Danish Technological Institute helps smaller producers of plant-based foods to grow
More than 30 participating companies will be offered tailor-made development courses in areas such as process development, food safety and taste optimisation.
Thirty small and medium-sized plant-based product manufacturers will get access to customised development procedures over the course of the following three years, which will help them succeed in the Danish market. This takes the shape of the ‘planteVÆKST’ project of the Danish Technological Institute, which recently obtained a DKK 8.5 million (€1.14m) grant from the Danish Plant Foundation.
“During the process, we will work closely with the foodservice and retail sectors to ensure market suitability and pricing for the products our participants work with,” says Gry Carl Terrell, project manager at the Danish Technological Institute. “In addition, great emphasis will be placed on the use of organic raw materials, as we see a parallel potential for strengthening the organic sector in Denmark. Finally, we will aim to create a network where companies can exchange experiences and support each other in the process and in the future.”
A survey of a number of small and medium-sized companies has shown that they particularly demand test and scale-up facilities with associated professional expertise in areas such as process optimisation, taste optimisation, food safety assessment and shelf life.
Therefore, the up to 30 participating companies will be offered tailor-made development courses in areas such as process development and scale-up, microbiological and chemical food safety, taste optimisation, shelf life and packaging.
Exactly which SMEs will be on the list of participants will be decided by the project’s steering committee, which consists of representatives from the Danish Plant Industry, the Danish Plant Plant, the Danish Plant Industry, the Danish Export and Investment Fund, EIFO and Dagrofa.
“Together with companies, we promote the green transition by supporting an increased production of plant-based foods. Our focus in the project is to support companies in creating and producing tasty quality products that meet the expectations of retailers, but more importantly – products that consumers enjoy eating,” says Gry Carl Terrell.
The project will run for three years and will officially start on 1 April 2025.
Interested companies can already contact the project manager, Gry Carl Terrell at [email protected]
