Pseudocereals: Sustainable alternatives to cereals for Ontario and Canada

Lead Applicant: Iris Joye

Research Priority: Trade, Market & Targeted Sector Growth Opportunities

Program Type: Tier 1

Funding Cycle: 2024/2025

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: In the current geopolitical and climate context, the dependence of our food processing sector on wheat and corn (ingredients) is highlighted. Although the importance of these is not expected to wane soon, the acute need for locally-grown alternative grains to diversify the ingredient market is increasingly obvious. Buckwheat and quinoa have already established a modest Ontarian foothold. Besides superior nutritional properties, these pseudocereals claim to fit into a more sustainable agriculture by leaving a lower carbon footprint and overall environmental impact than wheat and corn, rebuilding biodiversity, and decreasing Ontario’s food sector’s reliance on complex long supply chains. However, to establish them as full-fledged alternatives, besides innovations in the downstream value chain, this project aims at diving into the sustainability aspects of pseudocereal cultivation in Ontario/Canada and the current and future market value of buckwheat and quinoa in Ontario/Canada.