Pet Food Processing - May 2024 - 8

BUSINESS BRIEFS
PURINA OPENS FIRST FACILITY IN NORTH CAROLINA
Nestlé Purina PetCare opened its newest pet food production
facility in Eden, NC, representing a culmination of over three
years of development and an investment of $450 million.
" Demand for our products continues to grow and opening
this new facility - our first manufacturing operation in North
Carolina - allows us to better serve our consumers, particularly
in the eastern and southeastern parts of the country, " said
Nina Leigh Krueger, chief executive officer of Purina. " Our new
factory in Eden is a huge step to continue meeting that growing
demand, and the latest example of the continued investment
being made across our US manufacturing network. We're
grateful for the support and partnership across the region, and
are confident we're building a facility, and a passionate team, that will represent this community proudly for generations to come. "
The facility spans 1.3 million square feet, 80% of which is repurposed from a former brewery, and boasts several modern technological
advancements to allow Purina to transform and enhance its overall production processes. The plant also includes the
company's first-ever vertical dryer installed in a US facility, as well as automated systems in the warehousing and freezer areas.
" We have been looking forward to this day for a very long time and are so grateful for the contributions of so many incredible
associates who've been working hard to bring this factory to life, " said Will Steiner, factory manager of the new Purina plant in
Eden. " So much amazing collaboration has gone into this project, but what's most exciting is we can now really get to work and
produce many of our pet food brands that pets love and owners trust. We have a great team in place to bring Purina's quality and
safety standards to life in Eden. "
Companies create 'world's first'
cultivated canned pet food
Cultivated meat company Meatly and novel protein pet food company Omni announced
the development of a new canned cat food made with cultivated chicken
protein. According to the companies, the product marks the first cans of pet
food to use cultivated chicken as a protein source. The new cat food contains
Meatly's cruelty-free, cultivated chicken ingredient.
" Meatly's ingredient is incredibly exciting to us at
Omni, not only because it represents a virtually infinite,
cruelty-free source of meat but also because it
can be optimized for health, " said Guy Sandelowsky,
DVM, co-founder of Omni. " This means more essential
vitamins, minerals and Omegas, and an
elimination of the troublesome components that
can be found in traditional meat, such as antibiotic
residues. We see the ingredient of particular importance
to the cat food market, which lacks credible
alternative protein solutions currently. "
Once the product has been granted regulatory approval, it, along with other
pet foods that use Meatly's cultivated proteins, will be available throughout the
United Kingdom.
" This is a major milestone for cultivated meat globally and shows that we are
ready to sell product, " said Owen Ensor, co-founder and chief executive officer
of Meatly. " As demand continues to grow, with pet food already accounting for
20% of meat produced globally, so too does the industry's environmental impact.
Cultivated meat gives pet parents an easy choice - high quality, tasty, nutritious
and sustainable pet food. "
8 PET FOOD PROCESSING | May 2024 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
ProAmpac acquires paper
packaging provider
ProAmpac has bolstered its capabilities in
recycled kraft paper solutions through the
acquisition of UP Paper. The addition of
UP Paper offers ProAmpac the ability to
create more environmentally friendly, flexible
packaging solutions.
" The UP Paper team has done an incredible
job building this great business, " said
Greg Tucker, founder, vice chairman and
chief executive officer at ProAmpac. " We
look forward to building on their existing
relationships and production expertise to
serve our customer base with a broader
suite of sustainable packaging products. "
The combined companies will leverage
each other's capabilities to provide flexible
fiber- and film-based solutions to a variety
of industries.
" Together, we will have a strong portfolio
of paper products and a shared commitment
to excellence in customer service, "
said Lars Dannberg, president and CEO
of UP Paper. " I am confident our current
and future customers will benefit from this
partnership. "
Nestlé Purina PetCare, Omni

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Pet Food Processing - May 2024

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