Merit Functional Foods introduces pea protein ingredient
Organic Peazazz C 850 is intended as a plant-based option for snack and bakery products.
Courtesy of Merit Functional Foods
Merit Functional Foods has launched its first USDA Certified Organic protein ingredient, Organic Peazazz C 850. The new organic ingredient offers brands an option that is traceable back to the farm, grown on Canadian soil with organic peas, and produced at Merit’s Winnipeg-based facility. According to the company, it provides plant-based food and beverage formulators with key functional and nutritional benefits, including solubility, viscosity, texture improvement, low sodium, and a minimum of 85% protein. Additionally, like all of Merit’s ingredients, Organic Peazazz C 850 undergoes a proprietary membrane filtration process intended to unlock taste, texture, and nutrition.
“Organic protein is undoubtedly more laborious, as it requires stricter growing processes, stringent regulations, and unique filtration processes to get it right,” Merit Co-CEO Ryan Bracken says. “For that reason, Certified Organic options are scarce in the market with limited availability. But because of the consumer demand for alternative protein sources, we have put in the work to make organic pea protein scalable, accessible, and the highest quality to meet this growing market. Our unique membrane filtration process makes this premium option possible, meaning that now, organic protein tastes and functions better than ever before.”
Organic crops are grown and processed in alignment with guidelines for soil quality, pest and weed control, additive use, and more. It is often linked with ecological balance and biodiversity, key drivers in the sustainability movement in the food industry.
“Many consumers link organic ingredients and sustainability, and both are important to the future of the protein space,” Bracken says. “All of Merit’s ingredients are grown and produced on the Western Canadian prairies, which means better sustainability through a reduction in food miles traveled from field to table.”
Merit’s Organic Peazazz C 850 is USDA Certified Organic by Ecocert. “A huge part of our commitment and reason for existence is not to just produce better performing plant protein ingredients, but also ones that are better for the planet,” Bracken says. “Our Certified Organic pea protein is just one way we’re doing that.”
Organic Peazazz C 850 is available now for use in ready-to-drink beverages, protein bars, ready-to-mix protein powder, dairy alternatives, and more.
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