Quorn Opens “World’s Biggest” Meat-Free Meat Facility

United Kingdom-based brand Quorn Foods doubled its production capacity this week with the opening of a new facility in England—which it describes as the “world’s biggest” factory of its kind. Quorn—which offers several vegan products, including chicken nuggets—is now capable of producing 1.33 million packages of meatless products (approximately 20,000 tons per year), which is equivalent to the meat produced by 1,600 cows. Quorn reported a 12-percent increase in sales during the first six months of 2018 and aims to become a billion-dollar company by 2027. In July, Quorn invested $9 million into creating a research and development facility to develop its own “bleeding” burger to compete with popular brands such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. In conjunction with increasing its production, the company aims to eliminate 297 tons of non-recyclable plastic from its supply chain, and hopes to convert its packaging to be made from 100-percent sustainable materials by 2025. “We see decades of growth ahead of us as consumers respond to growing environmental concerns around meat production,” Quorn CEO Kevin Brennan said. “We provide dramatic sustainability benefits compared to meat, and this new facility will enhance those benefits further.”