Russian giant opens high-tech meat plant

Russia’s largest meat producer Miratorg has opened the country’s first high-tech meat processing complex for case-ready products, according to company management.

The company said the new facility can process around 22,000t of meat products per year, which means Miratorg’s total production capacity for semi-finished pork products has increased by four times.

The new facility is located at the site of an existing Miratorg meat processing plant near Korocha city in the Belgorod Oblast region and includes 13 production lines for the production of case-ready meat products, including minced meat, chops, steaks, semi-finished products in marinades and spices.

“The capacity of the complex is 800t per day, it is the most modern and well-equipped enterprise of its kind in Russia. The complex is designed taking into account all technological features of meat processing, so the most modern solutions in the areas of weighing, dosing and packaging equipment have been implemented, which will let us produce products of the highest quality,” said a Miratorg spokesperson.

The introduction of such a complex is of great importance for the whole Russian meat market. Previously the case-ready segment, which is currently gaining popularity among Russian consumers, was primarily dominated by imported products.

“We see great market prospects for fresh meat and in retail packs in Russia and the growing consumer demand for high-quality domestic meat and semi-finished meat products. The launch of a new high-tech complex will let Miratorg substantially increase the supply of such products to the Russian market and to compete with the best imported models in terms of quality and affordability to the citizens,” the president of Miratorg, Viktor Linnik said.

According to the Meat Union of Russia, in recent years the case-ready market has grown by 30-40% a year, and experts predict that in the coming years this trend will continue.