Plant-Based Foods of Canada (PBFC) announced it is now easier than ever for Canadians to identify plant-based products on retail grocery shelves, as the first products carrying the ‘Certified Plant Based’ seal has hit stores.
Plant-Based Foods of Canada (PBFC) partnered with the US-based Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA) to make the plant-based food certification program available in Canada. The protocol, owned by PBFA, focuses on plant-based alternatives to animal-based foods and specifies the criteria to use the Certified Plant Based seal.
Now, the first products carrying the Certified Plant Based seal can be found on Canadian grocery shelves. Plant-based foods that are eligible to receive the certification include meat, poultry, and seafood alternatives, egg substitutes, and dairy alternatives such as plant-based milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, and ice cream.
“We want to make it easy for Canadian consumers to confidently identify plant-based products as the plant-based food industry continues to grow and new products enter the market,” explains Leslie Ewing, PBFC Executive Director. “The Certified Plant Based seal provides assurance that products contain no animal-derived ingredients.”
Recent research from Nielsen shows that plant-based foods in Canada continue to post strong sales growth even throughout the pandemic, and are now valued at over $500 million dollars.
“With many plant-based foods for consumers to choose from, the Certified Plant Based seal on packages will help them sort through these plant-based choices with new certainty and clarity,” said Dan Bajor, President, Upfield Canada. “Upfield is pleased to partner with Plant-Based Foods of Canada to help consumers easily identify and choose foods made with the goodness of plants.”
“As a founding member of Plant-Based Foods Canada, Daiya is proud to further demonstrate our commitment and feature the Certified Plant-Based Foods Seal on all our products, as soon as possible,” declared Michael Watt, Chief Executive Officer for Daiya Foods. “We believe it is important to support programs that help ensure credibility in quality standards, especially as more consumers include plant-based options in their daily food choices.”
Research conducted by Nielsen for PBFC has shown that identifying products as “plant-based” is important to consumers as they are looking for assurance that products are not from animal-based sources. The Certified Plant Based seal will instill consumer confidence, build awareness of plant-based food options, and establish a consistent identifier for the plant-based foods industry. NSF International serves as the certifying agency supporting the program by providing independent verification before the seal can be used.
