ADM has announced the opening of a new extrusion facility in Serbia. This comes less than a year after ADM’s acquisition of European provider of non-GMO soy ingredients, SojaProtein. With the combined efforts of ADM and SojaProtein, the facility will further expand ADM’s footprint in Europe, extending its production of non-GMO textured soy to include vital origination and extrusion capabilities.

“Our new extrusion facility not only increases the supply of locally sourced, non-GMO textured soy protein in Europe, which is in high demand, it also matches the pace of the incredible expansion of the meat alternatives category in the EMEA region,” said Leticia Gonçalves, president, global foods, ADM. “The growth in EMEA, showing a market value of $3 billion at the end of 2021 and an anticipated CAGR of 11.8% between 2021 and 2026, is astounding. With our 75+ years of experience developing tailored protein nutrition solutions now bolstered by both our expert colleagues at SojaProtein and our facility, we’re now even better suited to support our customers’ growth and innovation in the category.”

The facility is set up to produce non-GMO soy proteins, which is a highly sought-after assertion not only in Europe, but around the world. Globally, 75% of consumers look for non-GMO claims on protein content. 

Unique to the European region, ADM will now offer both origination and extrusion capabilities, extending the high-quality, non-GMO solutions currently available from ADM’s acquisition of SojaProtein. This is made possible due to 90% of the soy sourced grown within 100 kilometers of the facility, enabling a local supply chain.

“In just under a year, our operational synergies with SojaProtein have made massive strides to meet demand for non-GMO soy protein. We’ll see continued growth with the broader protein solutions toolbox and improved R&D capabilities through the opening of our facility,” said Gonçalves. “The ingenuity of the new plant provides advanced extrusion and texturizing equipment, delivering optimized and flexible solutions, ultimately allowing for unmatched speed-to-market for our customers to create in-demand textured plant-based protein offerings with a delicious bite and chew.” 

These expanded capabilities provide non-GMO soy protein solutions for authentic, plant-based savory offerings, meeting and anticipating European consumers’ demands. This builds upon ADM’s robust extrusion and texturized capacities in North America, in addition to the company’s recently announced substantial investment of $300 million to expand its Decatur, Illinois, alternative protein production, as well as the planned opening of a new Protein Innovation Center.

“Our protein capabilities and production capacity continue to grow, and this new facility increases our extrusion capacity in the European region,” said Gonçalves. “We’re proud to continue the advancement of the alternative protein space for EMEA and around the globe, and our new extrusion facility in Serbia is a significant contributor to this progress today and into the future.”

Source: ADM