CANADIAN COMPANIES ARE UPCYCLING LEFTOVERS INSTEAD OF DISPOSING THEM
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A multi-tech approach helps preserve plant-based beverages PG.14
+ CBD AS A WELLNESS INGREDIENT PG. 18 MANY COMPANIES ARE CREATIVELY INTEGRATING CBD INTO CPG PRODUCTS
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Earlier this Summer, the Institute of Food Technologists virtually held their annual FIRST expo. One of the presentations that caught my eye was on innovations in non-thermal processing by Carmen I. Moraru, PhD, chair of the food science department at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Here’s a summary of the presentation.
High pressure processing (HPP) is the most popular non-thermal processing methods. By using HPP, it is possible to obtain protein denaturation, modification of surface properties and molecular flexibility of proteins, new conformations and protein-protein interactions and aggregate and network formations. All these can be taken advantage of when creating novel foods, said Moraru.
A variety of structures and textures can be also obtained by changing the pH or ionic strength of milk proteins. Pressure-treated plant proteins can also aggregate and gel, which can then be used to develop novel products with interesting textures, high nutritional value, as well as built-in safety because these are obtained under the same conditions the industry is currently using to inactivate microorganisms in foods, explained Moraru.
The last few years brought renewed attention to light-based technologies, said Moraru. According to her, these technologies are considered green and
are known to preserve the quality of the treated foods. However, they are limited by “several shading effects, spatial light distribution issues and some inefficiency of light sources”.
Innovations in light-based treatments are trying to address these limitations. New light sources are being developed. There’s a lot of focus on LEDs, which are considered safer, more energy-efficient and less polluting than their mercury counterparts. LEDs are also highly flexible in terms of design and very tunable for a given wavelength.
Work is also underway to improve light distribution as well as create new combination treatments using light. A few years ago, Moraru’s team worked on a project that combined light treatment and membrane filtration. The researchers found that using microfiltration to remove particles before UV treatment improved UV efficiency as well as lowered the dosage level of UV.
Moraru also highlighted membrane filtration. “While membrane filtration is viewed as a traditional technology, commercial applications have increased in recent years. It is projected to reach nearly $20 billion in 2025,” she said.
Membrane filtration can be used for concentration, fractionation, microbial removal, and these can be applied to a variety of fluid foods and beverages. Membrane filtration can help achieve food safety, nutrition, clean labels,
Nithya Caleb
innovation and sustainability—these traits are very important for consumers and the industry.
In her concluding remarks, Moraru reiterated non-thermal technologies have unique benefits that can be useful in many food applications. “Based on the significant progress made in recent years in both product and process development, commercial applications are on the rise. This also brings down the cost of these products, and I truly believe the future of non-thermal processing is very bright.”
On that positive note, I’d like to highlight some of the articles we’re featuring in this issue. The cover story urges us to think a tad differently about processing plant-based beverages. The author feels it might be helpful to think of “protecting” the drink instead of simply “preserving” it; this change in thinking would help processors adopt a multi-tech approach to increase product safety.
Food and processing waste is a major problem. Therefore, we spoke to some Canadian companies that are upcycling leftovers, and trying to establish a circular economy. Given the grim IPCC report on the “irreversibility” of some aspects of climate change, we all have to do our part to keep the planet healthy and livable.
Nithya Caleb ncaleb@annexbusinessmedia.com
Nabati Foods files patents for its proprietary, plant-based egg product, Nabati Plant Eggz, in Canada, the United States and Australia. It also and intends to file patent applications in Europe and China.
Nabati’s Plant Eggz is the first and only Canadian-made, plant-based egg substitute. Nutritionally, each serving has 90 calories with no cholesterol, six grams of protein, and two grams of fibre. It is also high in vitamin A, vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid. Nabati Plant Eggz is soyand gluten-free. The product is expected to be sold later this year in liquid form in 355-ml bottles.
Guru and PepsiCo Canada sign national distribution agreement
Guru Organic Energy Corp. and the Pepsi Bottling Group (Canada) have entered into an exclusive, long-term national distribution agreement in Canada for Guru’s energy drinks.
Effective October 4, 2021, PepsiCo Beverages Canada will sell, distribute and merchandise Guru’s organic, plant-based and better-for-you energy drinks to convenience, foodservice and retail customers nationwide. This agreement will broaden Guru’s distribution and reach in Canada. The agreement is for an initial term of 10 years, subject to five-year renewal periods.
Gerber partners with international recycling company TerraCycle to help give typically hard-to-recycle baby food packaging a new life. This partnership is rooted in Gerber and TerraCycle’s shared values around eliminating waste and supports the recovery of hard-to-recycle baby food packaging on a national scale throughout Canada.
Participation in the program is easy – parents are invited to sign up on the Gerber Recycling Program page and mail in baby food packaging that is currently not municipally recyclable, including flexible plastic bags, pouches and inner bags, using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned, melted down and then remolded to make new products.
Vumami Foods is celebrating two major business milestones: its first anniversary and its 100th retail location.
The Sidney (B.C.)-based company produces Umami Bomb, a vegan shiitake mushroom-based chili oil in four varieties: Medium, Hot, Garlic and Extra Hot. “Vumami Foods was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic and that certainly came with unique challenges,” said Vumami Foods founder Nicholas Baingo. “As a new company with such a unique product, we were very fortunate that our retailers love Umami Bomb as much as we do and took a chance on us.”
ReGrained utilizes a patented technology, co-developed with the USDA, to safely
rescue brewer’s spent grain and craft ReGrained SuperGrain+, which delivers a minimum of 3.5-times the fibre and two-times the protein of whole grain flours. Every pound prevents the carbon dioxide equivalent of burning 1 pound of coal and saves over 300 gallons of water.
“We are honoured to achieve the first upcycled ingredient certification, and are excited to support our partners in developing certifiable finished products,” said Dan Kurzrock, company CEO. “Nearly 35 per cent of the world’s food is lost or wasted, which generates eight per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and poorly uses our planet’s precious resources. Bringing tasty and nutritious upcycled foods to every aisle of the grocery store combats this global issue. ReGrained has been leading the way since we baked our first loaf of upcycled bread in 2011, and will continue for decades to come.”
> Robertet, a manufacturer of natural ingredients and compounds for the fragrance, flavour and health and beauty ingredients market, and Fleur de Vie, a start-up with the ambition of developing high quality microalgae, have come together to introduce Spiruline Safe, a premium quality of spirulina for the functional food and dietary supplement markets.
> Arla Foods Ingredients has launched a new whey protein hydrolysate ingredient that is said to overcome taste challenges in products for patients with maldigestion or malabsorption.
> GNT expandes its range of plant-based Exberry colours with the launch of two new green shades that are made from spirulina and turmeric. They are halal, kosher and vegan-friendly and can be used in a variety of applications, including gummies, jellies and hard- and soft-panned confectionery as well as dairy products including yogurt and ice cream.
> Butter Buds has developed a dairy-free, coconut oil-based ingredient solution that allows manufacturers to replace block butter in many formulations, such as bakery products while delivering the same taste and texture as block butter.
Four in 10 consumers have bought more functional products during pandemic: Kerry survey
More than four in 10 consumers have increased their purchases of functional foods, beverages and supplements since the start of the pandemic, per a survey by Kerry.
The company that manufactures the health ingredient Wellmune surveyed 13,000 people across 16 countries to provide manufacturers with insights into the impact of COVID-19 on purchasing behaviours.
Forty-four per cent of respondents globally said they had bought more dietary supplements since the outbreak of the pandemic, while 42 per cent had increased their purchases of functional or fortified foods and beverages.
Respondents were presented with a list of health areas and asked which were reasons for buying healthy lifestyle products. Globally nearly six in 10 (58 per cent) chose immune system support.
The survey also reveals the food and beverage categories where immune health is a particularly powerful purchase driver. One in three (33 per cent) consumers said they would be interested in purchasing fruit and vegetable juices if they contained ingredients that promoted immune support. Many other categories were also seen as a good fit for immune health benefits, including spoonable yogurt (31
per cent), dairy-based drinks (28 per cent) and hot beverages (24 per cent).
SunRype is celebrating 75 years as a Canadian brand providing families with fruit juices and snack products. SunRype grew out of the fresh fruit business in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia when B.C.’s fruit growers created a company called BC Fruit Processing and bought two juice plants in Kelowna, B.C. They began turning apples into 100 per cent apple juice and applesauce. They named the apple juice SunRype. By the mid 1950s, the brand had become a household name in Western Canada, resulting in the company renaming itself in 1959 to SunRype Products Ltd.
Outcast Foods, a Canadian food technology company rescuing cast-off produce
> Lagoon Seafood appoints Sean Moore as director of operations. In this newly created position, Moore will oversee the company’s two plants in Lachine and Granby, Que., as the company ramps up expansion initiatives in both operations and sales.
> Eat Beyond names Michael Aucoin as the company’s new CEO. He will replace Patrick Morris, who has served as Eat Beyond’s CEO since its inception in the Fall of 2019. Aucoin will pilot Eat Beyond in a new direction, with a vision to establish the company as a recognized leader in the $50-billion plant-based protein market.
> Outcast Foods names Tara Wickwire as vice-president, strategy. She will lead oversight of the brand, which will include marketing, communications and strategic positioning as the company continues to chart leadership in food waste mitigation and develops global channels for the company’s upcycled products.
> Keurig Dr Pepper names Olivier Lemire as the president of the company’s Canadian operations from October 1, 2021. Lemire, currently VP, commercial strategy and partner brands, joined Keurig Dr Pepper Canada in 2011 as sales director, and has held leadership roles at the company, including in HR and supply chain.
that is then upcycled into supplements and other ingredients, has announced that their upcycling facility is Organic Certified. Additionally, this new certification helped Outcast Foods secure a supplier partnership with Riverside Natural Foods (Concord, Ont.), makers of the Made Good brand. This partnership offers Riverside the flexibility of locally sourced and high-quality ingredients for their portfolio of products, as well as the ability to support sustainable initiatives that reduce food waste.
Above Food Corp. acquires two oat-based food brands, Only Oats and Culcherd. Only Oats (Saskatoon, Sask.) produces oat-based ingredients and consumer products. Toronto-based Culcherd is a 100 per cent organic, premium, plant-based dairy company producing artisanal plant-based dairy products. With these acquisitions, Above Food completes the value chain of its oats platform. The company has also begun construction on a gluten-free facility in Regina.
Fromagerie Bergeron is partnering with Tree of Life for the sale and distribution of its Quebec cheeses throughout Canada. This partnership will allow Fromagerie Bergeron to reach over 90 per cent of the country’s food outlets.
Volkmann launches a vibratory feeder dosing system that automatically meters precise amounts of powders into mixers, reactors, dryers, coolers, hoppers and pneumatic vacuum conveying systems.
The vibratory feeder dosing system features a proprietary pneumatic piston vibrator that sets the powder or other bulk material in a uniform layer across the dosing tray while gently advancing the material toward discharge in a first-in, firstout process. The potential for agglomeration is eliminated and particle integrity assured.
Suitable for feeding food, nutrition, pharmaceutical and other powdered ingredients, the vibratory feeder dosing system is available in sanitary, standard, explosion-protected and custom designs to accommodate nearly any material in either loss-in-weight, gain-in-weight or volumetric feeding. The powder feeder is offered with a wide range of optional equipment such as an enclosed dosing tube, weighing module, and integrated sieving connections. www.volkmannusa.com
Fortress Technology’s latest generation of digital food metal detectors feature the ARM microprocessors. Used in a range of devices, from smartphones to tablets and multimedia players, ARM Processing helps to run multiple inspection processes simultaneously, while capturing and storing processing data for traceability. This allows food producers to inspect wet or conductive products and identify the product effect.
Fortress is also utilizing the microchip’s power to improve the detection of thin flat metal flakes in high-value, low-profile foods. Using multiple coil sets to instantaneously drive the electromagnetic fields in different directions, the Interceptor DF scans and looks for signals over a broad spectrum. The stronger disturbance from one field compensates for the weaker signal from another. www.fortresstechnology.com
Ecolab launches the Water Flow Intelligence, a digital service that provides industry with real-time visibility of water use at the enterprise, site and asset levels.
Water Flow Intelligence enables food and beverage producers to identify opportunities that help improve water management across their operations, deliver on sustainability goals and reduce operational costs by combining smart water meters and sensors with advanced water flow measurement and monitoring, asset performance insights and machine learning. www.ecolab.com/waterflowintelligence
Ron Wasik
ising temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions and smog and chemical discharges into the atmosphere will increase food safety risks throughout the supply chain.
Weather patterns influence all life forms on this planet. The food supply chain is only a small cog, operating at the mercy of the global weather system. The dramatic climate changes that we are now experiencing in ever increasing frequencies are impacting all life forms and forcing all of us to either adapt to these changes or perish. Our supply chains have adapted to the climatic conditions we have known for the past few decades. The food safety measures we’ve developed are based on these old conditions, but they will likely not be suitable for the future, as climate change forces pathogens to evolve and adapt.
Our winters are getting shorter and warmer. While this is a welcome change for many, changing weather patterns is concerning. For growers, drought is probably the greatest concern, but there are other problems too. Warmer and drier weather often improve conditions for plant pathogens that reduce crop quality and produce toxins.
The amount of dust in our atmosphere increases dramatically when the winter and spring precipitation evaporates, resulting in dry and loose soil and dirt. These airborne particles eventually get deposited in rain or dust. Scientists have shown that airborne dirt harbours a variety of
microbial organisms including moulds, yeasts, fungi, bacteria and viruses. The longer periods of drought and elevated temperatures have benefited most forms of microbial life, and this is exposing the entire biosphere to greater and prolonged microbial exposure.
In lower elevations, snow has frequently turned into rain due to warmer winters. Prolonged damp conditions encourage mould growth. Wooden pallets, which in past years, could be stored uncovered outdoors are now growing mould. Unless dried and cleaned before use, wet pallets can bring a variety of potentially hazardous microbes into the plant facility, and end up contaminating everything that comes into contact with them.
Prolonged periods of high temperature make it harder to control temperatures of products while in transportation. Delivery companies that mix loads of shelf-stable and refrigerated foods in unrefrigerated trucks risk abusing temperature-sensitive products. It would be wise to use temperature monitoring devices on sensitive products to monitor temperatures when employing unrefrigerated trucks.
Higher ambient temperatures shorten the shelf life of perishable food. Everyone along the food continuum, from farm to fork, will need to enhance temperature control measures to maintain the shelf life of perishable foods.
Climate change is expected to disrupt supplies of raw materials, forcing processors to use new and different ingredients. This will require revalidation of food safety plans as well as attending to a host of other compliance issues.
Higher temperatures and wetter weather will challenge plant sanitation operations to achieve and maintain the required cleanliness standards. Condensation, infestation, festering garbage, smelly drains, absenteeism, poor water temperature, limited water pressure and time and numerous other sanitation challenges that were once manageable will become nightmares.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a glimpse into a world under a global threat. Thanks to science and international co-operation, we are slowly resuming life as it was in the pre-pandemic era. The fallout from climate change will not be easy to combat. We all need to take measures to not only mitigate climate change, but also prepare for the impact it will have on virtually everything we do.
Dr. R.J. (Ron) Wasik, PhD, MBA, CFS, is president of RJW Consulting Canada. Contact him at rwasik@ rjwconsultingcanada.com.
Ron Doering
After 23 years, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act (AAAMPs Act) has been extended to all food commodities with the extension of its scope to the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). When the AAAMPs Act came into force in 1997, there was only consensus to extend it to the Health of Animals Act and to the Plant Protection Act. The first major expansion of the ticketing regime was completed in 2014 when it was applied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA’s) largest food program, the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations. When SFCA came into force on January 15, 2019, consequential amendments were required, and these regulations came into effect on April 9, 2019. This was, by far, the most extensive expansion of AAAMPs since it was created. Due to the pandemic, the quarterly enforcement reports are unavailable. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the food industry is largely unaware of the changes that were implemented in 2019.
Administrative monetary penalties are issued in the form of a notice of violation (NOV) with a warning or with a penalty (the base monetary penalty ranges from $500 to $10,000) where there are reasonable grounds to believe a person has committed a violation. A person commits a violation when they do not comply with a designated provision or refuse or neglect to perform a designated duty. The sheer scope of SFCA and SFCR, and therefore this huge extension of AAAMPs is evident from the new schedule that designates the list of violations: 138 prohibited acts
under SFCA and another 182 prohibited acts in SFCR. Besides the availability of administrative monetary penalties to enforce compliance with these 320 provisions, CFIA has other enforcement tools, such as:
• letter of non-compliance and written warnings;
• restriction on the movement of a noncompliant product;
• seizure and detention of a noncompliant product;
• order to destroy a non-compliant product;
• order to remove a non-compliant product from Canada;
• issuance of a corrective action request;
• suspension and/or cancellation of a license;
• criminal prosecution; and a recall order.
The range and scope of CFIA’s powers is breathtaking. Implementation will be key to determine how this extension of AAAMPs will affect the sectors for whom this will be a whole new experience. Industry cannot say they weren’t consulted. Though without experience with SFCR, many sectors may not fully understand the Act’s impact.
At the June 2013 Food Forum, CFIA announced the plan to extend AAAMPs to all commodities. CFIA recognized that this enforcement tool would be very new to many companies and whole sectors, so the proposed amendments were prepublished for a 60-day comment period in October 2017. Still, if the extension to the Meat Inspection Act is any indication, many regulated parties are going to be surprised when they get their first ticket. However, CFIA has provided several interpretive guidance documents for
the benefit of individual companies and CFIA inspectors.
Over the past several years, affected industries have come to understand the importance of compliance agreements, which continue to be an option for SFCA and SFCR violations. I have negotiated several of these. They permit CFIA to enter into these agreements with persons who commit violations if the persons agree to take appropriate steps to support future compliance and correct the violation. They may also allow for a reduction, in whole or in part, of an administrative penalty. Review mechanisms are also available under the Act. A person who has been issued with a NOV may request, within 30 days, a review of the facts of the violation by the Canadian Agricultural Review Tribunal (CART) or by the minister responsible. For the negotiation of compliance agreements and applications to CART, a regulated party should retain the services of an experienced food lawyer. CART decisions are subject to judicial review by the Federal Court of Appeal. However, as a recent case has illustrated, even if you take on CFIA at the federal court and win, you can still be out thousands of dollars in legal fees with no way to recover them.
Nothing really changes for the meat industry but for every other food sector, your regulatory landscape has been transformed. If you haven’t done so already, talk to your food lawyer.
Ronald L. Doering, BA, LL.B. MA, LL.D., is a past president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. He is counsel in the Ottawa offices of Gowling WLG, and adjunct professor, Food Science, Carleton University. Contact him at ronald.doering@gowlings.com
Gary Gnirss
In the case of prepackaged foods, the aim of front of package (FOP) nutrition labelling is to easily inform consumers what foods are high in sodium, saturated fat and/or sugar by the mandatory inclusion of cautionary labelling. FOP has now been included in Health Canada’s Regulatory Plan 2021-2023.
Health Canada is also reforming several regulations, and is expected to finalise them soon. These include:
• repeal of the nutrient content claims table in FDR and incorporating that table by reference (IbR);
• repeal of most of the specialized high-intensity sweetener labelling requirements; and
• retooling of mandatory vitamin D fortification and technical amendments to FDR following the 2018 ban on partially hydrogenated oils.
Nutrient content claims are a complex subject matter. The rules (FDR) prohibit representations related to the amount of a nutrient or energy. Canada starts with a blank page, to which the rules then provide exceptions. For example, quantitative statements are a type of nutrient content claim. The criteria for 47 claims are outlined in the table to B.01.513FDR. These include sugar-free, calorie-free and source of protein. There are exceptions. The complexity is in appreciating the different classes of claims, and what claims, variants or synonyms are permitted. It is important to remember that if FDR does not recognize a nutrient content claim, it is not permitted.
Health Canada prefer to repeal the nutrient content claims table, move it to section B.01.513-FDR, and then IbR it because it would be easier and quicker
to revise nutrient content claims in that section than if the table was hard coded in FDR, as it is now. Simple changes could take years. The intent of Health Canada is not to repeal nutrient content claims. Most would be carried forward to the proposed IbR nutrient content claims table.
However, Health Canada intends to update the requirements for sugar-free claims with the goal of providing more flexibility. Currently, a sugar-free food, other than chewing gum, must also be calorie-free, which is not easy. Sugar is a key dietary component of public health interest. It would make more sense to have greater focus on the sugar rather than the calorie content, which is Health Canada’s intent. Their proposal is to bundle the sugar-free claim with the requirement of a food being “low in calories”. The result is that more foods could be claimed as “sugar-free.” The change also acknowledges the tight relationship of sugar-free claims to calorie management.
Other proposed updates include adding more claim synonyms, like “free of sugars” and moving “unsweetened” to the IbR table. In the case of nutrient content claims in B.01.513-FDR, the wording is precise. Only recognized synonyms may be used. Adding “unsweetened” to the IbR nutrient content claims table seems logical, and may help with the confusion it has created under the current FDR structure. It is important to note all nutrient content claims categories, like quantitative statements and vitamin, mineral and amino acid claims will not be included.
Since the 1980s, Canada has had very specific labelling rules related to high-inten-
sity sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-potassium and neotame when sold as such and when used as ingredients in other foods. In the latter’s case, this includes identifying on the principal display panel the presence of such sweeteners and other sweetening agents in the type set required for the declaration of the net content declaration (i.e. “Contains Aspartame & Sorbitol”). Additionally, quantitative statements of the added sweeteners had to be grouped with the ingredient list. In the case of aspartame, a specific requirement was to identify the presence of phenylalanine. Such labelling may have been significant in the 1980s, but it is no longer relevant. The front of food packages is getting very busy with other possible requirements. Removing some burdens may help the industry cope with new labelling requirements. It can also help Health Canada to focus on other messaging like proposed FOP symbols or the supplemented food caution identifier when these are triggered.
In my experience, Health Canada will maintain the requirement to identify the presence of phenylalanine when aspartame is added. It will possibly provide more flexibility in how this may be stated on labels, including using variations like those in the U.S. The rules will also need to account for how to make this declaration in the differentiated space that is now needed under the new ingredient labelling rules. While CFIA may have retreated a bit from its bold food labelling modernization plans, there are still plenty of things on the agenda.
Gary Gnirss is a partner and president of Legal Suites Inc., specializing in regulatory software and services. Contact him at president@legalsuites.com.
— BY JOHN MENTON —
To consumers, much like the perceived interchangeability of best before and use-by dates, quality and shelf life are synonymous with safety. The industry has historically been challenged to protect beverage quality and extend shelf life without using preservatives or high energy processes that slow down the supply chain. After certain cold-filled and heat-treated beverages are opened, there can sometimes be a gap in food safety hurdles to protect the beverage and its consumer from issues in the event of contamination or from natural spoilage.
Beverage safety has been a concern of consumers for many years. In fact, fruit juice, according to ingredient solutions provider Kerry’s recent proprietary research, is the number two menu item (behind meat) flagged by the public as a food safety worry. The reality is that keeping a beverage protected over its shelf life has never been a simple task. And now, given the availability of new plant protein beverages—amid rising consumer demand for familiar-sounding preservative ingredients in foods and beverages without compromising flavour—the challenge can be particularly complex.
Given the situation, when thinking about food and beverage processing “preservation,” it might be helpful to use the term “protection” instead, as the latter also encompasses the maintenance of taste, texture and colour while addressing consumer health demands. Today, the task requires a broader view, along with a high degree of reliability—in short, a multi-technology systems approach to beverage preservation/protection and safety. Adding to this beverage-preservation challenge is a strong desire by consumers to reduce sugar intake: while positive for public health, removing sugar can adversely impact a beverage’s shelf life and taste, as sugar acts as a natural preservative by lowering water activity within the beverage. The following discussion identifies some of the key hurdles facing plant-based beverage processors seeking to improve their current products (or develop new
Ensuring the safety of plant-based beverages can be challenging due to rising demands for familiar-sounding preservative ingredients.
Some strategies are now available to alleviate the problem of protein denaturation during heat-based preservation treatments.
options) to meet emerging consumer demands for healthier beverages offering cleaner labels.
In the functional beverage category, process stability of key ingredients (e.g. protein) is vital.
Heat treatment, the most commonly used method for ensuring optimal shelf life of pH-neutral beverages, is necessary to ensure microbial safety of readyto-drink (RTD) beverages. Unfortunately, by inducing protein denaturation, heat can have a negative impact on protein stability in the finished beverage, and in turn, adversely impact taste.
Some strategies are now available to alleviate the problem of protein denaturation during heat-based preservation treatments.
One, using hydrolysed proteins (dairy and plant), results in proteins that are generally more heat-stable than their “intact” counterparts.
Second, protein ingredients that are left intact can overcome instability issues through a careful adjustment of processing parameters—temperature, duration and process technologies—in order to ensure minimal denaturation.
According to a 2020 Innova research data, 23 per cent of new global beverage launches have a “no additives/preservatives” claim on their labels, a trend due in large part to a wholesale consumer rejection of “chemically sounding” ingredients. Realistically, however, maintaining a consumer-friendly label can be formidable: if preservatives are not used, a product is likely to have a shorter shelf life.
Fortunately, natural solutions to this problem are already available. The key lies in using consumer-friendly, “food cupboard” solutions that will keep beverages fresh, safe and appealing while protecting
quality over the duration of shelf life. Lemon juice and vinegar, to name two, are part of a range of natural ingredients that have a time-honoured history of at-home use to preserve fruits and vegetables. Now, similar solutions are being applied at scale in the commercial manufacture of beverages and other consumer products.
Utilising these and other preservation ingredients brings together the very best of two worlds: expertise in preservation and innovation in food taste protection. Great taste can then be locked into beverages at the same time as lasting shelf-life advantages are unlocked, all without adding processing steps or using the preservatives consumers are rejecting.
These types of proven solutions, which exist in the marketplace already, can help beverage processors to both meet and exceed the goals being embraced by a rising number of consumers.
Further, since there is already a call for natural ingredients on beverage labels—real juice, natural flavours, naturally sourced colours, etc.—along with recognisable ingredient sources, these consumer-friendly preservation and protection ingredients translate perfectly for labelling purposes. In the pursuit of better, more natural ways to formulate beverages, investigating these clean advances may turn up some surprising benefits.
John Menton is applied health and nutrition lead in North America for ingredient solutions provider Kerry. He can be reached via email at john.menton@kerry.com.
According to a 2020 Innova research data, 23 per cent of new global beverage launches have a “no additives/ preservatives” claim on their labels.
Create high-protein products by combining wheat protein isolates and resistant starches
— BY MPG —
The high-protein, lower-net-carbohydrate diet trend shows no sign of slowing. Yet, just two per cent of bakery products carried high or added protein claims in the five years ending in August 2019, according to Mintel. One of the reasons could be that food developers working with high-protein formulations often encounter functional challenges.
Over the years, the baking industry has attempted to develop low- or reduced-carb breads, for example, by incorporating a protein source and/or a dietary fibre source (resistant starch) to partially or fully replace flour in the formulation. The result was breads with challenging handling characteristics and differences in dough rheology, loaf volume, crumb grain, texture or flavour when compared with traditional bakery products.
However, research shows that the right combination of wheat protein isolate and resistant wheat starch can help to overcome these issues, while also resulting in lower net-carbohydrates.
A research project at the American Institute of Baking International evaluated high-protein, high-fibre (low carbohydrate) bread formulas for white and wheat breads and compared them with standardized control breads.
The high-protein, high-fibre formulas contained a wheat protein isolate and a resistant wheat starch, a dietary fibre, along with vital wheat gluten, flour and soy fibre.
In terms of functionality, the high-protein, high-fibre doughs had higher water absorptions and required less high-speed mixing time than the control doughs. Dough consistency out of the mixer was generally good, trending to slightly sticky and elastic. The doughs improved over the course of the 30-minute floor time, to the point that most were judged good at the makeup stage. Proof times were quick. Bake times were increased about four minutes compared with the control doughs. The high-protein, high-fibre breads exhibited greater volume than the control breads.
Total quality bread score results showed no remarkable difference between test breads and control breads. However, there was a significant difference between high-protein, high-fibre breads and
the control breads when net carbohydrate contributions were calculated. With the former, this ranged from 4.7 to 5.2 g per 28-g serving size. This was a significant net carbohydrate reduction as the control breads contributed 11.2-13.8 g per 28-g serving.
In a baking applications test conducted in the MGP Ingredient Solutions test kitchen, proprietary wheat protein isolate and resistant wheat starch were used to create a formulation for a hard pretzel. The finished product had 10 g of protein per 30 g serving size.
Similar nutritional benefits of lower carbohydrates were accomplished with the use of a proprietary resistant wheat starch and FDA-recognized dietary fibre. The pretzel contained 12 g of total carbohydrates and six grams of dietary fibre, resulting in six grams of net carbs.
Bringing high-protein, low-carbohydrate bakery products to market may represent a significant opportunity, but it comes with formulation challenges. Bakers and food formulators desiring a high-protein, low-carbohydrate product with exceptional functional properties can use ingredient solutions with wheat protein isolate and resistant wheat starch to help them capitalize on this enduring diet trend.
A new range of food categories are including CBDs — BY
MARK JUHASZ
—
As the Canadian cannabis market nears its third year of legalization in October 2021, consumer awareness of cannabis is evolving. We are now able to access a broader range of products, including edibles and beverages that do not contain high THC content. Alternatively, CBD (cannabidiol) is now better understood as a wellness, dietary and functional ingredient, and companies are creatively integrating it into a range of CPG products.
According to U.S.-based Charlotte’s Web, a leader in full-spectrum hemp extraction with CBD, cannabinoids help our bodies to stay balanced and in good overall health, even when external factors and lifestyle choices diminish well-being. From a 2017 study by the Brightfield Group, top conditions treated by CBD include depression, insomnia, anxiety and joint pain. More than 40 per cent of CBD users have stopped using traditional medications, while 80 per cent of CBD users found these products to be an effective treatment.
In an April 2021 Food Technology article, CBD ingredients are well-positioned for the mainstream food and beverage market because they tap into consumers’ ongoing interest in functional foods and natural approaches to health care. From a 2020 Natural Marketing Institute study, consumers purchased CBD products for pain management (43 per cent), reduced anxiety (39 per cent), relaxation (33 per cent) and reduced inflammation (27 per cent).
U.S.-based Caliper Foods specializes in processing, manufacturing and distrib-
uting soluble CBD. Their head of R&D sees the biggest trend is combining CBD with specific amounts of minor cannabinoids, terpenes, and/or other functional health-focused ingredients, catered to specific ailments that CBD is already positively associated with, to help new entrants stand out in the crowded marketplace. CBD doses per serving have also increased from 5 to15 mg to the 20- to 40-mg range, which is partially fuelled from the cost of CBD dropping as supply has increased over the last few years.
A part of the innovation in CBD ingredients is the development of nanoemulsion systems. While CBD nanoparticles are not water soluble, the particles are small enough to remain suspended in high-viscosity beverages. People are seeking fast-acting cannabinoid-infused products that are more
easily absorbed for quicker onset, predictable experiences. Albeit, there is a known lack of consistency in CBD ingredients and finished products, and due to CBD’s popularity, many inexperienced players are attempting to provide supply (Brewster, IFT, April 2021).
CBD is finding its way into new foods like gummies or candies, popular for their consistency, compact form, and compatibility with other ingredient formulations. In beverages, CarryOn was developed by Ocean Spray Cranberries’ Lighthouse Incubator. The incubator focuses on accelerating wellness-oriented product innovations. In August 2020, Pepsi began distributing Kalo, a hemp-infused seltzer to major grocers and
natural food markets in the New York area, and Martha Stewart has launched a line of CBD products, for both humans and pets. These are available through Canada’s Canopy Growth. According to the American Pet Products Association, 68 per cent of U.S. households have at least one pet. In the U.S., Recess has become one of the most popular CBD-beverage brands that focus on user occasion, and as an alternative to alcoholic drinks.
CBD is garnering attention as the non-intoxicating, non-psychoactive cousin to THC. It is considered to have anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and anti-psychotic counterweight to THC. Consumers increasingly understand the benefits of CBD, and are looking for unique consumption formats. Research is also beginning to better understand other minor cannabinoids such as CBG, CBC, CBN and CBGa, including a series of terpenes found in cannabis and hemp extracts. For example, CBN has been shown to induce sleep and increase sleep time (Brewster, IFT, April 2021).
Amidst growing demand for CBD products, it is worth mentioning the distinction between cannabis and hemp markets in North America. With passage of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, hemp and its derivatives, including CBD, were no longer classified as controlled substances. This has significantly impacted production of CBD in U.S.A. from hemp plants. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to issue warning letters about advertising CBD with therapeutic claims, consumer brand advocates keep pushing for a durable national regulatory framework for the production and use of CBD and hemp derivatives in food and beverages. According to FoodDive in January 2021, the U.S. is expected to be the largest market globally for CBD, and several Canadian companies are now entering that market through acquisitions and product launches.
In research by the Brightfield Group with data from New Frontier Data, BDS Analytics and Arcview Market Research, the global CBD market is expected to reach $22 billion by 2022, while the U.S. CBD industry is expected to triple in market size in the same year. In April 2021, IFT’s Food Technology magazine added that 20 per cent of U.S. adults have reported purchasing a CBD product at least once, and CBD edible sales (e.g. food, candy and beverages) in mainstream retail outlets are expected to hit $5.7 billion in 2024.
All of this is fuelled, in part, by a series of high-profile mergers and acquisitions. In January 2021, Truss CBD USA was created from a joint venture between Canadian cannabis company HEXO, and Molson Coors Beverage Co. It launched Veryvell, a
line of non-alcoholic sparkling CBD beverages as a self-care brand, with claimed adaptogen health formulations. Further, in 2019, Canadian cannabis company Tilray bought Manitoba Harvest, a long-time hemp food producer, and the acquisition is now producing a line of CBD-infused food and wellness products for the North American market. In late 2020, Canadian cannabis company Aphria merged with Tilray, partnered with beer giant AB InBev, and are expanding into the U.S., creating further cross-over between beer and cannabis industries.
In conclusion, the CBD food and beverage sector remains highly dynamic, and is expected to meet market demand for alternatives to alcoholic drinks with health and wellness products. Working
Canadian companies are coming up with innovative solutions to address the epidemic of food waste — BY
JENNIFER D’AGOSTINO —
Food manufacturers and producers are responding to Canada’s food waste epidemic with technology.
Using the latest in tech, many food producers have been able to minimize food waste.
To call it an epidemic isn’t an exaggeration. According to a report by Second Harvest, 58 per cent of all food produced in Canada is lost or wasted. Food suppliers across verticals are taking steps to save some of this wasted food.
One of those companies is Nova Scotia’s Outcast Foods. They collect unwanted fruits and vegetables from farmers and distributors across Canada, and transform them into nutrient dense powders. They use technology to process their unique leftovers, so they can provide quality product to consumers with little-to-no waste.
“It’s a part of the food waste continuum. Different food is wasted throughout the process, starting with the farmers food that doesn’t get selected by the distributors simply because the harvest is the wrong colour,” said Dr. Darren Burke, CEO of Outcast Foods. “We save the fruit and vegetables, including product that has gone bad. We get rid of any bacteria through our manufacturing process, and hold on to the nutrients.”
When Outcast Foods was developing their manufacturing process they realized that it was a complex issue that needed a complex solution.
“We developed a machine learning protocol that can take all the information about the product—its size, shape, how old it is and the distance of the farm—and figure out if it makes sense to bring it to our facilities,” said Dr. Burke. “Once it’s in our facility, we developed a unique process to get it from ingredient to powder.”
Outcast Food’s manufacturing process starts with a washing phase, where a unique organic acid is sprayed on the vegetables and fruits, eliminating any bacteria. Then it moves to the size reduction phase, where it is dehydrated and mulled into a fine, free-flowing powder.
Outcast Food’s unique manufacturing process in their facilities have caught the attention of heavyweight companies like Nestle and Riverside Foods, as both companies have partnered with the East Coast company as suppliers.
Another company that is using technology in their manufacturing process to help reducing food waste is Loop Mission. A juicing company based out of Montreal, Loop saves food waste at its source and aims to maintain a net positive result throughout their whole manufacturing process. They teamed up with one of Quebec’s largest fruit and vegetable distributors, Courchesne Larose, who provides them with fruits and vegetables that would have been thrown out.
“Courchesne Larose gives us their misshapen produce, and they get a percentage of our sales,” said Pascale Larouche, Loop Missions’ public relations lead.
“Our co-founder David Côte saw just how much they were going to throw away and thought, ‘we need to do something will all this waste.’
Loop Mission is actually housed within
the distribution facility and uses produce to create fruit and vegetable juice, smoothies, probiotic sodas and a newly added gin, thanks to Krispy Kernels chips, who donated their potato scraps. Not only do they take food waste from other companies, but also are net positive within their own company, giving any residential pulp from their produce to a local vegan dog food manufacturer.
When it comes to their own product, Loop Mission uses the latest in technology to ensure their juices are not going to waste, by extending their shelf-life. Loop Mission’s juices and smoothies are unpasteurized, which means they have a shorter shelf-life than their pasteurized counterpart. In order to ensure their juices aren’t contributing to food waste, they use high pressure processing (HPP). This processing technology helps extend their shelf life to 66 days, where unpasteurized juice has a shelf-life of only a few weeks.
HPP is a technique that takes place after the product is in its final package. The high pressure and cold temperatures help deactivate the flora or bacteria present in the food product.
“Instead of pasteurizing we use HPP,” said Larouche. “It not only extends the
shelf-life but also doesn’t remove any nutrients” from the product.
While Loop Mission and Outcast Foods are combating food waste within the processing of food waste, B.C.-based NEXE are making their impact on food waste reduction through 3D printers.
Scientific advisor Zac Hudson and NEXE Innovations developed a compostable coffee pod to target single-use packaging. A third of consumer’s plastic consumption is from single-use packaging like yogurt cups, cosmetics and coffee pods.
The biodegradable coffee pods come pre-packed with sustainable coffee, under the XOMA Superfoods brand. The pod is made from a combination of plant fibre, compostable polymers, and other compostable materials, with a bamboo casing.
“We develop compostable alternatives for traditional plastic packaging,” said Hudson. “Sixty billion pods are discarded every year. That’s 13,000 a minute. Our pod is corn based and takes about 35 days to completely break down.”
When food or coffee pods sit in a landfill, methane is released into the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Not only are they helping reduce the plastic waste and carbon footprint of coffee pods, but also take care to use sustainable meth-
ods when making prototypes through the 3D printer.
“We use polylactic acid, which is the most common filament for a 3D printer, which has allowed us to eliminate the need for stainless steel moulds,” said Hudson. “Processing steel is expensive, time consuming and carbon-intensive.”
Food waste isn’t only present at the grower and distribution level in the food industry. It is prevalent in grocery stores and restaurants across Canada. In fact, 86 per cent of all food waste in Canada takes place in the food service industry. American start-up Good to Go is looking to help restaurants and grocers cut back on their food waste.
Launched in Canada in July 2021, Good to Go uses apps to connect the restaurant industry to their consumer. Restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores can sign-up online to sell surprise packages directly to consumers at the end of the day.
“The surplus food can be picked up in “surprise bags,” which creates a win-winwin situation,” said Sam Kashani, country manager at Good to Go. “The store or restaurant wins because they don’t throw out the food; consumer wins because they get food at a good price; and the planet and environment win because of the reduction in food waste.”
With food waste responsible for eight per cent of negative impact to the environment, Good to Go believes that reducing food waste is the number one action the restaurant industry can take to help fight climate change. They are currently active in 16 countries, and are getting more local businesses signing-up to participate in their movement every day. Within 10 to 15 minutes, business owners can be live on the app and ready to upload their surprise bags.
“Technology has given us access and scale to allow to us inspire everyone to join the fight. It allows us to scale quite quickly and create a connected marketplace. It allows us to communicate,” said Kashani. “We know food waste is unpredictable. When you have an unpredictable model, technology allows us to create a real-time
market, which helps minimize the unpredictable nature of the industry.”
Whether food manufactures are combatting the food waste epidemic at the processing level or consumer level, food
waste is something that impacts everyone through the supply chain. Using new innovative technology is the right step toward mitigating the effects of food waste in Canada.
The new Affinity Integra excels at processing challenging, difficult-to-cut applications such as high-fat content, cold temperature, sticky, or brined products. The clean-cutting action achieves high yields of precise, targeted cut sizes well within customer parameters, and may be integrated to replace Model RA series machines already in the field. Visit the Urschel website for more information.
Granulations: Cream-filled Cookie & Chocolate Crunch Bar
Blue Cheese Crumble, MozzarellaStrip,&CheddarDice
Dices:Strawberry,Garlic,&Relish
BaconCrumble,SalamiStrip, &PorkBellyDice
Virtual reality training is effective in the workplace, and offers exciting opportunities for the Canadian food and beverage manufacturing industry. Even if you haven’t tried virtual training, you intuitively understand it is a safe and engaging way for people to learn. With a virtual reality headset, an individual can safely step into a 3D-panoramic learning scenario. We also know from research that people learn faster when they are actively participating in the learning process. Gamification is made easy in a virtual reality setting and is much more engaging than simply reading text or watching a video. Given the highly visual aspect of virtual reality, it is a smart
BY JENNEFER GRIFFITH —
tool when language barriers are a factor.
Some of the industry’s large companies have already incorporated virtual immersive learning into their traitning strategies, but technology integration has been a barrier for many small to medium-sized businesses. To support these employers, which make up over 90 per cent of the 7,600 businesses across the country, Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC) recently launched iFood360°. This initiative has kick-started with research into scale-up options for entry-level virtual technology that will work well with small to medium-sized businesses.
We are also developing virtual immersive learning experiences in food safety,
sanitation, worker health and safety and emotional intelligence for employers to train new hires and upskill employees. To expedite delivery of this training, we will be creating new courses and adapting existing FPSC’s courses such as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) with virtual reality experiences. In the Fall, we will be inviting more than 20 food and beverage processing businesses across Canada to work with us in delivering these virtual immersive learning experiences to over 400 employees.
In response to a key recommendation in our latest report, At the Crossroad to Greatness —Key Insights & Labour Market Research About Canada’s Food and Beverage Processing Industry, that the industry must attract new talent, we will
We are developing virtual immersive learning experiences in food safety, sanitation, worker health and safety and emotional intelligence for employers to train new hires and upskill employees.
be partnering with post-secondary institutions and community organizations to provide virtual career exploration for students and job seekers. For individuals who have been displaced from a job due to COVID-19 or have had limited exposure to the variety of jobs in the food and beverage manufacturing industry, the career labs will offer a great way to jump into specific industry jobs for at least a day. We will be working with industry and education experts on identifying the jobs that should be highlighted. It would make sense for us to target areas where there are measurable and significant skills gaps, such as industrial meat cutters.
At FPSC, we have learned there is not one perfect fit when it comes to training. Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, we successfully worked with employers on in-house training based on the Canadian Food Processors Institute’s e-courses. The combination of one-to-one coaching with self-paced, asynchronous learning that didn’t impact production time, was beneficial for businesses. Today, we are in a different environment. There are new occupational health and safety requirements and unique workplace demands that are placed on employees can benefit from emotional intelligence training. Therefore, our industry training strategy is also evolving.
We continue to support Canadian businesses with national occupational standards, certifications and an accreditation strategy based on the industry’s Learning and Recognition Framework, but we are also incorporating tools such as gamification and virtual reality to ease the learning curve for individuals.
43%
by
Cher Mereweather
In 2019, Provision and Enviro-Stewards along with the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity and the Walmart Foundation carried out food loss + waste (FLW) prevention assessments at 50 manufacturing facilities across Canada. We found 9.3 million kg/year of potential savings; an average value of $228,000 per facility. We also provided the companies with the engineering and technical requirements for realizing those savings.
case to deal with the issue. However, the quotes are clear—it’s all about the human side; having the right leadership, right accountability, and right people on the ground to support the required behavioural change.
Earlier this year, in partnership with Second Harvest and the Walmart Foundation, Provision and EnviroStewards began follow-ups with these companies. We assumed that with such a strong business case (an addition of almost of $25,000 to the bottom line), the majority of food waste would have been prevented. However, of the 38 companies we have spoken to so far, only 1.3 million kg of food waste had been prevented, which is less than 15 per cent.
This study once again proves food waste is not a technical or an engineering problem, but a human issue. For instance, look at some of the quotes from our follow-up interviews…
• The challenge came from leadership not prioritizing this.
• Our leadership fell down in instilling true accountability.
• The person accountable for the implementation left, so it never got completed.
• We didn’t have a continuous improvement team so we weren’t able to do a deeper dive into why things were happening.
Eighty-five per cent of the food waste identified two years ago is still being wasted. This is happening despite the fact companies had the technical and engineering insights and business
We created Provision with a clear purpose—to help the food and beverage industry become more sustainable. So, we have put together four key insights that you need to know to effectively address food waste in your organization.
1. Lead so others will want to follow FLW prevention has to have the support of leadership. If the C-suite is not bought in, this will not happen at the plant level. Leadership needs to champion and lead by example—by working with the operational teams to create a goal that is both aligned to business priorities and ideally supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. This requires empowering your managers/supervisors to make sure they can own the results that need to be generated in the plant through clearly defined objectives and key results. If your managers aren’t on board, then the frontline teams won’t get the recognition they deserve for their hard work in making it happen.
2. Improvement is continuous
The handful of companies that successfully implemented the savings we identified in 2019 focused on continuous improvement. While leadership can set goals, the ownership of the delivery of a goal as transverse as FLW needs to sit with a team who are responsible for continuous improvement. This team must be sourced from across the company and given a clear mandate to question processes and challenge the status quo, and are evaluated
on the company’s success from continuous improvement efforts.
3. Change is hard
If you are asking people to change the way they have been doing things for years, simply telling them there is a new SOP to follow is not going to cut it. This sounds obvious, but every week, we see companies who have implemented new FLW prevention processes and failed to associate them with any kind of change management plan for their employees. This just sets them up to fail.
4. Don’t be too quick to say no
Despite the fact the payback on most FLW projects is less than a year, I do recognize finding capital can be a barrier. However, ROI on projects can, and do, change rapidly due to evolutions in process and technology. Even if you park a project because it’s too expensive, go back and revisit it every six months.
However, before parking it, make sure you are also considering the environmental and social aspects of your ROI. Financial ROI may be the classic way of sweettalking your banker, but increasingly telling a human story about how an investment will improve your overall sustainability and grow your community impact, is just as important.
I’ve been working on FLW for over a decade. If you adopt these insights and remember you are dealing with a human rather than a technical issue, you will be on track to realizing the potential for growth and engagement that food waste prevention offers.
Cher Mereweather, CEO of Provision Coalition, Inc., is a Canadian-based food industry sustainability expert.
