A relatively new beef processing plant operated by Vion Food Group will be repurposed for the processing of plant-based proteins.
The facility, located in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, was built in 2017 and is currently operating as a beef processing plant. However, citing a growing demand for plant-based proteins in Europe, as well as sufficient meat processing capacity to meet the region’s demands, Vion is opting to convert the facility.
“The capacity for livestock processing in the Netherlands has grown significantly in the past two years, and has proven to be more than sufficient to meet the demand,” Vion Food Group CEO Ronald Logerink said in a press release. “Give the knowledge we gained from our investment a few years ago, we are now making the strategic choice to invest in a dedicated plant-based site in Leeuwarden. We look forward to continue our relationships with our livestock supplier at other Vion sites, and welcome arable farmers as new suppliers in our plant-based chain.”
Lotgerink announced earlier in 2019 that the company would introduce meat alternatives as part of the company’s strategy of building food chains based on the market demand.
According to the company, the market for meat alternatives has been growing over the past few years and is expected to grow even further in European markets including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom.
Because the Leeuwarden facility was built according to the latest standards, the company believes it can be easily adjusted for the production of plant-based proteins. The site can also be scaled up to add more production lines, freezing facilities and a larger storage capacity.
Current employees at the plant will not be affected by the changes.
Vion Food Group, according to the WATTAgNet Top Companies Database, is a leading pork and beef producer with operations in the Netherlands and Germany.
Another European pork company, Danish Crown, announced in August it was entering the plant-based protein sector. Several weeks prior to that, Danish Crown announced it would stop pig slaughter at one of its German facilities.
