Research & development

Research & Development at VION Fresh Meat West comprises both product innovation and chain innovation. These are separate areas, but they supplement and reinforce each other.

Product innovation
Research & Development works on the development of new products with a focus on nutritional value, health, organic ingredients and functionality. Innovations often target product optimization and product differentiation.

Chain innovation
Research & Development also works on new developments in the chain, such as environmental and animal welfare considerations in the primary sector. Research & Development works closely together with VION Farming.

Process innovation
Our production process is another area that R&D focuses on.
Unrelenting further automation and mechanization of the process is leading to better working conditions, and also boosts safety, hygiene and quality.
The latest technologies are tested, and subsequently implemented, wherever possible and required. One example is our use of ‘robots’ to microbiologically clean slaughtered animals, and keep them clean. These robots are extremely accurate, minimising the chance of the animals getting dirty.
Meat quality has been high on our R&D department's agenda for many years. R&D is looking for ways of defining quality characteristics of the meat as early as when the meat is still in the abattoir. One example is measuring the meat's colour in the slaughter line. Set parameters subsequently enable us to sort the meat right away on the basis of the measurements. Other criteria are the meat's pH value and drip percentage. The new quality measuring and automatic sorting method enables us to better standardise and differentiate products, and better tailor them to our clients' specific wishes.