A Regina-based food company is going to examine turning certain crops into liquid-based plant protein products.

Mera food is looking at adding value to turn oats, lentils, fababeans, chickpeas and hemp into liquid based plant protein ingredients.

The 7.2 million dollar venture is the latest project from Protein Industries Canada and the federal “SuperCluster” initiative to spur economic activity.

Protein Industries Canada will provide half of the funding with the rest coming from Mera Developments in Regina and Benson Farms based at Raymore.

Benson Farms will run trial plots to determine which are the best varieties for processing, using Mera’s technology.

The first product to be developed will be an oat milk.

The various crops will not only be turned into beverages, but into liquids that can be added to other food products to increase protein content.

This project will also bring new co-packaging machinery into the Food Industry Development Centre in Saskatoon, which will then be used by other companies with new food products.
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(with files from CJWW)