It all comes down to what’s in it

75 plants worldwide, around 6 000 employees and annual turnover approaching € 1.1 bn – the key statistics of the Sonac company, a division of the Vion Group, are impressive. Waste products from food production are processed to produce fats for energy recovery, bio­diesel and bio­gas, gela­tine products and food-grade ingredients for the manufacture of pet food among other things. The latter activity is handled by Sonac. Just under a third of turnover here derives from customers in the pet food sector, and Sonac accounts for around 60 per cent of the overall turnover of Vion Ingredients. Strong showing in Europe “All well-known manufacturers in the pet food sector in Europe are among our customers,” says marketing director Geert van der Velden, “whether they operate globally or are small regional manufacturers.” He says that most European customers are in Germany, followed by France, England and Holland. They receive primarily offal such as liver, heart and kidneys, which is then turned into wet food products. Manufacturers of dry food, an increasing number of whom are to be found among Sonac’s clientele, obtain principally fats, minerals, proteins and meal. Poultry and meat meal, several thousand tonnes of which are delivered each year, are the best sellers here. Germany is the most important market for Sonac in the sub-supplier sphere also and the company has the highest number of its own plants in one country here. It also operates a dedicated plant at nearly every sub-supplier’s site for further processing, because short routes between the abattoir and further processing facility are a prerequisite – the wet slaughter waste materials cannot be transported over long distances. A positive consequence of this for Sonac is that there is little foreign competition in this field. In particular, the stringent hygiene regulations of the EU aimed at avoiding animal diseases mean that it is virtually impossible for suppliers from the USA or China to deliver their products to Europe. The growth in the pet supplies sector is also reflected in the development of Sonac. Rising grain prices and the increasing demand for grain-free products likewise play a large role, however. Elsewhere in Europe, the demand for Sonac’s products is strong above all in Russia. Products and services “The quality of pet food is considerably influenced by the ingredients, which are added in turn according to the manufacturer’s recipe,” stresses Geert van der Velden. He says that most…