Kanes Foods, one of the largest salad processors in the UK, opened its new environmentally sustainable salad factory in July 2012. The new facility is located at the company’s Middle Littleton site in Evesham.

"The facility will pack over 2.2 million bags of salad per week."

The £30m facility took three years to build. It features an environmentally sustainable design including a green roof which is one of the largest in the UK. The facility will pack over 2.2 million bags of salad per week.

The Middle Littleton site is home to four separate factories which manufacture bagged salad, stir fries, egg noodles, ready meals and packed bean sprouts. With the opening of the new facility, Kanes will close its existing salad factory at the site. The company plans to redevelop the factory in the future.

Design of the Kanes Foods factory

The 100,000ft² facility was designed by Birmingham-based architectural firm Emission-Zero. It features a sweeping domed roof covered in grass and wild flowers. The roof has been designed to merge with the surrounding Cotswold Hills. An indoor farm and offices are also part of the facility.

Processing equipment at the new salad factory

The new facility is equipped with advanced equipment including optical sorting machines, dynamic weigh feed systems, advanced air drying and washing systems, ultrasonic bag sealing, and robotic packing. The equipment reduces physical contact of the salad leaves during the packaging process and improves the quality and shelf life of the final product.

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Processing starts with dynamic weigh feed systems which check the weight of the ingredients depending upon the recipe. The optical sorting machines equipped with multiple detection systems then automatically select the best leaves to enter the washing process. A tubular washing system featuring flow control is used to clean the leaves. The system puts the leaves through a thorough controlled wash ensuring that they are completely submerged and cleaned.

The next step includes air drying of the salad leaves. The plant is equipped with two types of air drying systems which gently dry the salad leaves to remove moisture. The systems remove the need for spin drying thereby reducing the damage caused to the salad leaves.

Ultrasonic bag sealing is used to pack the leaves. The technology provides better seal and uses 10% less packaging film. It also reduces wastage as it provides a guaranteed seal. Robotic bag packing then moves the packed bags into crates, reducing human contact. This increases the quality and presentation of the salad bags.

Sustainability features of the Kanes Foods salad factory

Several environment-friendly features have been incorporated into the building. The design of the building enables natural light to enter the interiors. Energy-efficient lighting supplements this natural daylight.

The green roof of the building is planted with over 90 species of wild flowers and grasses including poppies, buttercups and ox-eye daisies. It provides insulation and helps in regulating the temperature of the building. The roof also absorbs noise produced by the machinery inside the building.

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The roof absorbs rain water reducing the possibility of flash floods. The rainwater is harvested by underground tanks and used for flushing the toilets in the building. This reduces the demands on the mains supply. Excess rainwater is diverted towards a pond.

The building’s steel frame is clad with 3,500m² of Hempcrete cassette system, a natural fibre insulation developed by Lime Technology. The system provides thermal efficiency to the building.

Two sets of solar panels heat water for processing and generate electricity for the facility. The building is also equipped with geothermal pumps which transfer heat generated by the facility to produce power for the refrigeration systems. This reduces the electricity used by the facility. Other refrigeration units of the building use ammonia or natural hydrocarbon refrigerants to further reduce the carbon emissions of the facility.

Contractors

Clearway Doors & Windows supplied and installed curtain walled glazing for the facade of the facility. It also installed aluminium doors and windows.

Allen Fabs was responsible for the construction of the facility.