Merit, Burcon, Nestlé Partner on Plant-Based Protein Ingredients

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Merit Functional Foods and its technology partner Burcon NutraScience are pleased to announce they have entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) with Nestlé. The goal of the joint agreement is to develop and commercialize Merit’s novel plant protein ingredients for use in Nestlé’s plant-based foods and beverages. The joint agreement commences a long-term relationship among the parties, covering Merit’s novel proteins. Merit is currently building its commercial-scale production facility, which is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2020.

At its state-of-the-art facility, Merit will produce various plant-based protein ingredients using Burcon’s proprietary and patented extraction and purification technology. Burcon has been developing its plant-based protein technology for more than 19 years.

“Partnering with Nestlé — a global leader in food and nutrition — is a great milestone for Merit Functional Foods,” Merit Co-CEO Ryan Bracken said. “Merit has already demonstrated the impact of our novel proteins in plant-based foods. This new partnership helps build on this, and it’s a major step in developing the next generation of nutritious and delicious plant-based products that draw on the benefits of our novel proteins.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Nestlé to optimize these already exciting novel plant proteins,” Burcon’s President and CEO Johann F. Tergesen said. “This collaboration among Burcon, Nestlé, and Merit is about strategically innovating for the future.”

Established in 2019, Merit Functional Foods is committed to exceeding expectations for plant-based protein, providing the market with the highest quality protein ingredients and blends that offer unmatched purity, exceptional taste, and excellent solubility.

Burcon is a global technology provider in the development of plant-based proteins. With over 270 issued patents and more than 260 additional patent applications, developed over a span of more than 20 years, Burcon has grown an extensive portfolio of composition, application and process patents covering novel plant-based proteins derived from pea, canola, soy, hemp, sunflower seed and more.