Farmer-owned company Arla Foods is building a new modern innovation centre for its ingredients business in Nørre Vium, Denmark.

As part of this initiative, the farmer-owned company has performed a groundbreaking ceremony at the facility site.

The company will invest more than €40m for its innovation centre. The site of the new facility is located near Danmark Protein, a key production site for Arla Foods Ingredients (AFI).

Arla Foods Ingredients Group vice-president Henrik Andersen said: “I am very happy to announce that we are now breaking ground on our new game-changing innovation centre.

“We are always looking for new and innovative solutions for our customers to help them develop new products that meet the specific nutritional needs of children, athletes, patients and consumers.

“With the new centre, we can use cutting edge research and technology to explore milk and whey to their full potential as ingredients for a wide range of nutrition.”

Arla Food expects to complete construction of the innovation centre in the summer of 2021.

The 9,000m² facility will feature open office spaces and labs, as well as a pilot plant. It will work closely with Danmark Protein in process development and pilot production for whey.

AFI, a subsidiary of Arla Foods, has reportedly transformed whey from a waste product into a quality ingredient. Whey is used for making infant nutrition products and health foods, among other products.

The new facility will employ international scientists and innovators. It will aid AFI its innovation efforts in dairy and whey ingredients.

Last January, Arla Foods announced its plans to further strengthen its innovation and global product agenda in order to enhance its competitive advantage within key categories.

In another development, the Swiss food company Nestlé has collaborated with Burcon and Merit in the production of plant-based proteins.

The new partnership combines Nestlé’s plant-based foods expertise with Burcon’s plant protein extraction and cleaning technologies. It will make use of Merit’s manufacturing unit.

Through this partnership, Nestlé intends to fast-track the development of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.