ADM to acquire non-GM crushing facility in Hungary

The company had reached an agreement to acquire Vandamme Hungaria and its related entities, which operate a 700 tonnes/day non-GM crushing and extraction facility in northern Hungary, the company said on 23 September.

ADM said it expected the acquisition, which was subject to regulatory approvals, to be completed later this year.

“The … global trends of food security and sustainability are driving demand for non-GM products, with 60% of consumers in a European survey saying that non-GM is a claim they like to see on product packaging, and ADM is investing to ensure we can meet this growing demand,” ADM’s general manager of EU soyabean crush Sebastian Kuck said.

“After a multiyear process of extending our non-GM soyabean offerings from our crush facilities in Becej, Serbia as well as Straubing and Mainz, Germany, … this soy and corn germ switch plant [will] enable us to meet the needs of our non-GM customers in the food, feed, pet and oil markets.”

The company’s growing footprint in the European non-GM soybean segment also supported its farmer suppliers by offering an outlet for a value-added crop which could help with crop rotation and provide a platform from which to enhance their regenerative agricultural practices, ADM commercial manager Rene van der Poel said.

“We … believe these investments represent another way in which we’re adding to our capabilities and demonstrating our … ability to meet customer needs, including when EU deforestation regulations come into law,” van der Poel said.

Built in 2010, the Hungary-based production Komárom facility processes soyabeans and corn germ into meal and oils for customers in Europe and the Middle East.

Based in Deinze, Belgium, the Vandamme Group is a family company active in the production and refining of vegetable oils.