Gulfood
17 To 21 FEB 2025 | DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
We’re excited to see you at Gulfood 2025!
Gulfood
17 To 21 FEB 2025 | DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
We’re excited to see you at Gulfood 2025!
Lentils are rapidly becoming one of the world’s most influential and in-demand plant proteins, and no country has shaped this rise more effectively than Canada. Over the past two decades, Canada has evolved from a regional pulse producer into the global leader in lentil exports, supplying millions of tons annually to key markets across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. As global food systems shift toward sustainability and plant-based nutrition, lentils are emerging as a cornerstone ingredient—and Canada is leading the transformation.
Growing populations, rising health consciousness, and economic pressures have collectively pushed global demand for lentils to record levels. Lentils are affordable, nutrient-dense, high in protein and fiber, and easy to incorporate into traditional and modern diets alike.
The global shift toward vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian diets has brought lentils into the spotlight. Food manufacturers now rely heavily on lentils for snacks, soups, bakery products, pasta alternatives, ready meals, and plant-based proteins. As consumers search for foods with low environmental impact, lentils have become one of the most strategic proteins in the world.
Lentils solve several global challenges simultaneously. They are:
Nutrient-rich, offering protein, iron, folate, and antioxidants
Affordable, making them crucial for food security in low-income regions
Environmentally efficient, leaving a low carbon footprint
Water-smart, requiring significantly less water than many crops
Soil-enhancing, thanks to natural nitrogen fixation
With climate change and rising food costs influencing consumer behavior, lentils stand out as a resilient solution for the decades to come.
The Canadian Prairies—especially Saskatchewan, which accounts for more than 80% of national output—offer the perfect growth environment for lentils. Cool nights, warm days, and low humidity support lentil plants through their entire growth cycle.
Canada’s climate supports the production of high-quality, uniform grains with strong natural resistance to disease, resulting in stable annual output and a dependable supply for international buyers. This remarkable climatic consistency is one of the key factors behind Canada’s dominance in global markets, enabling producers to deliver reliable volumes and maintain the standards expected by importers worldwide.
Lentils as a core strength of Canada’s agricultural sector
Canada’s lentil industry has been shaped by decades of innovation, precision agriculture, and investment in research. Farmers use advanced equipment, GPS-driven seeding, soil mapping, and data-backed irrigation strategies to maximize yields.
Key strengths include:
World-class cleaning and sorting facilities
Transparent traceability systems
Strict food safety standards
Competitive freight and export logistics
Consistent year-round availability
These advantages make Canadian lentils some of the most trusted pulses in the world.
Canada exports lentils to more than 120 countries, positioning itself as the backbone of the global pulse supply chain. Major destinations include India, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, the UAE, Algeria, Sri Lanka, and various markets across Europe, where they are used extensively in food manufacturing.
These long-standing partnerships are built not only on Canada’s reputation for high-quality products but also on its dependable shipping systems, flexible contract structures, and consistent long-term supply—factors that have solidified its role as a trusted leader in international pulse trade.
Why importers prefer Canadian lentils
International buyers choose Canada because of a combination of:
Superior grading standards: color uniformity, purity, moisture control, and size consistency.
Highly trusted food safety system: Canada’s inspection framework is among the strictest in the world.
Wide range of lentil varieties: red lentils, green lentils, large greens, French greens, and specialty types.
Efficient logistics: Rail-connected processing plants ensure predictable shipments.
Competitive pricing: Scale, efficiency, and streamlined operations support better FOB/CIF rates.
While raw lentils dominate exports, Canada is increasingly shifting toward value-added processing, which significantly increases profitability and market share.
Popular value-added products in this category include flour made from these pulses, which is widely used in gluten-free baking, pasta, snacks, crackers, and blended flour formulations. Protein concentrates derived from the same crop are becoming essential ingredients in plant-based meats, dairy-free alternatives, and sports nutrition products. Fiber fractions are frequently incorporated into high-fiber foods, breakfast cereals, and functional nutrition blends. Additionally, ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meal options made from this pulse continue to expand, driven by rising consumer demand for convenient, healthy food solutions.
This evolution is positioning Canada not just as a supplier but as an innovator in pulse-based food technology.
Global climate goals have positioned lentils as a high-priority ingredient in sustainable food systems. By naturally enriching the soil, lentils significantly reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers while requiring far less irrigation than many other crops. Their cultivation generates substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to animal protein production, and they also play a vital role in improving soil structure for future crop rotations. For companies seeking to lower their carbon footprint and meet ESG commitments, lentils offer a powerful combination of environmental sustainability and nutritional value—making them an essential component of the future food economy.
Canadian institutions such as the University of Saskatchewan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Pulse Canada continue to drive progress by investing in high-yield varieties, climate-resilient traits, enhanced disease resistance, improved protein concentration, and advanced farming technologies.
This ongoing commitment to research and innovation remains the foundation of Canada’s long-term leadership in the global pulse industry, ensuring the sector stays competitive and adaptable in an evolving agricultural landscape.
Extensive rail networks link production areas directly to key export ports such as Vancouver and Montreal, enabling smooth movement from farm to global markets. This integrated system supports on-time shipments, broad international reach, reduced demurrage risks, and reliable access to containers. Such logistical consistency has played a central role in Canada’s strong and sustained export performance.
In many developing countries, lentils are a primary protein source. Humanitarian organizations increasingly depend on lentils for food aid due to their affordability, long shelf life, and nutritional density.
Canada’s reliability ensures a stable supply to the regions that need it most.
Despite its considerable strengths, the sector faces several challenges that could influence its future trajectory, including climate variability and recurring drought conditions, shipping bottlenecks and container shortages, evolving trade restrictions and tariff policies, increasing competition from emerging producers such as India, Australia, and Kazakhstan, and ongoing price volatility in global markets. Even so, Canada’s strong agricultural infrastructure, research capacity, and well-established export systems continue to provide a significant competitive advantage, helping the industry remain resilient amid shifting global dynamics.
As consumers embrace plant-based eating and manufacturers seek sustainable ingredients, the global lentil market is expected to grow steadily. Demand for lentil flour, protein concentrates, and ready meals will continue climbing.
Canada is positioned to stay ahead of this curve—not only as a supplier but also as an innovator shaping the next generation of food products.
Lentils are more than a staple food—they are a key ingredient in the future of global nutrition. As sustainability, affordability, and plant-based demand converge, lentils are playing a transformative role in feeding the world. Canada’s expertise, innovation, and reliable supply chain position it as a central force in this evolution.
With rising global demand and expanding value-added opportunities, Canada remains the world’s most influential and trusted leader in lentil production and trade.