As Canada and other regions move toward more sustainable food systems, protein remains at the center of intersecting challenges—supporting a growing population, reducing chronic disease, minimizing environmental impact, and ensuring food security. In response, the past decade has seen a surge in innovation focused on plant-based proteins as key components of future diets. Countries like the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland are now adopting systems-based dietary guidelines that emphasize plant proteins, reflecting both individual and societal goals. Yet, regulatory and policy barriers continue to limit how plant protein foods can communicate their nutritional value to consumers. At the same time, advancing food literacy and reshaping public perceptions around protein will require rethinking how we define and promote protein-rich foods. This session will explore the barriers and opportunities for expanding plant protein’s role in food systems—through the lenses of dietary guidance, regulation, consumer behavior, and the need to shift from an “either-or” to an “and” approach to plant and animal protein.
Dr. Harding is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Memorial University. His research interests include glucose metabolism, cholesterol biochemistry, and the effects of public health policies on reducing obesity and chronic disease, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. His research lab focuses on cardiometabolic diseases, using animal and in vitro models, human trials, and population studies. His team studies public health initiatives like sugar taxes and the metabolic impacts of dietary sugars and fats under varying intake levels. They also investigate how diet and lifestyle factors, such as short or disrupted sleep, activity, and dietary patterns, affect disease risk and nutrient metabolism. Dr. Harding earned his PhD in Human Nutrition from McGill University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Manitoba and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He has previously held an academic position at King’s College London before joining Memorial University. He teaches in the Human Biosciences program in the Faculty of Science and his research aims to understand how diet and lifestyle choices can either promote health or contribute to disease.