Chinese investors have poured the foundation in Scarborough
for a 150,000-square-foot processing plant to produce infant formulas for the
North American and Chinese markets.
It may do much to eliminate the “structural surplus” of skim
milk powder which is currently a costly issue for the dairy industry that has
been selling it at low prices as calf feed because it can’t be exported.
The state-of-the-art plant uses new processes to make what
it claims will be the best nutritious and safe infant formulas on the market.
It has collaborated with the University of Guelph to develop
the technology and with the federal and provincial governments to obtain
approvals and licences, including its brand names Canada Brand and Maple Leaf.
The plant is scheduled to be in production by the end of the
year. It’s on a 20-acre site, is a joint venture of six Chinese investors,
three of them on Mainland China and three in Toronto.
One of the investors is one of the largest food-retailing
companies in China.
The interest in Canada is the Chinese respect for Canadian
quality and the image of a large, clean country. China has been hit by several
scandals involving melamine added to milk to boost protein levels, and that has
scared many parents in a nation that still tries to limit families to one
child.
The company plans to produce infant formulas for three ages –
from birth to six months, six months to a year and from 12 to 36 months old.
It is also planning to produce products for middle-aged and
elderly people. It will be a combination of maple syrup, fish oil, organic
beans and polysaccharides from milk.
On its website, the company says “the product is rich in EPA, DHA, DPA, QUALENE,
vitamin A, vitamin D and other vitamins and minerals, and it helps preventing
cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and amnesia.”
