Kerry opened a new 21,500-square-foot facility in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, producing sustainable food ingredients for distribution across the Middle East’s snack, bakery and meat sectors. The new facility is the company’s largest in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region and it operates with a staff of 130 people. The company has invested over EUR80m in the region over the past four years.

The new facility at the company’s Jeddah operations was built to support sustainability efforts: since 2018, the factory carbon footprint has been reduced by 35%, with a 40% reduction in water usage. It complies with Ready To Eat (RTE) standard of design and construction to uphold strict requirements for hygiene and food safety.

Commenting on the announcement, Edmond Scanlon, Kerry Group CEO, said: “Today’s consumer-led food revolution and the world’s environmental challenges are driving accelerated change and reshaping the entire food industry. The opening of our new facility at our Jeddah site is part of our commitment to continuing to grow our presence across the Middle East where we have invested over EUR80m since 2018. Our continued growth and investment reflect the growing number of consumers in the region who are adopting a more proactive approach to their health and wellbeing and want to be able to consume food and beverage products that support their goals while also being respectful of our environment. This new facility is the first of its kind in the Middle East and is one of the most modern and efficient in the world offering top-in-class sustainable nutrition technology platforms, laboratories equipped with unique testing capabilities while also being sustainable.”

Peter Dillane, vice president and general manager, Kerry Middle East, India, Sub-Saharan Africa (MISA) added: “Our customers are our priority and our commitment is to bring local solutions to the Saudi market. We believe in global capability, executed locally, as seen in our local insight and team backed by Kerry’s global technical and operational expertise. Our deep understanding of retail and foodservice channels enhances our ability to partner customers with greater success and make it easier and more valuable for them to do business with us.”