Unilever has announced the unveiling of a Global Foods Innovation Centre, at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
The centre, named 'Hive', was inaugurated by the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander.
Unilever invested €85 million in the research centre, which is located in one of the world's leading universities for agri-food research.
Fundamental Transformation
Alan Jope, Unilever chief executive, commented, "We need a fundamental transformation of the food system if we are to feed more than nine billion people sustainably and nutritiously.
"Malnutrition, obesity, climate change and food waste are issues that can only be addressed if we work in partnership to accelerate technology and innovation. Having a global research and development centre in Wageningen will enable us to do exactly this.”
The centre will help Unilever in conducting research for its food innovation programmes for brands like Knorr, Hellmann’s, The Vegetarian Butcher, and Calvė.
The main focus areas will include plant-based ingredients and meat alternatives, efficient crops, sustainable food packaging, and nutritious foods.
Sustainable Building
The research centre has been awarded a BREEAM-NL Outstanding accreditation, the highest certification for sustainable buildings.
Large parts of the fully-circular building are accessible to the public, Unilever said in its statement.
The Wageningen area in the Netherlands is known as 'Food Valley' in recognition of the breakthroughs in the sector, achieved by start-ups, science institutes, NGOs and companies located in the area.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
