It only takes a few seconds after stepping into Vital Farms’ Egg Central Station (ECS) to realize that the company truly loves its egg-related puns. If there’s writing nearby, be it on a wall, memo or bulletin board, there’s a pun not far behind. They’re part of an ethos that starts from the top and flows down the company’s ranks to put a smile on someone’s face, even if just for a second. That idea of doing good extends beyond the facility walls to its other locations, the farmers who supply the eggs, the consumers who buy the product and, finally, to the planet itself. That visible commitment to the environment is why the addition at ECS was chosen as FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2023 Sustainable Plant of the Year.

Beverage-grade CO₂ upgrading systems will provide Liberty with an in-house supply of carbonation for beverage production.

Changing the way that distilleries use resources is a great start, but the increased market for spirits means that green techniques must be factored into initial facility designs, as companies aim to raise their production capacity.

Global food manufacturer Kerry is the winner of our 2022 Sustainable Plant of the Year award for its $125 million breadcrumbs and coatings plant expansion in Rome, Georgia. 

Blue Circle is rolling out its latest product—Salmon Sausage—in four flavors: Original, Lemon Dill, Italian, and Apple Thyme. Blue Circle’s Salmon Sausage has an MSRP of $8.99 for a pack of four sausages.

GEA has launched Batch2Flow, a solution that secures the food production process, saves energy and water and significantly reduces the use of cleaning chemicals.

Bühler and Whitworth Bros—the UK’s largest miller—have opened a high-tech flour plant called Mill E3 at Whitley Bridge in Yorkshire, England. The data generated and analyzed at the Whitley Bridge plant will drive the evolution of milling technology from the current data assisted mill into a plant capable of using its own process parameters in a closed loop to optimize production. This development of the self-adjusting mill will be the precursor to the SmartMill.

Plant-based meat companies are looking to automation strategies to face their unique challenges.