Naylor Farms set to open new factory to turn cabbage into protein for the plant-based meat market

Naylor Farms, one of the biggest cabbage growers in Europe, launched a planning permission application on Monday (29.11.2021), to build a new processing plant in Lincolnshire, to be used to extract plant-based protein from cabbage.

The company’s Naylor Nutrition arm has been trying out a new, patent-pending cold extraction process capable to successfully remove functional protein ingredients from cabbage.

The process involves using a mixture of whole cabbage crop, trimmings and leaf to gather the plant-based protein ingredient, which is said to have a high nutritious content.
Around 2,000 tonnes of cabbages, leaf and trimmings are produced by Naylor Farms every week.

The new lab is to be built on Naylor Farms land in Spalding, Lincolnshire, and is predicted to create more than 150 new jobs for the British food manufacturing market.

In recent years pea protein has been widely used in the manufacture of plant-based meat in lieu of common allergen, soy. However recent droughts and wet conditions has impacted the production of pea protein. Sustainable and easy to grow, cabbage could be the next big ingredient in the alternative protein market.

The training and research facility at the new processing plant will be managed by The University of Lincoln.

Naylor Farms is ensuring that the new factory is run sustainably by collecting and reusing rainwater, reusing energy created by its processing methods to heat its offices and by recycling.

The factory site will also boast charging points for electric cars, and a cycle-to-work scheme for employees living locally.