Alfa Laval has announced plans to establish a world-class Food Innovation Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, focusing on developing sustainable solutions for the global food system. The initiative comes as the food industry faces mounting pressure to address its significant environmental impact, with UN data showing the sector currently accounts for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of global freshwater withdrawal.
The 1,200-square-meter facility, scheduled for completion in 2027, will be located at Alfa Laval’s Food and Water businesses headquarters. The strategic location in Copenhagen’s bio-solutions hub aims to leverage the region’s strong academic foundation and innovative business environment.
“With our range of technologies, solutions and competences, Alfa Laval is in a strong position to enable food and beverage producers to take a much bigger responsibility in their supply chain,” said Lars Dithmer, President of Alfa Laval Business Unit Food Systems. The center will complement the company’s existing test facilities in Denmark and Sweden.
Alfa Laval: Convention and innovation
The facility will concentrate on two primary areas: optimizing conventional food production and developing next-generation food technologies. For conventional foods, the center will work on improving nutritional content while reducing energy, water, and raw material consumption. The next-generation food focus will emphasize plant-based and fermentation-based foods, supporting development from concept to industrial scale.
Johan Agrell, Vice-President of Next-generation Food at Alfa Laval’s Food & Water Division, emphasized the facility’s collaborative potential: “This will be a world-class test and development facility that will tackle the challenges of supplying food today and in the future. It will represent an opportunity to partner up across the entire ecosystem of food innovation.”
Protein processing priority
The center’s initial focus will be on protein processing, addressing what the company identifies as the most significant challenge in securing sustainable food production by 2050. This includes developing more efficient methods for extracting proteins from plant-based sources and through fermentation-based processing.
The facility will also work on optimizing traditional meat and fish-based protein production. “Animal proteins will many years ahead be required to feed the population of the world. So, our mission is to continue our efforts in optimizing production of animal-based proteins and minimizing the environmental impact of this needed food source,” Agrell explained.
Beyond technical development, the center will serve as an educational platform, incorporating digital solutions and artificial intelligence to optimize food processing. The facility aims to impact operational efficiency, yield, uptime, and environmental footprint across the food industry.
The initiative represents a significant step in addressing the food industry’s environmental challenges, with the center designed to foster collaboration between startups, global food corporations, and academic institutions. Through this comprehensive approach, Alfa Laval aims to contribute to the transformation of global food systems while ensuring sustainable production methods for future generations.
