Nestlé inaugurates Gerber cereal snacks plant in China, in line with recyclable packaging targets

01 Nov 2019 --- Nestlé has inaugurated its first Gerber NutriPuffs cereal snacks plant in Shuangcheng, China. With this latest investment of around RMB 100 million (US$14.2 million), the launch is an important milestone for Gerber in China. The factory will produce organic and regular Gerber NutriPuffs, in eight different flavors. The snacks will be launched in line with Nestlé’s commitment to make all its packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025, and will be presented in 100 percent recyclable cans and flexible packaging.

Gerber has a range of baby foods already available in China, including cereal, fruit and vegetable puree and snacks. Currently, Gerber is the number one brand of infant cereal in the Chinese market.

The Gerber Nutripuff factory consists of high-tech equipment, including fully automated canning and packaging lines imported from the UK, the US and Switzerland. The production line has an annual production capacity of around 1,400 tons. The factory also follows the US Green Building Council (LEED) Gold Standard.

“In the 1980s, Shuangcheng was Nestlé’s first location to invest in China. We’ve witnessed Nestlé's development for more than 30 years here, creating shared value for all stakeholders. This new factory represents Nestlé's latest investment in Shuangcheng and demonstrates Nestlé's great confidence and firm commitment to the Chinese market,” Rashid Qureshi, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Greater China explains.

Binu Jacob, Senior Vice President of Infant Nutrition Business Unit for Nestlé Greater China, also comments, “Nestlé has been committed to providing Chinese consumers with nutritious, healthy and safe products to help people live healthier lives. This time, in the construction of Gerber Nutripuff factory in Shuangcheng, we hope to provide nutritious and quality-assured supplement food to help Chinese babies to meet their growing needs at different stages.”

“We also believe that Nestlé’s technical advantages and industrial advantages of Shuangcheng will create greater economic and social benefits, promote the development and upgrading of Shuangcheng agriculture and food industry, and promote a win-win for local economic and social development,” Jacob adds.

Nestlé’s first factory in China, established in Shuangcheng, produces milk powder, cereals, and infant formula. Built in 1987 at the beginning of China’s reform and opening-up, the milk factory signaled the start of Nestlé’s journey in China. For more than 30 years, Nestlé has promoted the sustainable development of local agriculture and farming communities in Shuangcheng through “company and farmers.” Nestlé has been providing various training and technical assistance to dairy farmers in Shuangcheng.

To support and promote the transformation and modernization of China’s dairy farming industry, in 2014, Nestlé invested in the construction of a Dairy Farming Institute (DFI) in Shuangcheng. To date, DFI has conducted more than 280 training sessions to educate more than 10,000 students, including dairy farmers, technicians and college students in related fields.

Edited by Elizabeth Green

This feature is provided by Food Ingredients First’s sister website, Packaging Insights.

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