Ireland-based manufacturer and distributor of food ingredients and flavours, Kerry Ingredients & Flavours, has opened its new emulsifier plant in Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands.
The new plant almost doubles the company’s installed capacity for emulsifiers in the country, while widening its technology offering in Europe to include distilled product types, reported foodingredientsfirst.com.
Kerry noted that the facility will also take up volumes which are currently produced in its emulsifier plant in Port Klang, Malaysia, which would lead to rise in capacity to support growth in the Asian market.
The company said that its new Zwijndrecht plant is Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified for Mass Balance (MB) and Segregated (SG) Palm Oil, and supports customers in the sustainability programmes.
The new facility is believed to enable the company to offer competitive alternatives to palm, including rape seed oil and sunflower oil based products.
The company, which operates emulsifier plants in Port Klang, Malaysia and in Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands, considers this new investment as a mode to fortify its position in the cost effective manufacture and sale of food emulsifiers.
Kerry EMEA Lipids, Emulsifiers and Texturant Systems vice president René Kamminga said that emulsifiers are an important part of the ingredient offering of the company worldwide.
"Over the past five years the Group has continuously invested in the capacity and capability of its emulsifier technology footprint to respond to the growing demand for cost effective and sustainable solutions," Kamminga added.
In February 2012, Kerry Ingredients & Flavours reported revenue growth of 6.4% to €5.3bn on a like-for-like (LFL) basis for the 2011 period, compared to 2010.
The company also noted a trading profit of €501m for the year, while business volumes were up 3.3% in the period.