Tradition and technology - Production & logistics

Belgium as a whole, and Flanders as a region, have become renowned for the fine chocolates and gourmet beers they produce and export around the world. The food industry in Flanders, however, goes much further - it is a dynamic industry with large numbers of foreign firms using the region as a base for production, processing, packaging and distribution operations. Some recent major investments have included:

Tropicana: In 2003 Tropicana's newly opened plant at the Port of Zeebrugge in Flanders came on line as the company's largest investment outside the USA. The plant provides the United Kingdom, Benelux and Scandinavia with a variety of fruit juices and, in addition to being Tropicana's largest in Europe, was the first of its European plants to be built from scratch. It was built alongside the company's existing cool store facility at the port. Tropicana also has its European headquarters in Brussels.

Ariake Japan: In 2004 Japan's major producer of natural food seasonings announced construction of a European production and distribution plant in Maasmechelen, Flanders. The plant will produce 100% natural bouillons and sauce bases manufactured from high-quality raw materials purchased mainly in the Flanders region. Ariake bought the land for its Maasmechelen plant from Pingo Poultry, one of the main broiler manufacturers in the EU. The company is part of the Nutreco Group, the world's number one in fish farming and a brand name in the animal nutrition sector.

HJ Heinz: HJ Heinz Belgium began operations in Flanders in 1947. Its portions production site for the European market was shifted to the city of Turnhout in 1999 and is now undergoing a major expansion program with the support of the Flanders Government.

Campina: In 2005 the Dutch-based dairy foods company, opened a state-of-the-art production facility at its site in Aalter after an investment of 80 million euro. The fully refurbished plant, which employs some 500 people, produces long-life dairy products for European and international markets. Production capacity at the site was been expanded to an annual 275 million units (UHT bottles) and an entirely new automatic warehouse of 10,000 m2 was been built.

Yakult: In 2005 the Japanese "probiotica" firm Yakult opened its first European research unit at the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology incubator in Ghent. Researchers are focusing on specific aspects of good bacteria, stomach flora and digestive health. The company had been on the Belgian market for 10 years prior to announcing the opening of the research laboratory.

Other international companies with large-scale operations in Belgium include Procter & Gamble with a Pringles manufacturing facility at Mechelen, and international finance, marketing and research sites in Brussels. Yoko Fresh Food, a subsidiary of the Irish Dairy Board, has the largest cheese pre-packing operation in Belgium and not only handles its own products but products for other international companies as well. It exports to a range of European markets. Its sister company Nikita, also in Flanders, produces salads, fish roes, appetizers, sauces and cheese.

Distribution

Major distribution operations include Louis Dreyfus, one of the three largest producers of orange juice in the world, with a European distribution center in Ghent supplied directly by the company's Brazilian operation. The major Flemish ports are also major players in the import of fruit and juices. Belgian New Fruit Wharf's specialized facilities at the Port of Antwerp occupy an area of 330,675 m2 and have a total capacity of temperature-controlled warehousing of 176,528 m2. The port is Europe's second largest port for frozen concentrated orange juice.

Industry, Training & Initiatives

The food industry in Flanders is represented by the industry organization Fevia, which has its own Flanders division. Some 80% of companies within the industry are members. IPV (the Institute for Professional Training in the Food Industry) is a non-profit organization that works with some 10,800 industry employees, 350 job-seekers and 115 industrial trainees annually.

Recent initiatives in the industry have included proposals to establish a "functional foods" campus, and "Flanders Food", a link between the industry, the universities and the government which is aimed at strengthening innovation within the sector.

More info: www.fevia.be (Dutch and French only)