UK food producer unveils £30 million eco-friendly salad factory
The vision of the late Chairman of a UK food producer was finally realised last week with the opening of Kanes Foods new £30 million eco-friendly salad factory.
The vision of the late Chairman of a UK food producer was finally realised last week with the opening of Kanes Foods new £30 million eco-friendly salad factory.
In respect of the company’s former chairman Dr John Randall wishes, the factory was developed to work with and in respect of the environment to create one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable pieces of architecture in the country.
Kanes’ Engineering Director Clive Champion worked with Birmingham based architect firm Emission-Zero, who specialise in sustainable design, to execute the project. 
With its sweeping domed flower topped roof, the design of the new factory incorporates the latest green technology including hempclad walls, solar panels and geothermal pumps. Not only that but new technology at the factory, located in the Worcestershire village of Middle Littleton, will to improve the quality and shelf life of the 2.2 million salad bags the new factory will be capable of producing each week.
The opening of the new facility last Thursday was attended by ethnobotanist and TV presenter James Wong, who was on hand to perform the traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony by laying the final turf.
“Buildings are one of the biggest contributors to global warming so it’s great to see this new factory for Kanes Foods doing its bit to reduce carbon emissions,” said Wong.
“With its green roof comprising an array of indigenous wildflowers, it also promotes biodiversity. Not only is the factory good for the environment but the fresh salad leaves it packs are good for us too.”
The 11,000m² factory, which has taken a total of three years to build, features a myriad of eco-friendly initiatives, including the as fore mentioned roof. The green roof, thought to be the largest bio-diverse wildflower grass roof in the UK, is planted with nearly 90 species of wild flowers and grasses including poppies, buttercups and ox-eye daisies. The roof soaks up rainwater, provides insulation and boasts two sets of solar panels for the supply of electricity to the computer suite cooling system. Underground tanks also harvest the rainwater from the roof which is used to flush the site’s toilets reducing demands on the mains supply.
The building is also equipped with energy efficient lighting, while the outer layer of the factory is enveloped by a Hempcrete cassette system, a natural fibre insulation, to provide thermal efficiency. As well as having the largest hemp clad system in the UK, the factory includes state of the art geothermal heat pump technology. The geothermal system transfers heat generated by the factory to power computers and refrigeration units.
However, it is not just the building that is environmentally friendly, the salad washing and packing line also uses cutting edge technology. Innovations that will be pioneered at the Worcestershire include optical sorting, dynamic weigh feed systems, ultrasonic bag sealing, air drying and washing systems and robotic packing.
The opening of the new eco-factory will allow for the closure of the current salad bag factory at the company’s new Evesham site, which the company is planning to redevelop in the future.
Photos courtesy of fstoppress
