Meala FoodTech has more than tripled its manufacturing capacity for functional pea-protein ingredients across production sites in France and Germany. The Israeli company is supplying commercial formulations for bakery and plant-based foods, with the expanded operation intended to support customer launches during 2027. Its processed proteins can provide binding, gelling, foaming and emulsifying functions that eggs or combinations of hydrocolloids supply in some recipes. The company has not disclosed individual plant capacities, annual pea-protein tonnage or current utilisation, so the expansion is best described as additional manufacturing capability rather than an established output volume.
Meala estimates that the expanded network could supply enough ingredient to replace approximately 1,400 tonnes of eggs during 2027, equivalent in its calculation to around 82,000 eggs a day. Those figures describe the quantity of eggs that customers might avoid using in food formulations; they are not a stated target of 1,400 tonnes of pea-protein output. Actual substitution will depend on customers qualifying the ingredient, placing orders and finding formulations that deliver the intended texture at industrial scale.
The ingredient is processed to make pea protein perform functions beyond providing nutrition. In conventional bakery production, eggs contribute to the structure of a cake through proteins that set as heat is applied, while also influencing aeration, binding and the distribution of ingredients. Changing the formulation can affect batter viscosity, gas retention, oven rise and the finished crumb. Meala’s technology aims to offer multiple functions through a single protein ingredient, reducing the number of separate binding or texture additives required in selected products.
Meala describes a proprietary combination of physical and enzymatic processing that alters the functional behaviour of pea proteins. It has not published the full processing sequence or operating parameters. In industrial production, the important question is whether batches provide consistent viscosity, water binding, gel formation and aeration when customers use them under different mixing and heating conditions. The company says it has worked on process control and repeatability across its production sites. Detailed batch-release specifications and cross-site test results have not been disclosed publicly.
Producing the ingredient at two European locations increases available supply routes, while also requiring comparable performance from each manufacturing line. Functional consistency is more demanding than supplying material with the same protein percentage: variation in hydration or particle characteristics could alter batter handling or the texture of a finished product. Manufacturers qualifying a second source need to check that commercial formulations run within established process conditions. Meala says it has validated functional performance across its sites, although it has not published customer trial data or machine-by-machine output figures.
The business already supplies ingredients through partners rather than relying solely on a new direct-to-manufacturer sales operation. DSM-Firmenich markets Vertis PB Pea for savoury applications, including meat alternatives, while Lasenor Emul markets LASENOR VP-100 as an egg-replacement ingredient for bakery production. These commercial arrangements predate the latest capacity increase. Meala says its proteins are already present in branded retail products and that it works with dozens of food manufacturers across several categories.
Meala reports formulation cost reductions of roughly 30–40% in selected bakery applications, including a sponge cake comparison with savings above 40% against an egg-based reference. These are supplier-reported ingredient and formulation calculations, not savings measured across complete factory operations. The effect will change with egg prices, dosage, processing yield and any adjustments required elsewhere in a recipe. Nor does a successful egg-free cake establish equivalent performance in every bakery process: aeration and gel-setting demands differ between products and production lines.
Liquid egg supply brings its own handling requirements, including temperature control and limited storage life. Replacing some egg content with an ambient-stable dry ingredient could simplify certain logistics and inventory arrangements, subject to the ingredient specification and storage conditions. It would not automatically remove every chilled ingredient or refrigeration load from a factory. Reformulated products must also be assessed for nutritional content, allergen obligations and labelling rules in each sales market rather than relying on a general description of a cleaner ingredient list.
Meala also cites a life cycle assessment conducted by Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences which reports a 63% lower carbon footprint and a 96% lower water footprint per kilogram of protein than egg powder. The comparison is expressed per kilogram of protein, not per cake, completed product or equivalent egg function. Manufacturing decisions would need to consider the different amounts of ingredient required, the complete formulation and the sourcing of each raw material before treating those reported differences as product-level environmental savings.
The company is participating in a 2025–2027 EIT Food project with NIZO and Van Hall Larenstein focused on scaling functional proteins. That work places manufacturing repeatability and application performance alongside the commercial rollout. Meala also reports self-affirmed generally recognised as safe status for selected US food uses following a review by independent experts; that is not the same as a new approval issued by the US Food and Drug Administration. Its next stated customer showcase is Fi Europe in Frankfurt, where bakery applications will be demonstrated in November.
Meala’s 2027 projection of ingredient sufficient to replace 1,400 tonnes of eggs depends on customer adoption and production schedules, not on a disclosed order book. It has commercial partners and products in retail distribution, but the company has not separated contracted volumes from anticipated launches. The operational test for its enlarged France–Germany production network will be repeatable performance in customers’ commercial batches, backed by deliveries at the required scale. For now, the threefold capacity change is confirmed as the company’s reported expansion, while substitution volumes, formulation savings and environmental comparisons retain their stated qualifications.
