Leading food company BRF, which is responsible for the Sadia brand of frozen foods in the Middle East, opened a new Dh588-million ($160 million) factory at Kizad, Abu Dhabi, UAE, today (November 27).

The 162,157-sq-m facility will employ more than 1,400 workers and will facilitate faster and more efficient access of the Sadia brand to global markets, enhancing the brand's quality and innovation, said a statement.

The plant will have a production capacity of about 70,000 tonnes of food products a year, including breaded items, pizzas and burgers.

The BRF is part of the working groups of Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA) and Standardisation Organisation for GCC (GSO). It encourages the continuous improvement of food production standards in the Middle East as well as knowledge sharing among all relevant stakeholders to ensure the region’s food production safety and quality guidelines, it said.

Abilio Diniz, chairman, said: “The new plant, represents one of the key foundations of BRF’s strategy of commitment and investment to the Middle East region, a fast growing market that is most strategically placed for the internationalisation process of BRF products."

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, chief executive officer of ADPC, and chairman of the Kizad board, said: “We are delighted to see BRF as the first investor to become operational in Kizad. The opening of the food production plant represents a crucial landmark in our continuous efforts to enable development and trade, while diversifying the emirate’s economy in line with Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030.

“The fact that BRF is opening its biggest Middle East plant in Kizad confirms the zone’s world-class business offerings, innovative logistics infrastructure and unprecedented access to global markets through our flagship deep-water Khalifa Port, the first semi-automated port in the region. As the local food industry promises significant growth in the years to come, the BRF plant will considerably contribute to the local production output and reduce the emirate’s dependence on imports.”

Patricio Rohner, general director of Middle East and Africa, recognised the essential role of food safety in production and how BRF is impacting local food production standards in the Middle East

“The factory demonstrates our capacity for innovation in production facilities that adhere to the strictest standards of quality and food safety worldwide and which rigidly follow the process of Halal to produce chicken and meat products for the region,” he said.

“We are dedicated to continuous improvement in the food production chain for each product we deliver to our consumers. In addition, Sadia plans to expand its portfolio with breakthrough innovations to offer the best qualities products to our consumers.” - TradeArabia News Service