Scan Magazine | Business Profile | Marel
Henrik Ladefoged in front of a Marel RoboBatcher, which packs more than 300 products per minute.
‘Our vision is a world where affordable quality food is produced sustainably’ Marel, a leading global provider of food processing systems, is determined to achieve a more sustainable food industry. The company, which has one of its major research and development sites in Denmark, delivers advanced processing systems for fish, poultry and meat all over the world. Scan Magazine spoke to Henrik Ladefoged, director of Marel Denmark. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Marel
As the world’s population continues to grow, so does the need for more efficient use of resources and new methods to optimise how we utilise animal protein. One way of doing this is by increasing the consumable part of products when preparing and packaging fish, poultry and meat products. As a leading global provider of food processing systems, Marel has set out to do just that. “According to 84 | Issue 92 | September 2016
calculations we will be needing around 50 per cent more food in 2050 than now. And as developing countries increase their living standards, one of the first signs is the need for more animal protein. The challenge is that we don’t have more land to produce the extra meat,” explains Ladefoged. “One way of saving resources is to make more of the animal protein that is already produced, and that’s where we
come in. Our research and development departments are working hard to develop equipment that will get more out of the same raw material.” While optimising the production chain may not be the most discussed subject when it comes to this global food challenge, it can actually make a significant difference. For instance, Marel has, through innovation, managed to utilise 20 per cent more filleted fish in the end product than earlier.
Sustainable food production Another key trend in the food industry today is that consumers want to know where and how the animal protein is produced. The issue of traceability and