Cargill Finishes $17M Upgrade at Vegetable Oil Refinery

American agribusiness Cargill announced the completion of $17.5 million upgrade at its edible vegetable oil refinery in Izegem, Belgium on Thursday that will help the company comply with changes to European Union (EU) food safety and infant nutrition regulations.

The project increased the refinery’s production capacity for vegetable oils used in food and infant nutrition products by installing new processing technology and other equipment. Cargill said the replacement of old machinery at the site will help the firm comply with new EU regulations, including those concerning chemical compounds in infant food like 3- and 2- monochloropropanediol (MCPD) and glycidyl esters.

“The company is well-positioned to meet future, increasingly stringent European regulations on food safety,” Sabine Sagaert, managing director of Cargill’s oil and seeds business in EMEA, said in a company press release announcing the investment. “With many new ingredients entering the food and infant nutrition segment, food safety is an important starting point for every product. Cargill’s ability to safeguard the quality and integrity of food and infant nutrition ingredients is a key to our customers’ success.”

Cargill’s refinery in Izegem processes 11 varieties of oils and fats into more than 300 blends used in salad dressings, infant nutrition, cooking oil and other products.

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