Harnessing Canada’s plant-based potential
Canada is a global leader in pulse production, and the industry is positioned to expand to meet a growing global demand for plant-based foods.
The sector offers a strategic opportunity to strengthen Canada’s agricultural competitiveness in the face of growing economic uncertainty and trade challenges. In a time when political capital is limited, focusing on this issue will help Canada advance our economic, health and environmental objectives simultaneously.
Economic
- Canada’s plant-based manufacturing and processing alone could generate $25 billion in annual GDP growth, while creating thousands of high-quality jobs.1
- The global alternative protein market is expected to grow from 2% to 11% of total protein consumption by 2035, and could climb to 22% with supportive regulations in place.2
- The plant-based protein market has been identified by Farm Credit Canada as an emerging niche which Canada should explore for achieving trade diversity.3
Health
- Chronic diseases cost Canada's healthcare system more than $80 billion annually, with diet-related conditions among the largest contributors.4
- Vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.5
- Promoting the consumption of locally produced, plant-based foods not only supports Canada’s farmers and our economy but also aligns with the science-based recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide for healthy eating.6
Environmental
- Meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, yet they use 83% of farmland and produce 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions.7
- Several major environmental organizations8 all identify plant-based diets as a significant opportunity to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss.
- Investing in plant-based diets and alternative proteins is the most effective climate investment, yielding up to 3x more emission reductions per dollar than green buildings and 11x more than electric vehicles.9
In short, growing Canada’s plant-based food sector across the supply chain benefits farmers, consumers, our health, the environment and the economy.
We’re just scratching the surface. To continue the conversation, reach out to our Legislative Affairs team.