The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has announced plans to build a new facility for producing pea protein isolate at its existing industrial complex located in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. The site will allow LDC to offer customers functional, taste-neutral, nutritious ingredients suitable for dairy alternatives, high-protein nutrition solutions and other plant-based applications. It will also expand the company's existing pea protein isolate and non-GMO soy isolate offerings. LDC’s CEO Michael Gelchie said: “As a leading global merchant and processor of agricultural goods, LDC is committed to helping meet demand for food, feed and biofuels through our integrated and expanding North American industrial centres – Claypool (Indiana) and Upper Sandusky (Ohio) in the US, and Yorkton (Saskatchewan) in Canada." "And like other key development projects for LDC in North America, the investment announced today is an important step in the group’s global growth strategy, as part of our plans to diversify revenue through value-added products – in this case, addressing growing demand for high-quality, nutritious and sustainable plant-based protein alternatives." Thibaut Ferté, LDC’s head of plant proteins business, added: “Pea protein demand continues to grow due to its non-allergen and non-GMO status and its sustainability and versatility across many food applications. Leveraging our expertise, value chain and global asset footprint, we aim to address current industry challenges with a unique and best-in-class product." "This was made possible thanks to proprietary technology developed at our dedicated R&D centre in Livermore, California, where we continue to build future solutions alongside our customers, including plans to expand beyond pea and soy to offer a range of premium proteins.” Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, the plant is expected to employ around 60 people.