Field Roast Coming Back to Canada After Regulatory Controversy
For the past eight months, Field Roast Grain Meats have been unavailable in Canada—upsetting circumstances for America’s plant-eating neighbors to the north.
The upside is, the company is making a comeback. Come June, three varieties of sausages will start hitting store shelves across Canada, Field Roast announced yesterday.
The Seattle-based company was forced to cease distribution last year due to an antiquated Canadian requirement stating that any “simulated meat product” must undergo a Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) study—a process conducted using live animals.
In other (illogical) words, vegan products are required to be tested on animals.
Not only that, but the country’s regulations also hold vegan and vegetarian foods to the same nutritional profile guidelines as animal products—which doesn’t make much sense for foods made from plants.
Besides the fact that Field Roast was unwilling to use live animals in its testing, its nutritional profile differs from that of “real” meat. So, the company had to withdraw its products.
With major support for Field Roast and plenty of indignation about the issue from Canadian consumers, (plus more than 74,000 signatures), the company decided to reformulate its products so it could continue serving the market while working for a longer-term solution.
The change included adding pea protein and a vitamin fortification mixture to sausage products, plus changing the labels to include the words “simulated sausage” and “contains no meat”. The company has also settled on a testing process that’s animal-free.
So, smoked Apple Sage Sausage, Italian Sausage, and Mexican Chipotle Sausage will begin making their way to retailers in June.
Also, to seek a permanent fix for problems like these, Field Roast helped form the Plant Foods Council (PFC), a Canadian trade association of food producers who make vegan products similar to traditional animal products—IE, meats, milks, cheeses and butters. The group will fight for the rights of plant-based food manufacturers, and promote the health and environmental benefits of such a diet.
All in all, Field Roast coming back to Canada is excellent news for fans of the plant-based brand, but it’s clear that the Northern nation needs to update its regulations to suit 21st century food.
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