Bel Canada Group is diversifying its offering with plant-based products to complement its existing dairy options and expanding its plant-based product offering in Canada with the launch of Babybel Plant-Based.
This is in addition to the acquisition of the MOM Group, makers of GoGo squeeZ fruit pouches based in Toronto, the acquisition of All In Foods, and the launch of Nurishh and Boursin Dairy-Free products in Canada.
"The Bel Group's mission is to offer healthy and responsible food for all. Knowing that plant-based products are part of the solution to growing environmental challenges, we must adapt our approach to nutrition," said Cristine Laforest, general manager of Bel Canada Group. "The Bel Group has therefore the mission of offering a more balanced range of products by 2030, with 50% dairy products and 50% fruit and plant-based products."
The diversification of plant-based products complements the measures put in place by Bel Canada Group to reduce its environmental impact. For example, the packaging for the Babybel product line is made of compostable cellophane. In terms of production, the company has been committed to integrating its corporate social responsibility vision throughout the construction of its Sorel-Tracy plant. For example, Bel Canada Group collaborated with a neighboring company, Maison Riviera, to pool its energy-generating facilities for operations. This approach makes it possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The building was also built and thermally insulated to be energy efficient, and all ventilation systems were designed to allow for heat recovery.
"We are committed to exploring new ways to make food more sustainable, both in terms of production and processes. For example, our U.S. team is working with Perfect Day, the company that developed the world's first precision-fermented protein. This innovative process is not yet allowed in Canada, but we see great potential," said Laforest.
Bel Canada Group, in collaboration with the international NGO Climate Fresk, has also set up a training program for its employees and all its business partners to raise awareness of climate change. Employees will have the opportunity to contribute in their own way to the company's approach to social responsibility.
By 2023, Bel Canada Group aims to produce nearly 90% of its products in Canada. Moreover, by 2035, Bel will reduce GHGs in its facilities by 25% and align itself with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) goal of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
About Bel Canada Group
Bel Canada Group is a subsidiary of Bel Group, a fifth-generation international family-owned company and a world leader in branded cheeses and a major player in the healthy snack market with distribution in nearly 120 countries. Created in 2005 to boost the development of the group's activities in Canada, the subsidiary now employs 200 people, including 80 at its headquarters in Montreal. Its main brands, Boursin, The Laughing Cow and Babybel, are produced under subcontract in Canada with local partners active in dairy processing.
