Kerry has celebrated a US$65 million expansion in savory capabilities at its Taste Center of Excellence in Clark, New Jersey. Already home to Kerry’s Sweet & Natural Extracts Center of Excellence, the new Savory Center of Excellence will expand the development and manufacturing competencies for Kerry on the East Coast.
This state-of-the-art facility brings together top-of-the-line equipment with safety, quality control, and supply chain efficiency. Beyond manufacturing, it also houses research and development experts and flavorists across Sweet, Savory and Natural Extracts, a customer engagement and innovation suite, and sensory and analytical capabilities. This unique combination supports product development from ideation and innovation all the way to production.
“This investment demonstrates not only Kerry’s impressive Taste portfolio and expertise, but also our dedication to continuously raising the bar when it comes to the safety of our people, the quality of our products and delivering a best-in-class experience for our customers,” states Mark Shipley, Chief Operating Officer, Kerry North America.
The expansion is also said to align with Kerry’s “Towards 2020 Sustainability” commitment, investing in environmentally-friendly production practices and serving as a good steward of their local community through both job creation and volunteerism. This project will create 85 additional jobs (totaling 276) in the facility while improving the environmental impact with new equipment that minimizes both emissions and waste.
The Taste Center of Excellence in Clark is a zero waste to landfill facility and is a member of SEDEX, who has completed a SMETA audit. In addition, Kerry has partnered with local chapters of organizations like Gateway Chamber, NJ Community Food Bank, Arthur L. Johnson High School Scholarship Program, Cranford Food and Toys-4-Tots as part of its local outreach.
“This project has been a massive collaborative effort across the company, leveraging our internal subject matter experts and resources to holistically provide engineering and manufacturing solutions for implementation across multiple technology platforms,” Martyn Tuthill, Vice President Operations, Taste, says.
“Our increase in automation and implementation of new technologies will ensure that we are best placed to meet the demands of our customers and grow our business, as well as meet our sustainability goals,” he adds.
Kerry’s Clark facility provides authentic taste solutions for end use markets such as meat, prepared meals, sauces, and beverages, among others.
The increasing market demand for clean label solutions without sacrificing taste, driven by consumer interest, is the key driver behind Kerry’s investment in New Jersey.
It has reached out to Kerry for further comment on the plans for the facility.
Kerry is highlighting the growing need for sustainability in product development, as the role for ingredients suppliers in tapping into consumer trends and highlighting product development platforms continually expands. Key findings from a Kerry Discovery Survey (2019), found that 42 percent of consumers agree that they are “eating less meat nowadays,” 59 percent of consumers are “more aware of their digestive health than in the past,” and 45 percent of consumers agree their food or drink choice is “influenced by ethics or sustainability.”
