- Details
Pulses are known to have many different uses, but most of these uses are as ingredients to be consumed. Now with climate change at the forefront of many innovations, pulses, such as soy beans, are being adapted into materials for different use.
An interesting story in the Globe and Mail notes that many auto manufacturers are shifting towards agri-environmental design which involves using plant-based materials in vehicles. These eco-conscious materials are being used on everything from tires to plastic storage bins. It’s innovative and exciting, with an aim to reduce dependency on foreign petroleum, improve the environment and increase revenues for farmers.
Companies like Ford and Toyota have taken a likeness to this opportunity, and have begun purchasing agricultural products such as soy beans, wheat straw, and coconuts from unsuspecting farmers. Not only does this promise eco-friendly innovation, but it will lower greenhouse gas emissions from the auto-manufacturing industry.
“You’re providing revenue to a farmer who didn’t even expect to sell wheat straw for anything,” says Debbie Mielewski, senior technical leader of materials sustainability at Ford’s Research and Innovation Centre in Dearborn, Mich. “He grows it for the food portion. We’re able to use the fibres in very high-end, durable applications.”
Read the full story on the Globe and Mail.
- Details
Executive committee vice president and Chippewa Valley Bean CEO Cindy Brown attended the Brazilian Bean Forum 2015 to talk about the many GPC projects which are underway. While at this conference, Cindy saw positive feedback for the upcoming year, along with many exciting activities to be conducted throughout Brazil.
One of these exciting projects includes Mais Feijão, or Project More Beans, which is a project developed by the Instituto Brasileiro de Feijão e Pulses – IBRAFE – (Brazilian Institute of Beans and Pulses) to make Brazilian children aged 6 to 7 aware of the benefits of regular intake of beans and through children, spread such awareness to all Brazilian society, in line with the International Year of Pulses declared by UN for 2016. The project intends to work simultaneously with second year of elementary school kids from public and private schools in a great Brazilian capital: Curitiba, which today has around 118,000 children enrolled in the early years of elementary school (First to Fifth grades), not including the metropolitan area. This is its first edition and it intends to become a permanent event in order to reach a wider audience.
The focus of the subject is the bean, which consists of the base food for Brazilians, but usually rejected by kids, influenced by popularity of the so called junk food.
The Instituto Brasileiro de Feijão e Pulses – IBRAFE – (Brazilian institute of Beans and Pulses) is a private law civil association, non-profitable, which congregates legal entities and individuals connected to the productive chamber of beans and its commercialization directly or through its class associations, private companies, public institutions, schools, universities, research institutes, cooperatives, government agencies and their applications, all aimed at promoting consumption, encouraging research and fostering technological development.
The Mais Feijão project (Project More Beans) demands people’s investments and meaningful resources.
Its schedule covers different stages, as listed below:
- Preparation of teaching materials suitable for the age of the target audience
- Contact with education departments and schools to present the project
- Implementation of the project with children
- Details
Hummus doesn't have to be just hummus, it can also work as a key ingredient in many different foods including pizza, pasta, stuffed chicken, breakfast, cocktails and even desserts! Not only will adding hummus bring delicious flavor, but hummus will add high-protein and includes no cholesterol or saturated fats. The healthy fat will help you stay fuller longer, and aids in your digestion.
Shape.com has created a list of 12 fantastic uses of hummus to wow your friends and family.
- Details
July 9, 2015 (Winnipeg) – A decadent, chocolate-coconut cake was crowned national champion in the eighth annual Mission:ImPULSEible food product development competition. The Celebration Coco Bean Cake, created by Samantha Smith and Danielle MacDonald of Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, is made from 100% pulse-based flour and topped with “frosting” made with coconut milk and pea fiber.
“The possibilities of creating new foods using pulses are endless,” said MacDonald, “and we wanted to play up their versatility by putting them in something most people wouldn’t think of – a sweet dessert.”
“When we entered the competition, we were really excited about the potential of pulses as a food category,” said Smith. “They are filled with important nutrients, and to incorporate them into something fun and celebratory like a chocolate cake and have it taste good is just a win-win.”
Mission: ImPULSEible challenges Canada’s culinary students to get creative in producing new food products featuring Canadian pulses (peas, lentils, beans and chickpeas). This year saw 35 student teams from across the country develop pulse-inspired dishes with the goal of creating awareness for the International Year of Pulses 2016 (IYP).
“The 2015 Mission:ImPULSEible competition featured some of the most creative products we have seen yet,” said Christine Farkas, Manager of Food Product & Culinary of Innovation with Pulse Canada, and organizer of the event. “With IYP on the horizon, I wanted to see the students get really innovative and create dishes you wouldn’t normally associate with pulses. This year’s competitors certainly rose to the challenge,” says Farkas.
Second place in the competition went to the University of Saskatchewan team’s Pulsiano Pizza, a frozen gluten-free pizza. The crust includes lentil flour, the pizza sauce is a combination of tomato sauce and pureed kidney beans, and the pizza is topped with vegetables and roasted chickpeas.
Third place went to team Alberta’s Peamon Tart with a lemon filling in a flaky crust made from a mixture of red kidney beans, chickpeas, Romano beans and great northern white beans. The product is gluten-free and the eggs are replaced with pea protein.
All provincial competitions as well as the 2015 national competition images and product information can be found on the Mission: ImPULSEible Facebook Page.
Pulse Canada is the national association representing growers, traders and processors of Canadian pulse crops (peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas).
For more information, contact: Christine Farkas, Manager of Food Product & Culinary Innovation, Pulse Canada, 204.807.6898, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Details
Two members of Japan’s pulse trade speak with IFT about their country’s confectionary use of dry beans.
In Japan, as in many Asian countries, beans are primarily consumed in sweet foods. Adzuki and baby lima beans are the most commonly used. The beans are made into jelly or paste and then used as a pastry filling in such popular foods as anpan (buns filled with bean paste) daifuku (a rice cake filled with bean paste), manjū (a pastry filled with bean paste), monaka (wafers with bean jam spread), and sakuramochi (bean paste wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf), to name just a few. There is even ice cream made from adzuki beans.
To learn more about Japan’s confectionary use of beans, IFT spoke with Kunichiro Amakasu of Dah Chong Hong (Japan) Ltd. and Naoki Hashimoto of Aiwa Co., Ltd. Dah Chong Hong (Japan) is wholly owned by Dah Chong Hong Holdings, a business conglomerate based in Hong Kong, China, in which CITIC holds a 60% interest. Amakasu has been involved in Dah Chong Hong’s pulse business for 22 years and was recently invited to join the CICILS/GPC board. Naoki Hashimoto is the President of Nagoya-based Aiwa Co., Ltd., a company that purchases most of its adzuki beans from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Both Hashimoto and Amakasu are members of the Japan Pea and Bean Importers Association.
Read the full interview by Dario Bard on the International Food Trader website.
- Details
North Americans will soon be learning a lot about pulses. A consumer marketing campaign, which will run from November 2015 through 2017-18, will teach consumers about the health, nutrition and environmental benefits of eating more peas, lentils, beans and chickpeas.
Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) announced a $3.5 million commitment to support the pulse campaign. "Pulse Canada is thrilled about this agreement with WD, which represents a true partnership between Canadian pulse growers and processors and the Government of Canada. We are very thankful for this support and value this partnership," says Lee Moats, Chair of the Board of Pulse Canada. "The launch of this brand will be a pivotal moment for Canada's pulse industry. The campaign will draw a clear link between pulses and consumer priorities like increased protein, healthier lifestyles and sustainable food," says Moats, a lentil farmer from Riceton, Saskatchewan.
The campaign will re-launch pulses as a food category. "Pulses have been nourishing people around the world for thousands of years," says Ryan Kubinec, Vice Chair of Pulse Canada and a pulse farmer from the Westlock, Alberta area. "They are the perfect partner for healthy people and a healthy planet. They are a low fat, high fibre source of protein, and eating pulses can help manage health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Pulses are also a low carbon footprint food, are a water efficient source of protein, and are a key component of sustainable cropping systems," says Kubinec.
The multi-faceted pulse campaign will target millennials (ages 20 – 35), and will include a new consumer website, promotions on social media channels and retail promotions. The WD contribution will support campaign production, media buying and pulse brand promotion.
Earlier this year the pulse campaign also received $875,000 from the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF), which will be used for human resources and campaign performance measurement. "ACIDF is pleased to support this initiative promoting Canadian pulses, which will ultimately benefit the pulse industry in Alberta and across Canada," says Doug Walkey, Executive Director of ACIDF.
"The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (IYP) which will be an exciting year for the pulse industry around the world. IYP provides an excellent opportunity to launch the Pulse brand here in North America," says Moats.
Canada is the world's largest producers of peas and lentils, and is the world's biggest exporters of pulses. Last year, Canada produced 5.8 million tonnes of pulses. 5.7 million tonnes were exported to 150 countries around the world.
Pulse Canada is the national association of growers, traders and processors of Canadian pulse crops. Canada is the world's largest supplier pulses, with annual exports reaching more than 150 countries.
SOURCE Pulse Canada
For further information: Gordon Bacon, Chief Executive Officer, (204) 925-4452, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Pulse Canada – More on this organization