Farmers busy with the day-to-day business of growing food ingredients can’t afford to farm the fads.

Laura Rance-Unger

The absurdity of our civilization’s extreme relationship with food hit me like a runaway snowboard while watching the Ozempic Olympics earlier this year, in between commercials advertising pizza and French fries.

The relentless marketing, alternately promoting weight loss drugs and foods that lean toward making us fat, wasn’t aimed at the elite athletes strutting their stuff on the world stage. It’s a safe bet they didn’t achieve the peak of human fitness on a diet of pizza and french fries. It’s equally doubtful they require injections of the GLP-1 class of drugs to manage their weight.

Nope, those commercials are aimed at the couch potatoes back home, subjecting us to both temptation and a shortcut to redemption as we bear witness to these feats of human endurance.

These athletes deserve our admiration and respect, but to be fair to the rest of us, most working stiffs don’t have the time, the drive or the resources to devote full-time to the pursuit of extreme fitness.

So we’re left swinging between food-culture extremes, the effects of which filter back through the food chain to the farm.

The GLP-1 ripple effect

Consider for a moment how the food industry is twisting itself into a pretzel trying to understand how these drugs will affect consumer demand.

Firstly, these products reduce appetites, which means people eat less — so much so that it’s more difficult for them to meet their nutritional needs. It’s also now known that one of the unintended consequences of rapid weight loss is a loss of muscle.

Lately, the focus has shifted to how to support consumers in their post-GLP-1 phase as users move away from the drugs due to factors such as costs or side effects. Recent studies are indicating the weight they lost bounces back four times faster than weight lost through traditional diet and exercise.

That has shifted attention to creating low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods, with a particular emphasis on protein.

How does this affect farmers’ bottom line? Some analysts have pointed to the protein craze as one reason record-high beef prices haven’t had the same dampening effect on demand that they might have in the past.

It’s also creating some longer-term shifts in pricing and production.

When the herd can’t keep up with the headlines

A recent Farm Credit Canada analysis outlined how this plays out for dairy farmers, to cite one example. A decade ago, they were told they needed to produce milk with a higher proportion of butterfat, which led to shifts in pricing, genetics and feeding strategies to accommodate.

Now, demand is tipping back to protein, leading marketing boards to once again adjust pricing formulas to incentivise a higher ratio of protein in the milk supply. Change comes at a cost, and those costs eventually find their way into the price of food.

“Does this protein craze have staying power? It will take years and successive generations of breeding to shift the herd towards higher-protein-lower butterfat-producing animals,” FCC economist Graeme Crosbie asked in his article.

That’s a good question. Looking back over the countless extreme approaches grabbing headlines in recent generations — the Atkins Diet, keto, low-fat, high-fat, cabbage, carnivore, meatless, vegan, California, intermittent fasting, anti-ultra processed — to name a few — many have caused food-sector pivots, but ultimately, most had limited staying power.

A history of diet pivots

Remember the Atkins Diet of the early 2000s? Industry statistics show that at its peak, pasta consumption dropped eight per cent and bread by up to 40 per cent.

Meanwhile, food manufacturers responded with a major investment in hundreds of low-carb food products, many of which flourished only briefly.

The jury is still out on the plant-based protein craze, touted as healthier for people and the planet. However, many of the early plant-based products are languishing in the marketplace because of their high cost and blah taste. That industry is reportedly regrouping in a bid to up the flavour profile and rebalance costs.

Finding the common thread

There are already signs that the GLP-1 drugs are losing their shine. They no doubt still have a place but many are discovering they aren’t the panacea those advertisements make them out to be.

Farmers busy with the day-to-day business of growing food ingredients can’t afford to farm the fads. But it’s still wise to monitor these changing consumer behaviours to find the common threads — such as protein, nutrition and a move away from ultra-processed foods.

Understanding how the middle ground between the different extremes might be shifting gives farmers the upper hand when making strategic investments in their operations.

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Protein Industries Canada (PIC) announced the project on March 31. PIC will provide $1.4 million toward the projects’ $3.9 million price tag.

AGT Foods and Sweet Nutrition will develop pulse ingredients derived from peas, lentils and faba beans for use in food products like cereals, baking mixes and high-protein snacks, PIC said in a news release.

The project will also advance new processing and post-fractionation techniques, including heat-moisture treatment and blending and extrusion. Other goals include increased efficiency and throughput at AGT’s Regina extrusion facility and the expansion and automation of Sweet Nutrition’s Saskatoon, Sask. baking and packaging operations.

“This project is a strong example of how food production and value-added agriculture can unlock new markets for Canadian crops and create new economic value for Canada,” said PIC CEO Tyler Groeneveld in the news release,

PIC is one of Canada’s five, federally-established Global Innovation Clusters, which fund and advance research and development in different industries.

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WHY IT MATTERS: More than 80 per cent of pulses exported from Canada to India are grown in Saskatchewan.

The Canada-India Pulse Protein Centre of Excellence would be built at the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management in Kundli, 40 kilometres north of New Delhi, said the Saskatchewan government in a March 3 news release.

The proposed centre would focus on the advancement of pulse protein processing and the development of fortified foods. It would also strengthen the relationship and support economic growth between the two countries, as well as improve global nutrition, reduce environmental impacts and advance sustainable agriculture.

Both the U of S and NIFTEM were named by their respective federal governments to be the co-chairs of the facility.

“The University of Saskatchewan has a strong history of developing agricultural innovations that have real world impact,” said Baljit Singh, the U of S’s research vice-president.

“We are committed to addressing the global demand for plant-based proteins and applying our world-class researchers, labs and infrastructure to address these needs. We look forward to working alongside our partners in India and the Government of Saskatchewan to create sustainable solutions.”

The pulse protein centre was announced during a trade mission to India by Canadian officials, including Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe.

“Our province is essential for global food security,” Moe said.

“This announcement represents an opportunity to bring Saskatchewan’s expertise and ingenuity in pulse production to the people of India. By working together, we will accelerate innovation, expand processing capabilities, and help meet growing demand for affordable, high quality, sustainably grown foods.”

More than 80 per cent of all pulses exported from Canada to India are grown in Saskatchewan, primarily lentils, chickpeas and yellow peas.

“The Centre of Excellence underscores the long-term partnership between Saskatchewan and India in pulses,” Saskatchewan Pulse (SaskPulse) Growers chair Stuart Lawrence said.

“This collaboration between academia and government can help ensure more pulses are included in large-scale food applications and enhance the role pulses play in delivering nutritional security for the benefit of Indian consumers and Saskatchewan farmers.”

Saskatchewan has exported more than $18 billion worth of goods to India since 2007. The province opened a trade and investment office in New Delhi in 2021, one of nine worldwide.

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Protein Industries Canada has committed $1.3 million to these projects through its Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain program the organization said in a Feb. 25 news release. The companies will collectively chip in about $400,000.

The projects announced are:

• Fresh Hemp Foods in Manitoba will develop a dry fractionated flax protein powder for business to business and consumer sales.
• Ontario-based 1847 Stone Milling will develop and commercialize a Canadian-grown, high-protein Atta flour. Atta is a finely-milled flour often used in Indian and South Asian cuisine. Atta flour is largely imported in Canada, Protein Industries Canada said.
• Yofiit Inc., based in Ontario, is developing a high-protein drinkable yogurt incorporating flax, oats and legumes.
• MeeT Restaurants in B.C. is developing a plant-based burger to feature in its restaurants and for online sales in order to switch to a product made of Canadian ingredients.
• Farmery Estate Brewery in Manitoba will upcycle spent brewer’s grains into a protein-rich beverage base and ingredient.
• Henry’s Tempeh in Ontario is scaling production of marinated tempeh made with Canadian organic soybeans.
• HealX Vitals in Ontario is developing ProteinFries, a high-protein frozen fry using Canadian pulses and grains.
• Trueleaf Petcare, based in B.C., is developing and scaling cold-formed dental sticks for dogs using Canadian ingredients.
• Grazy, based in Quebec, is reformulating its frozen dessert and beverage lines using Canadian pea and fava bean protein.

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The shift in focus to protein over butterfat increases the ratio paid for protein to 25 per cent of allocated funds, a 15 per cent increase, and decreases the ratio for butterfat to 70 per cent from 85 per cent.

“Always people think production is the driver. Forget about that,” Benoit Basillais, chief executive officer of the Canadian Dairy Commission, said at the 2025 Saskatchewan Dairy Conference in Saskatoon.

“The consumer decides what you produce and not the other way around. And we always forget that.”

The CDC has noticed a continuing strength of demand, and even an increasing demand, as consumers seek choices for good protein. Yogurt and cheese are increasing in popularity because of their high protein content.

For 2024 and into 2025, every class of dairy product has grown, including cream, butter, yogurt and cheese.

Consumers are returning to higher fat milk and cream and adopting yogurt, which has brought big changes to the industry.

“This milk, which used to go to butterfat, is now going to yogurt. So the butter makers have to buy cream. They don’t have milk,” Basillais said.

“So big change in the industry in terms of who gets the milk, where gets the milk. So, if you wonder why some processors are worried, that’s a major impact for them. It impacts their relationship, their competitiveness.”

However, butterfat composition has increased, and the industry has been overproducing for three years. The CDC suspects stocks will continue to remain high in 2026.

Processors are continuing to buy, so there isn’t a worry there, but there’s a strong likelihood of dairy products going on sale.

The dairy industry has adjusted to meet the new consumer demands, but a number of concerns still remain.

Market access is at the top of the list, along with a weakening supply management system, the balance of the milk class system and Canadian milk exports, particularly with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement review soon underway.

“The U.S. has frequently portrayed Canada’s dairy system as part of an unfair trade landscape,” said David Wiens, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

“And in truth, the United States already enjoys substantial carefree access to our market under the current agreement.”

While the Canadian government has made promises to protect the system, the DFC continues to remind it of its promise to make no new trade concessions.

Despite concerns that negotiations may chip away at Canada’s food sovereignty and security, there has been a silver lining in the trade battle with the United States: Canadians are being adamant in their choice of domestically produced food.

“Canadians care about buying homegrown foods, but they also want assurances that what they buy is produced with animal care, food safety and quality in mind,” Wiens said.

The DFC has also been advocating and working on interprovincial trade and finding ways to meet consumer environmental values.

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The vote took place amid a long-running European debate over the designation of plant-based alternatives to animal protein and the associated “linguistic gymnastics”.

A previous proposal to prohibit comparisons between dairy and plant-based foods was rejected. But the EU did decide to reserve the term “dairy” for products derived from animal milk. As a result, companies must now refer to their products as “almond drink” or “plant-based slices”, for example.

In the case of meat, the labelling propositions are part of a broader set of amendments to EU agricultural and food market regulations. These are supposed to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain.

Farmers in Europe have long expressed concerns that plant-based substitutes could threaten traditional farming practices.

But what about the role of the consumer in debates over how meat and its plant-based substitutes should be labelled?

Plant-based food makers fear rebranding

Before the vote, MEPs had discussed a perceived lack of transparency for consumers. It was suggested that terms such as “veggie burger” or “tofu steak” obscure the distinction between meat and plant-based or lab-grown alternatives. These ambiguities, it was argued, could confuse or mislead consumers.

While member states must still negotiate the amendments detailing the labelling changes, the consequences could be significant. Some retailers, like supermarket chain Lidl, are working to increase sales of plant-based foods. This aligns with what the science says about sustainable diets.

After initial growth in the market for plant-based alternatives, sales have plateaued. Many producers fear they may now also face additional costs associated with rebranding and relabelling their products.

In response, a coalition of food producers and retailers have argued that avoiding familiar terms like “steak” or “burger” could actually create more confusion among consumers.

But how misled are consumers really?

Despite concerns on both sides of the debate, our research shows a different reality – one in which many consumers are much more knowledgeable than they are made out to be.

Consumers savvy to ‘greenwashing’

We studied how people reacted to a marketing campaign by Swedish chicken producer Kronfågel. The campaign implied that climate action is the consumer’s responsibility, suggesting that shoppers should switch from beef to chicken to “do something simple for the climate”.

As part of the campaign, an emissions calculation underscored this shift, even leaving the impression it could offset air travel – based on just one meal. While the campaign drew from standardized carbon footprinting, the calculation left more questions than answers.

Through analysis of comments on social media and complaints to the Swedish consumer protection agency, we studied how people reacted to the campaign – rejecting it vehemently. They took issue for a range of reasons, including the corporation’s use of climate science and debates about what constitutes sustainable food consumption and what does not.

The various sources of disagreement illustrate the polarization over food consumption and production. Many people were critical of the suggestion to “offset” flying by eating chicken, while others questioned the appropriateness of a chicken producer, with suppliers in the agricultural sector, demonizing beef production.

The company responded by saying that its intention was to “help consumers navigate” the difficulties of lowering their consumption-related carbon footprint. It also said that it took consumer criticisms about the campaign being misleading to heart and would learn from them. We know of no investigation into the campaign, but we sense a shift towards softer messaging more broadly as companies’ fears of greenwashing accusations increase.

Research conclusions

Our research shows that many consumers are well informed about their choices, actively scrutinizing food products about their health effects, climate impact and production processes. And in debating the advantages and disadvantages of meat and plant-based alternatives, we found that they would openly disagree with each other.

These discussions reveal that there are many relevant perspectives and values involved in choosing the “best” diet – and consumption choices are deeply tied to identity, emotion and culture. In light of this complexity, our research serves as a warning for businesses and other organizations, including political parties, to approach climate messaging with care and to make sure their claims are credible.

So what then to make of the labelling debate? It is of course important to safeguard consumers from harmful or deceptive marketing. However, research has illustrated how powerful people and organizations may stereotype citizens. This may be, for instance, as “responsible”, “misled” or “duped” consumers – often the purpose is to serve their own commercial or political interests.

Politicians, food producers and retailers should be cautious about claims that consumers cannot differentiate meat from plant-based alternatives. Shoppers are often much more switched on than some in the EU debate suggest.

— Friederike Döbbe is an assistant professor in business and society at the University of Bath. Emilia Cederberg is an assistant professor in the department of accounting at the Stockholm School of Economics.

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In court documents, receiver PricewaterhouseCoopers said that as of April 29 it had entered an asset sale purchase agreement with a Manitoba numbered company. It has requested court approval for the sale of the plant and property.

The receiver asked the court to seal documents related to the value of the agreement until the sale was closed.

Merit Functional Foods Corp was a joint venture between Vancouver plant-based protein firm Burcon NutraScience, agri-food giant Bunge and former executives of Hemp Oil Canada.

It ran into financial trouble in 2022 and entered receivership in early 2023. At the time the company owed about $58.5 million to Export Development Canada and about $36.5 million to Farm Credit Canada.

Burcon NutraScience in April 2023 said it and an unnamed partner had put in a bid for the Winnipeg plant and hoped to restart operations.

Court documents show the receiver got an offer on the site in the summer of 2023 but wasn’t able to reach a purchase agreement.

“Several discussions and negotiations took place between the Receiver and other interested parties; however, none resulted in a successful transaction,” the documents say.

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ADM confirmed some employees have received subpoenas from the Department of Justice amid an ongoing investigation over its accounting practices, after Reuters reported FBI agents delivered subpoenas in Illinois last week.

They show that a criminal probe into ADM’s accounting, first reported by Reuters last month, is escalating fast and directly relates to accounting issues that the company said in January were the subject of an internal probe.

ADM said some sales between business units within the company were not recorded at amounts approximating market value and corrected certain segment-specific financial information for previous financial statements from 2018 to 2023.

The company said the adjustments made to previous statements had no impact on consolidated financial statements as a whole for any period as they were made to sales between business segments.

“Looking ahead, we have developed a remediation plan with respect to the identified material weakness to enhance the reliability of our financial statements with respect to the pricing and reporting of such sales,” Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano said in a statement.

ADM shares were up 4.3 per cent though they are down nearly 21 per cent for the year.

ADM said that it would gradually implement enhancements to internal controls and will be more transparent about how it values goods bought and sold by one company segment from another.

It said, however, it will not be able to conclude whether the steps it is taking will remediate a “material weakness” in its accounting for “a sustained period of time” as the company tests the new controls.

Luciano spoke publicly following ADM’s fourth-quarter earnings release for the first time since announcing an internal investigation into accounting practices in its Nutrition unit in January that is now the subject of a criminal probe. He declined to answer questions on the investigations.

ADM reported a lower-than-expected fourth-quarter profit as oilseed processing and crop origination margins fell and as the company’s Nutrition unit, the subject of the investigation, posted a quarterly loss in an earnings statement delayed by nearly two months by the investigation.

ADM said the unit took a goodwill impairment charge of $137 million in 2023 in animal nutrition, a lower-margin portion of its Nutrition segment.

The company said on Tuesday it had received a voluntary document request from the Securities and Exchange Commission in June, prompting the internal investigation.

Government investigations are not evidence of wrongdoing and do not necessarily result in charges.

The investigations have brought more uncertainty to ADM’s Nutrition segment, which has struggled to meet lofty revenue targets and faces slowing demand for meat alternatives and supply chain problems.

Touted by executives to be the future of ADM, the Nutrition division, ADM’s smallest, had seen explosive growth until profits began to erode in late 2022.

The company reported an adjusted profit of $6.98 per share for 2023, in line with guidance lowered in January, after the investigation delayed the release of its financial results for nearly two months.

Adjusted earnings came to $1.36 per share for the fourth quarter, while analysts had expected earnings of $1.43 per share, according to LSEG data. ADM also announced an additional $2 billion in share repurchases, including $1 billion through an accelerated program.

ADM said it expects full-year earnings for 2024 between $5.25 and $6.25 per share, down 18% from last year due to lower margins and higher costs. In Nutrition, ADM forecast “mid single digit revenue growth” and higher operating income.

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The global grains merchant cut its 2023 profit forecast and said its fourth-quarter results would be delayed due to the investigation related to certain inter-segment transactions flagged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SEC did not respond immediately to a Reuters request for comment.

ADM’s stock was last down at $55.86, its lowest level since March 2021.

The probe brings uncertainty to ADM’s high-margin Nutrition segment, which is already grappling with weak demand for meat alternatives.

The segment supplies a range of ingredients including plant-based proteins, natural flavors, emulsifiers to food, beverage and nutritional supplements industries, among others.

At least four brokerages downgraded ADM’s stock after the SEC request, and the company cut its adjusted earnings forecast to $6.90 per share for the fiscal year ended December, 2023 from an “excess of $7 a share” earlier.

“First and foremost, understanding the true scope of potential accounting irregularities and their impact on Nutrition segment revenues/margins will be critical,” said Goldman Sachs analyst Adam Samuelson.

“If (the) issue is just transfer pricing (tax avoidance), it shouldn’t change 2024 EPS outlook. ADM likely can continue buybacks and close recent acquisitions despite investigation,” said analysts at BMO.

ADM has been diversifying into the flavors and nutrition food business through takeovers. It first acquired WILD Flavors in 2014 for $3 billion and most recently, towards the end of 2023, said it would buy UK-based flavor and ingredient firm FDL.

Until investors have more clarity as to what exactly went wrong with ADM’s nutrition segment accounting, UBS analysts said traders could turn to shares of Darling Ingredients DAR.N and Bunge Global BG.N.

ADM appointed Ismael Roig on Monday as its interim CFO.

–Reporting for Reuters by Medha Singh and Seher Dareen in Bengaluru.

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So why aren’t more producers planting them? The biggest reason is the risk of root rot, a disease of peas that can infect the soil for years.

But what if root rot wasn’t a problem? That’s what a group of Prairie researchers intend to find out. They want to build a pea that’s root rot resistant and drought tolerant. The big picture goal is to encourage more producers to give peas a chance.

“Nitrous oxide from nitrogen fertilizers is a major greenhouse gas that is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat,” wrote Marcus Samuel, a professor with the University of Calgary, in a news release.

“Peas belong to the legume family and require little external nitrogen, making them exceptionally climate-efficient. They really are the perfect crop for this research.”

Genomic research on peas has been missing in recent years, wrote Sateesh Kagale with the National Research Council of Canada.

The project teams the University of Calgary with NRC as leaders of the four-year research effort.

“With fewer genomics resources invested in pea breeding, farmers are struggling with low yields caused by root rot and drought,” wrote Kagale. “This project has immense potential to significantly enhance pea genetic and genomic resources, laying the foundation for transformative varietal development.”

From a marketing perspective, the high price of meat in recent years is causing peas and other legumes to carve a niche in consumers’ protein consumption, said Samuel.

“The demand is going up like crazy. The demand for pea protein in the U.S. went up 64 per cent in the last five or six years.

“In a world where meat is expensive, consumers from all over the world are looking at peas to help meet their protein demands.”

From a climate standpoint, peas’ nitrogen-fixing benefits are more than even the most optimistic scientist would guess. According to the Pulse Canada website, just under nine million acres of pulses eliminate 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of 1.1 million passenger vehicles taken off the road annually.

“If we get double that equivalent under peas, it will be equal to the energy required to power every single household in Calgary,” said Samuel.

The project will start with researchers and partners getting their hands on pea germplasm from all over the globe.

“India might be growing a root rot resistant pea that we haven’t had access to before, so we are collecting about 2,000 germplasm (lines) from across the world,” he said.

The samples will be tested under field conditions for root rot resistance and drought tolerance. The genomes of the top 50 or 60 most promising lines will then be sequenced to see if they have particular traits that resist root rot or mitigate the effects of drought.

“And then we’ll actually move that trait into elite Canadian varieties,” said Samuel.

Gene editing will be used to remove the genetic material that causes root rot.

“Part of the project is to ‘knock out’ certain genes that cause root rot,” he said.

Don’t go looking for these improved varieties at the local seed supplier any time soon. Samuel doesn’t promise that lines will be available at the end of the project.

“At the end of four years we are confident that we will add some lines that are ready for breeding purposes. And hopefully we can see something in the field in eight to 10 years.”

The $7 million PeaCE (Pea Climate-Efficient) project is funded by Genome Canada as part of its $30 million, nine-project initiative to drive genomics research and innovation and help reduce the carbon footprint of Canada’s food production systems.

Aside from U of C and NRC, project partners include a who’s who of research and ag institutions across Western Canada, including – among others – AAFC Lacombe and Western Grains Research Foundation.

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