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French Plant-Based Protein Maker Roquette Sees Short-Term COVID-19 Impact

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The plant-based protein market has seen a slowdown in new product launches and lower sales in restaurants and cafeterias due to COVID-19 but benefited from more people cooking at home and trying new products, French manufacturer Roquette said.

The market for plant-based protein such as meat-free burgers has surged in the past few years, attracting major investment from global agrifood groups, including Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill and Nestle, hoping to capitalize on a trend towards healthy eating generally, including less red meat.

But lockdowns around the world to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has shaken the market, Jean-Philippe Azoulay, Head of Pea and New Proteins Business at French ingredient maker Roquette, told Reuters in an interview.

“Long term were are not worried, this is a trend which is not going to reverse but short term there is some uncertainty,” he said.

Azoulay said there had been a sharp slowdown in new products due to the fact that many companies had to shut down laboratories, including Roquette.

The family-run company, which signed a three-year supply agreement with U.S. plant-based burger maker Beyond Meat to end-2022, is due to open the world’s largest pea protein factory in Manitoba, Canada, later this year.

Azoulay said sales to foodservice outlets, including restaurants and cafeterias, were also severely impacted by the crisis.

But it also led to increased demand for plant-based protein food in supermarkets, with people doing more cooking and trying new recipes, which could prove positive for the sector long-term.

Source: Reuter

Brain Health Nutrition is Essential Throughout Life

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Recent reports have shown that prolonged anxiety and stress associated with the pandemic can result in brain fog and difficulty concentrating. Many of us have been experiencing this over the last six months, from forgetting where you may have placed your glasses or keys to feeling like it takes more energy to be productive during the workday.

Often my patients come to me inquiring about natural supplements that can help improve focus, memory, and mood, and I direct them to one of my favorite supplements, Pycnogenol® – a natural plant extract originating from the bark of the French maritime pine tree. What is unique about this super-antioxidant is that is has been found safe and effective to support brain function for a range of concerns, including memory, attention span, and decision-making.

In numerous studies, Pycnogenol® has been found to support cognitive function in all age groups, including for Baby Boomers ages 55+. Particularly during the pandemic, isolation can take a toll on brain health in seniors, affecting memory and mood. In a recent study, Baby Boomers who supplemented with Pycnogenol® for one year reported a 72% improvement in their daily decision making and a 37% improvement in memory. Pycnogenol®’s antioxidant benefits reduce oxidative stress, improving overall brain function.

Younger consumers, especially college students, are now looking at natural supplements to help them stay focused too as they navigate taking university courses virtually. In a study on college-aged students, Pycnogenol® was found to decrease test anxiety and improve mental performance, which resulted in higher test scores. According to the American Test Anxieties Association, up to 20% of students have high test anxiety, making this the most prevalent scholastic impairment in our schools today.

Brain fog also extends to professionals trying to keep up with working from home. A recent survey found that 39% of professionals felt they had decreased work productivity during the pandemic. Pycnogenol® is shown to support work focus too. One study conducted in 2015 on 59 professionals between the ages of 35-55 showed a 13% improvement in their attention and 9% increase in general mental performance at work when they supplemented with Pycnogenol®.

Pycnogenol® is a powerful super-antioxidant shown in decades of research to boost blood circulation and act as a natural anti-inflammatory. Pycnogenol® helps endothelial cells produce more nitric oxide (NO) which has multiple beneficial effects on brain function. Initially, NO increases blood flow, which improves oxygenation and the transport of nutrients to brain cells. NO regulates neuronal functions and thus contributes to processing signals inside the brain. In addition, NO helps modulate key neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

Consumers prefer evidence versus a promise when it comes to products to support their memory and attention. They should look to adopt nutritional supplements and ingredients into their routines that support blood circulation, anti-inflammation, and antioxidative benefits, like Pycnogenol®, for cognitive health. And with more than 160+ clinical trials on 12,000 subjects, Pycnogenol® is an easy choice!

Throne Speech: Premiers Should Not Play Partisan Politics with Health Care; Concrete Commitments Needed From Provincial & Federal Governments

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Health Coalitions across Canada were pleased with the Throne Speech promises to expand public health care to create a universal comprehensive public pharmacare program and to set national standards for long-term care. However, concrete commitments are conspicuously absent.

As reported in the speech, more than 9,000 Canadians have died in the last six months in the worst pandemic our country has faced. Canadians have been powerfully reminded of the value of our public health care system throughout this crisis and have been proud of the lack of crass partisanship and political opportunism in our country’s response to date, as compared to the U.S. At the same time, gaps in our continuum of care and the erosion of comprehensive public care were cast into sharp relief during the first wave of the pandemic. These have grown through decades of austerity budgets at the provincial level and have been compounded by the Trudeau government’s cut to the health care funding formula in 2017.

The Coalitions are disturbed by the political opportunism shown by some provincial premiers in response. A number of the provinces that are calling for more federal funding — with no strings attached – are at the same time privatizing health care under cover of the pandemic and not providing adequate funding and care standards for their residents. Concrete commitments are needed from both federal and provincial governments to make the needed improvements and Health Coalitions vowed to call out any governments that engage in finger-pointing for partisan benefit against the public interest of Canadians.

Quotes

British Columbia: “The BC Health Coalition plans on holding the federal and provincial BC government accountable to their promise to set up firm and concrete national standards for long-term care. We remind the government that public facilities have been proven significantly more effective in the COVID-19 pandemic at protecting seniors. For this reason, we must ensure that all public funding goes directly to providing care and not to subsidize profits. In addition, any national standards must include quality of care standards that advance and protect seniors’ human rights.” Kathleen Jamieson, Co-Chair of the BC Health Coalition

Alberta: “Seniors’ care and pharmacare have been central to Friends of Medicare’s advocacy for over 40 years. With the challenges presented by the COVID-19, the major gaps in access to prescription medications and quality seniors’ care have been exposed, yet we have seen no action provincially to address these worsening problems or the impacts they have had on Albertan families. We need action on the national level to finally ensure that everyone in this country has access to the care they need and deserve.” Sandra Azocar, Executive Director, Friends of Medicare

Manitoba: “While the Throne Speech had positive steps forward, it will mean little to Manitobans and their ability to access public health care unless there is accountability on Premier Pallister and his proclivity toward privatization and the slow erosion of our provincial health care system.” Brianne Goertzen, Provincial Director, Manitoba Health Coalition

Nova Scotia: “The Speech from the Throne is surprisingly thin on concrete commitments on health care, considering the fact that it was made in the midst of a pandemic. Nova Scotians need the federal government to make concrete commitments to public healthcare including universal pharmacare, increases to funding for long-term care, primary care, and our province’s hospital system. At the same time, need more active leadership from the provincial Liberal government on these issues.” Chris Parsons, Coordinator, Nova Scotia Health Coalition

Ontario: “Canadians want long-term care to be improved as a matter of top urgency. Finally, there seems to be political will at the national level to move on long-term care and pharmacare. The Ford government will find itself on the wrong side of public opinion if they stand in the way or if they continue to engage in the manipulative partisanship on health care that we have seen in recent weeks. Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Ford, it is time to step up with real commitments.” Natalie Mehra, Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition.

PEI: “The premiers are asking the federal government for money for healthcare with no strings attached.  Unfortunately, Canadians can’t trust them to use the money for its intended purpose.  The federal government needs to have a lever to ensure that money given to the provinces is used to strengthen our public medicare system for the benefit of all Canadians.” Mary Boyd, Chair, PEI Health Coalition

Throne Speech: Key Issues

PPE:

The Throne Speech touts an expansion of domestically produced PPE. In June, the Prime Minister claimed that Canada is close to self-sufficiency in the supply of PPE, however, CIHI data shows that 20 percent of COVID-19 positive cases across Canada are health care workers, and in the largest long-term care outbreak currently in Canada, front-line staff providing care for COVID-positive residents still have not had access to N95 masks. The SARS Commission recommended the precautionary principle when dealing with infectious diseases such as coronaviruses. The federal government and Public Health Canada must do much more to uphold the precautionary principle, giving access to a higher grade of protection including N95 masks for those providing care to people infected with the virus.

National Standards for Long-Term Care:

The Throne Speech commits the federal government to work with the provinces to forge new national standards for long-term care but did not make any suggestion as to what those standards might be. Across Canada, health advocates are calling for an end to for-profit long-term care. In the first wave of the pandemic, for-profit long-term care homes had far higher rates of death than public and non-profit homes. In addition, public health advocates are calling for an average minimum direct care standard of 4-hours or more per resident per day to improve woefully inadequate care levels. The federal government must lead on these issues and not wait for provinces, some of which have close connections to the for-profit long-term care industry that has a vested interest in resisting increased regulation and enforcement. Provincial premiers must make firm commitments to improve direct care levels in long-term care, support public non-profit care, and set quality of care standards that respect the dignity of seniors.

Pharamacare:

The Throne Speech included a federal commitment to creating a comprehensive universal public pharmacare program and establishing a national drug formulary. The health and financial challenges presented by COVID-19 have taken a toll on Canadian families. As the access to medications has become increasingly precarious, the need for universal pharmacare has become all the more urgent. There is no province that has adequate access to medications, despite recent statements by some premiers. These are important and long overdue steps, and so must be immediately implemented.

Other key issues:

Also missing from the Throne Speech was any commitment to improve federal health transfers and uphold the Canada Health Act’s prohibitions on extra-billing and user fees for patients. Some provinces are enabling for-profit clinics to openly charge patients needing health care hundreds or even thousands of dollars in contravention of the Act. Private clinics, and provinces that are abetting them, must be stopped from undermining the core tenets of Public Medicare. Health coalitions were also disappointed that lip service wait paid but meaningful steps omitted for access to family doctors and primary care, and there was no coherent plan to address Canada’s ongoing overdose crisis, which has only worsened with the isolation brought on by COVID-19.

Source: www.globenewswire.com

UNFI CEO Steven Spinner to retire

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Plans call for Spinner to step down as CEO on July 31, 2021, or earlier if UNFI appoints a successor, the Providence, R.I.-based distributor said late yesterday. Spinner has agreed to remain as executive chairman after a new CEO.

Spinner has served as UNFI’s CEO since September 2008 and as chairman since December 2016. He also served as president from September 2008 to August 2018, when Christopher Testa took over that role.

“Over the last 12 years, Steve has made many valuable contributions to UNFI, including growing our customer base, adapting our business to the demands of the digital marketplace, executing on value-enhancing acquisitions, and, most recently, fulfilling UNFI’s role as a critical link in the North American food supply chain during an unprecedented global pandemic,” Peter Roy, lead independent director on UNFI’s board, said in a statement. “Throughout his tenure, Steve has methodically and consistently led UNFI to new heights, increasing annual sales from $3 billion to over $26 billion today. At the same time, Steve has fostered a strong set of core values across the company, building and inspiring a talented team around him and living UNFI’s commitment to serving our customers and the communities in which we operate.”

UNFI said it has retained a leading executive search firm to assist in the CEO succession process. The search will include internal and external candidates, the company noted.

“The board is conducting a comprehensive search to identify the best candidate to serve as our next CEO, and we look forward to continuing to benefit from Steve’s strategic oversight and institutional knowledge as executive chairman,” Roy stated.

Spinner commented on his retirement Tuesday morning in a conference call with analysts on UNFI’s fiscal 2020 results. He noted that UNFI has shifted into a growth mode since winding down the integration of Supervalu, a $2.9 billion acquisition deal that closed in October 2018.

“I couldn’t be happier with our leadership team, old and new, and the strong governance and operating disciplines in place. I have complete confidence that UNFI will continue to grow and innovate and lead our industry into the future,” he said. “And our future has never been greater as we neared completion of UNFI integration activities and move our attention to expansion of our services technology and e-commerce services business. 2020 demonstrated that all the work done during the last several years around the holistic wholesale business was the right strategic decision.”

At this stage of its growth, UNFI is primed for new leadership, Spinner said. This year, the company has announced a series of appointments in its C-suite, including a new chief operating officer and a new chief financial officer, a new chief information officer, a new chief supply chain officer and a new chief marketing officer, as well as a new Canada president.

“Within a year feels like the right time to turn things over to the next generation of leadership. I’m excited to remain involved in our continued journey as executive chairman, and we will work to ensure a smooth transition,” Spinner told analysts. “I will also remain involved in the search for talented new board members who will share our passion for the business and will contribute their talents to support our growing business. The future of UNFI has never been stronger. As we think about the next decade, UNFI will continue to lead by remaining true to its culture while advising investments in supply chain technology and a commitment to bring value to its customers every single day.”

Source: Supermarket News

Health Canada Authorizes COVID-19 Phase 2 Clinical Trial for Patented Plant-based Curcumin Extract

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The Company says it has now submitted the clinical trial design protocol through the joint venture with Biologic Pharmamedical Research.

The Joint Venture is called Plasm Pharmamedical Inc. (PLASM) with the website URL: www.plasmpharma.com.

Biologic will license certain aspects of the patent comprising of the corresponding trademark, CavaltinibTM, to PLASM. The categories to be licensed will include but are not be limited to COVID-19 applications, as well as respiratory indications that may arise out of the fast-tracked clinical trial. In addition to pursuing a COVID-19 treatment, there is optimism that the trial and the ensuing research will help expand the indications for Cavaltinib™ for respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD, plus potentially reveal mechanisms of activity in cases of autoimmune diseases like colitis, Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis.

About CavaltinibTM: Calming the Cytokine Storm

CavaltinibTM is licensed to PLASM owned by Naturally Splendid and Biologic Pharmamedical Research, based on technology and patents developed previously by Biologic. The CavaltinibTM drug candidate has been shown to inhibit Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and several other cytokines central to the ‘cytokine storm’ phenomenon, where the human body begins to attack its own cells rather than just fighting off the virus, as often seen in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Cytokines are tiny, but nasty, proteins released by many different cells in the body, including those of the immune system where they coordinate the immune and inflammatory response against infection or other triggers. Sometimes the body’s response to the trigger can go into “overdrive” and such is the case-in the high-risk patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.

CavaltinibTM displays novel pharmacology discovered by Biologic and has been shown to be a potential fit as a drug candidate for COVID-19 patient treatment. This candidate drug has been run through Biologic’s research program that was designed to study key drug targets involved in the regulation of the immune system and inflammatory activity.

The research has already conclusively shown CavaltinibTM inhibits IL-6 and several other cytokines central to the ‘cytokine storm’ phenomenon.

The Company says it believes CavaltinibTM will show the same positive results in mitigating the cytokine storm with COVID-19 patients.

In conversation with Stockhouse Editorial, Company CEO & Director Craig Goodwin said the evolution to nutraceuticals and the eventual CavaltinibTM COVID-19 treatment was seamless and how they’re confident that CavaltinibTM is able to weather and beat the cytokine storm:

“Our focus right now is on our opportunity with Health Canada and the joint venture we’ve structured that we’re calling PLASM. What we were going to Health Canada with was to propose, and now they’ve accepted, to go for an increased percentage of higher dosage, capsule-delivered treatments for COVID-19. What we’re trying to do is mitigate the cytokine storms.”

Additionally, he says say that there are great opportunities for treatments outside of COVID-19 including conditions involving pain and inflammation, such as osteoarthritis, depression, high cholesterol, a type of liver disease, and even as an aid to weight loss.

Pandemic boosting demand for plant-based foods, Nestle says

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Demand for plant-based foods has picked up during the coronavirus crisis as consumers try to eat more healthily and problems at some factories have hit meat supplies, the head of Swiss food giant Nestle NESN.VX said.

The world’s biggest packaged food company is investing heavily in plant-based products as it looks to step up innovation and meet the challenge of trendy local food brands.

In the coming days, it is launching a plant-based Nesquik milk drink and a new version of its vegan burger.

“The interest in plant-based alternatives has been on the rise for a number of reasons,” Chief Executive Mark Schneider told Reuters, citing problems in the North American meat supply chain.

In the spring, about 20 meat factories were closed in the United States after thousands of coronavirus cases.

“People also have a renewed interest in personal health and losing weight as COVID particularly affects those with pre-existing health conditions,” Schneider said, following the inauguration of an R&D Accelerator at Nestle’s dairy research facility in Konolfingen near Bern.

The Accelerator will connect students and start-ups with Nestle scientists looking into new dairy products and plant-based alternatives.

Nestle’s sales of plant-based food jumped 40% in the first half of 2020, after reaching 200 million Swiss francs ($215 million) last year. That was still a fraction of its total 2019 sales of 92.6 billion francs.

Schneider said he expected prices for plant-based meat alternatives to fall over time, but added they reflected the higher cost of ingredients such as pea or soy protein.

“We want to lead in many of the segments and we’ll go as far as the market will take us,” he said, noting Nestle was working on plant-based alternatives in other categories, including chocolate and ice cream.

Chief Technology Officer Stefan Palzer said using plant-based ingredients across Nestle’s vast product range, which spans KitKat chocolate bars, Gerber baby food and Haagen-Dazs ice cream, would offer economies of scale.

Source: Reuters

Companies Are Looking At ‘Functional Mushrooms’ For Opportunities

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Whole Foods included functional mushrooms in its list of top-10 trends for 2018. Powders, bottled drinks, coffees, smoothies, and teas are made using these types of fungi as dietary supplements with roots in traditional eastern medicine.

Today, many functional mushroom products are concocted in a mixture of herbs and other forms of plant medicine in order to boost their functionality.

Four Sigmatic, Om Superfoods, ONNIT, Mud/WTR, Real Mushrooms, and Moon Juice are among some of the main companies in this sector, without any player who has claimed the top-ranked as the market leader.

How Are Functional Mushrooms Related To Psychedelics?

The rising trend of functional mushrooms has been largely associated with the so-called “magic” mushroom industry. Psilocybin, the main ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, is naturally produced by certain species of fungi. But functional mushrooms are a different category since they are not intended to cause hallucinations and do not offer significant potential in psychiatric treatment, as psilocybin does.

Damon Michaels, COO of Mydecine Innovations Group (CSX: MYCO) (PINK: MYCOF), told us that his company is exploring both psychedelic and functional mushrooms and that the two separate categories have very different paths to market.

Michaels’ company, along with other players in the psychedelics space — New Wave Holdings (CSE: SPOR), Havn Life Sciences (CSE:HAVN), Champignon Brands (CSE: SHRM) and Cybin Corp. — are dipping their toes into the functional mushroom market.

The move is not coincidental. Although regulated differently, both categories require similar know-hows in terms of product development, manufacturing, and distribution.

For psychedelic companies looking to cash in on the legalization of psychedelics, functional mushrooms can become a viable way of quickly obtaining revenue and relieve some of the weight that would otherwise be carried solely on investment capital.

Are Functional Mushrooms Drugs or Dietary Supplements?

By FDA standards, functional mushrooms fall into the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which regulates vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other botanicals which can be sold without FDA approval, provided they’re labeled as dietary supplements and do not claim to treat, diagnose, cure or alleviate the effects of diseases.

In order to make these claims, conventional drugs typically need to demonstrate safety and efficacy to obtain premarket FDA approval. However, since functional mushrooms can skip this stage, the price to develop products and get them on store shelves is much lower than that of conventional drugs.

The Science Behind Functional Mushrooms

“Mushrooms and funguses are such complex systems. They literally contain thousands of phytochemicals,” says Susan Chapelle, CEO of Havn Life Sciences, a recently-formed psychedelics company that went public earlier this month.

The company is spending over $600,000 on a purpose-built mycology lab located at the University of British Columbia, with the aims of studying mushroom formulations for psychiatric research and natural health products.

“Eastern medicine and Asian countries have been using these for medicinal purposes for years and years and years. However, the studies are not totally there,” said Joshua Bartch, CEO of Mydecine. A lack of consistent clinical evidence to back most of the health claims made by these products, he added.

The reason is simple: the amount of capital traditionally needed to prove the efficacy of a drug in the human body is so high, that pharmaceutical companies are only incentivized to go through that process when regulation absolutely demands it.

Pharmaceutical drugs need to go through at least three phases of clinical trials in order to receive FDA approval. A study found that the average price of bringing a drug to market in the U.S. between 2009 and 2018 was $985 million.

Functional mushrooms are allowed to make more general, vague claims like they “provide antioxidant properties” or “support the immune system”.

Since these products can hit the shelves with little to no FDA scrutiny, there’s generally no good reason why companies would spend hundreds of millions in research in order to prove that the claims made on their label are actually true.

This results in an overall lack of consistent research which can affect consumers since they’re not able to access a verifiable source of information to make sure that the benefits in the product they’re buying are evidence-based.

While some organizations like ConsumerLab.com, NSF International, and US Pharmacopeia offer seals of certification for mushroom-based supplements, even industry insiders are willing to admit that the health claims made by functional mushroom products still need extensive research and review.

What Can Psychedelics Bring?

Mydecine’s executives told us there’s still a lot to clarify on the science behind fungal strains like Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps.

The company plans to use its R&D facility in Colorado to study these compounds and understand how they interact with the human body. Mydecine owns a 7,500 square feet GMP-certified manufacturing lab in Denver and announced in June a research collaboration with the University of Alberta in Canada.

“We really want to deep dive into these molecules, find out what they’re doing, find more efficient ways to grow these different fungal species, find different ways to amplify the effects of these different molecules and then find different ratios of how these things might work synergistically together with, either other fungal compounds and or other naturally occurring compounds,” said CEO Joshua Bartch.

A functional mushroom executive, who chose to keep his identity undisclosed, commented that psychedelics companies are only diving into functional mushrooms in order to get some “easy cash”, as they await revenue from the production of actual psychedelics.

However, representatives from psychedelics companies think they have plenty to add to the field. As it turns out, companies that are developing psychedelic medicines for the pharmaceutical sectors need to comply with the highest standards for research and have access to GMP-grade research facilities and personnel. This puts them in an advantageous position when looking at the science behind these formulations.

“We’re building a world-class mycology lab,” said Havn CEO Susan Chapelle.

Aside from their plan to find a viable supply chain for research-grade psilocybin, Havn is developing a line of natural health mushroom products aimed at the unregulated consumer market.

“The focus is complementing the natural health care products and finding the evidence and the research to ensure that all-natural health care products, which are notoriously not evidence-informed, are informed very strongly by science in order to have the best outcome for patients,” she added.

Chapelle believes that having a strong research arm will be Havn’s main differentiator in the retail mushroom market.

“Natural health care products that are informed by science are going to be far more acceptable to the public than just functional mushrooms,” she said. “There are tons of functional mushroom products, but not a ton that is actually researched and evidence-based.”

 

Converting organic residues into fatty acids for animal feed

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When you arrive at the impressive production facility of ChainCraft in the port of Amsterdam, it’s clear that the company has passed the start-up phase and is now ready to serve the market. It all started at Wageningen UR, at the university laboratory where a fermentation technology was invented to convert organic residues into fatty acids.

Niels van Stralen, founder and director of Chaincraft explains: “In 2010 we got the opportunity to acquire the patent protecting the technology from the university. That was when Chaincraft was founded. After further developing the process on a lab-scale, we were able to scale up the process to a pilot plant in 2014 with the help of venture-capital investors. During 2015 we produced a few thousand kilos of fatty acids and we started testing the product in animal feed trials.” The product proved promising both in terms of animal health and performance. With these results, the company was ready to further scale up to a commercial demonstration factory and enter the animal feed market. In the current factory, 20,000 tons of organic residues can be processed into 2,000 tons of a C2-C8 fatty acid mixture.

Sustainable alternative

The company mainly produces Caproic acid (C6), which is known for its animal health-promoting properties. For instance, it improves the animal’s gut health and thus reduces the need for antibiotics. C6 acid is currently made from palm kernel oil. According to Van Stralen, organic residues are a significantly more sustainable source. “C6 availability in the market is still relatively poor, but it has very interesting and relevant properties for various types of livestock. Palm kernel oil only contains a tiny amount of C6 and it has to be imported from Malaysia and Indonesia. The organic residue streams we use come from local fruit and vegetable processing facilities, which are the major suppliers of supermarkets in the Netherlands. We’re actually the first company worldwide to be able to offer this product in large quantities that are obtained from a renewable, circular, and truly sustainable source.”

From organic residues to fatty acids

To produce the fatty acids the company uses mixed culture fermentation – a technology that is also used in fermentation plants for biogas production and is analogous to human food digestion. Van Stralen: “Bacteria break down the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into short fatty acids (SCFAs). In a normal anaerobic digestion plant biogas (methane and CO2) are derived from these SCFAs. Basically, we ensure that the very last step doesn’t take place and we extend those short fatty acid chains to longer chains (MCFAs), making them more valuable.”

After the first fermentation, the remaining solid particles such as hard-to-degrade fibers and proteins are separated using a centrifuge. The remaining liquid substance, which contains the SCFAs, enters a second fermentation process, in which ethanol is added (this is obtained from beer brewers who make 0% alcohol beer). Van Stralen stresses that they only use naturally occurring bacteria in the fermentation process: “We don’t work with genetically modified bacteria.”

The product of the second fermentation is a liquid that still contains bacteria and fine particles. To get a pure, clean product several other steps are required. Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are used to obtain a concentrated fatty acid solution. Next, dissolved molecules are filtered out by nano-filtration and the concentrated solution goes through an ammonium scrubber. Then there are 2 final steps: drying and evaporation.

Chain craft can produce the acids in powder or liquid form: a powder which is created by drying the product and a liquid product from the evaporator.

C6 and C4 fatty acids as feed additives

The final product contains, among other fatty acids, mainly C6 and C4. C4, butyric acid, is a well-known additive that contributes to a healthy gut; for instance, it improves gut morphology and stimulates the formation of tight junctions. The other main component is C6, Caproic acid, which is an organic acid that is not so well known in the feed industry, according to Jeroen van Dorp, Business Development Manager: “Caproici acid is a novel ingredient that is traditionally overlooked for research and use because of its low availability and high price, even though it has excellent antimicrobial properties.” C6 is mostly effective against gram-negative bacteria, such as salmonella and E. coli and it also combats viruses by enhancing RNA degradation. Van Dorp: “Bacteria are efficiently combatted as longer MCFAs (>C5) damage the microbes’ cell walls, after which the shorter MCFAs.

A bright future ahead

The company seems to have a bright future ahead. The next step will be to build a new factory, which will increase production by a factor of 10. Right now, the production of Chaincraft is being scaled up and it is expected to reach 100% utilization in 2021. According to Van Stralen and Van Dorp, they are negotiating with many interested parties from the feed industry. When there are sufficient commercial agreements, the company can further increase production via this new build full-scale facility. Although the company is currently only producing for the animal feed market, fatty acids can be used for many other applications as well, which presents further opportunities in the future. Van Stralen: “If, for example, we start making fatty acids for plasticizers, herbicides, and coatings, we can also use other lower-value residual flows, which creates new business opportunities. However, the animal feed industry is the first and most important market we are focusing on for our MCFAs.”

source: www.allaboutfeed.net

Helping organic growers meet the demand for Canadian-made organics

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Member of Parliament for Pontiac, William Amos, on behalf of the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment of over $640,000 to the Canadian Organic Growers (COG) to help get more Canadian consumers buying Canadian-made organics produced locally by Canadian organic farmers.

The announcement was made at Chelsea Market, during Canada’s National Organic Week, an annual event to showcase and celebrate organic food farming and products across the country. The demand for organic foods in Canada continues to rise, and there are many hard-working and entrepreneurial organic food producers across the country. However, much of the Canadian demand for organics is met by imported products.

With this investment, COG will develop a strategy to identify and find solutions to organic supply chain barriers so that Canadian organic producers can realize their full economic potential and more Canadian consumers can buy locally produced Canadian organic food.

Strategy recommendations will be assessed and evaluated by an independent industry-wide national advisory committee and a final report will be published that will explore investment opportunities to meet domestic demands and recommendations on how to best seize the opportunities. The report will also help quantify the economic and environmental benefits of increasing domestic organic production and supply chains.

“Demand for organic food is growing rapidly and we want to ensure that it is Canadian producers who are benefitting from that increased demand. Our government is focused on ensuring Canadians have greater self-sufficiency and sustainability in our food supply system, and this investment in the organic sector strategy will help us get there.”
–  The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

“Canada’s organic growers have reason to celebrate. More and more Canadians are buying the fresh organic produce that we have to offer, both locally and across the country. This strategy will help the organic industry seize new opportunities to ensure Canadian consumers have access to Canadian organic food.”
–  William Amos, Member of Parliament for the Pontiac

“As we stand at the juncture of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, the launch of this collaborative, industry-wide project is vital for Canadians. Gaining an understanding of the barriers that exist between organic farmers and consumers will help the organic industry meet the growing demand for organic food in Canada and abroad, and play a prominent role in Canada’s economic recovery. This project will also help Canada advance action on climate change through its support for sustainable agriculture practices and the Canadian farmers on the front lines of the climate crisis.”
–  Gillian Flies, President, Canadian Organic Growers Board of Directors

Quick Facts

  • Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, 13% more Canadians are buying local food more often and almost three-quarters are deliberately buying Canadian.
  • Annual retail sales of certified organic products in Canada are approximately $6.38 billion. They have increased by almost $3 billion since 2012.
  • Approximately 5,800 certified organic and transitional producers are working on 3.3 million acres of land in Canada.
  • Imports of organic goods were valued at $789 million in 2019. Top imported organic products include coffee, bananas, and strawberries. Other imported organic products include blueberries, spinach, and tomatoes.
  • Canadian Organic Growers (COG) is Canada’s national organic farmer and consumer association. COG offers training and resources to raise awareness about organics and assist farmers and gardeners in adopting sustainable and commercially viable, organic production methods. They are engaged in policy work and industry development at the local, regional and national levels.
  • This investment is made through the Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP), which is a $50.3 million, five-year investment to help the agricultural sector adapt and remain competitive.

Source: ca.finance.yahoo.com

Rexall Launches Be Well™ to bring together health, wellness, and rewards

By
IHR Magazine
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0

 

Rexall is pleased to officially launch Be Well™, Canada’s most health-focused loyalty program, and app, making it easier and more rewarding for Canadians to interact with their health and wellness.

According to a recent study commissioned by Rexall, the State of Wellness Report1, 37% of Canadians have found COVID-19 moved their health and wellness experience to more digital or virtual channels, but at the same time, 44% found that this made their ability to manage their health more complicated, leading to changing consumer sentiments.

“Canadians have been clear – traditional loyalty programs are not meeting their evolving needs,” said Nicolas Caprio, President, Rexall. “They want more than simply rewards. We know that 1 in every 3 Canadians has missed or knowingly delayed a prescription refill because the process isn’t convenient2. They want better tools, better data, and better ways to ultimately manage and improve their health and wellness. That’s exactly what we’re bringing to the table with the introduction of Be Well™.”

Sometimes we all need a little motivation to make healthy decisions in our lives. We know that when you live well, you feel better. And when you feel better, life is good. We also know that 1 in 4 Canadians are not confident they have access to comprehensive medication history all in one place, which poses a barrier in making healthy decisions3.

“Wellness is a highly individualized journey, where one size absolutely does not fit all,” continued Caprio. “Be Well™, is here to offer better value, greater benefits, and a path to better health compared to any other loyalty program currently on the market. Taking care of your well-being is now as rewarding as it should be.”

Be Well™ makes the journey to better health and wellness easier, simpler, and more rewarding, allowing patients and customers to:

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Track health, wellness, and medical history. Users will be able to securely access their medication and vaccination history, as well as wellness information across all Rexall pharmacies. Patients can also track important health metrics on the Be Well™ app, such as heart rate, step counter, and more.

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Earn and redeem points on a personalized platform, linked to wellness purchases. Earn 10 points on every dollar spent on eligible purchases, redeemable for exclusive and personalized discounts on health and wellness products across Canada.

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Connect to local Rexall pharmacies and have access to expanded online pharmacy services. Patients can send photos of their prescription through the Be Well™ app, and easily add, manage, and refill prescriptions digitally. The Be Well™ app will also have virtual consultations, adherence tools, access to lab results, and more.

Be Well™ helps Canadians live their best lives through simple tools, convenient services, incredible savings, and personalized value. For more information, visit www.letsbewell.ca.

Quick Facts

  • To read the full State of Wellness report, please click here
  • To start earning and redeeming Be Well™ points today, simply download the Be Well™app on the App Store or Google Play or pick up your Be Well™ card at your neighborhood Rexall.
  • As a Be Well™ member, you will receive personalized wellness offers and healthcare reminders via the app, website, or email.
  • For every dollar spent on eligible purchases at a Rexall store, you earn 10 Be Well™ points. Every 25,000 points = $10 in redeemable value. Look for special offers and promotions to earn even more points per transaction.

source: www.newswire.ca

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