Dr Rickey Yada, Professor of Food Science at University of Vancouver (Canada), says the protein industry has been shaped by consumer dietary trends that reflect the rapidly evolving science surrounding healthy food sources. Protein is a critical component of a healthy diet. Innovations such as protein fractionation can be used to better design specific nutritional interventions and hence, readily available sources of healthy proteins are needed to facilitate a healthy lifelong approach to nutrition. The Bridge2Food Protein Awards incentivize innovation and being a witness to, and drawing inspiration from this innovation drives my involvement with the jury board.