Marfrig Global Foods reached an agreement with Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) for the production and sale of vegetable protein-based products in Brazil.
Under the deal signed by Marfrig and ADM, the companies will work together to develop plant-based products, with ADM supplying the primary raw material used in the process, while Marfrig will produce, distribute and sell the products in the food service and retail channels.
“Together, Marfrig and ADM will produce 100% vegetable protein-based burgers with the same taste and texture of beef. We want to give consumers the power of choice. They are the ones who decide,” said Eduardo Miron, CEO of Marfrig Global Foods. “The plant-based burgers will complement Marfrig’s product portfolio and be distributed through all our market channels.”
“We offer an advanced R&D structure, natural ingredients and technological solutions, including the advantage of local manufacturing, to anticipate industry trends and meet our clients’ needs with customized service. We are the ideal partner to support and foster the sustainable development of the food, specialties and healthy nutrition industry,” said Roberto Ciciliano, CEO of ADM Nutrition in Latin America. “And our agreement with Marfrig further strengthens that proposition.”
The production of plant-based burgers in Brazil will be launched at Marfrig’s unit in Várzea Grande, Mato Grosso. Part of the plant-based raw materials will be shipped directly from ADM’s plant in Campo Grande to Marfrig’s plant.
The first plant-based burgers to be produced under the partnership between Marfrig and ADM will reach the Brazilian market by the end of this year, with exports following later. In this first phase of the launch, the products will be supplied to food service clients. Later, the plant-based burgers will be sold in retail channels. Marfrig will launch a specific brand for its plant-based products.
Marfrig Global Foods in November 2018 finalized the sale of its Keystone Foods subsidiary to Tyson Foods, citing a desire to put more focus on its beef industry. With its 2018 acquisition of the majority stake in U.S.-based National Beef Packing Company, Marfrig became the world’s second largest beef processor in terms of production capacity.
Keystone Foods at the time was the tenth largest poultry company in the United States.
