutrophication of the environment; (3) consumption of natural resources, in particular energy and water; and (4) pollution from animal waste and waste water discharge.<\/p>\n

In 2006, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published a comprehensive report<\/a> on the various environmental impacts of livestock production. Some key statistics include:<\/p>\n