A Lincolnshire vegetable grower has launched plans for a £20m processing factory that will produce plant-based protein from cabbages.

Naylor Farms, near Spalding, is one of Europe’s largest coleslaw cabbage growers and the cabbage protein venture is a world first.

It hopes to secure planning for a factory that will convert 2,000t of the crop a week, creating 150 jobs in the process.

The new business, trading under the name Naylor Nutrition, has also lodged a patent application for a unique system that extracts protein and other ingredients from cabbage plants.

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Chief executive Simon Naylor said that producing protein from cabbages was a sustainable, allergen and genetically modified-free alternative to soya.

With high shipping costs and pressure on supply chains, UK-produced plant proteins could have an advantage over expensive soya imports, Mr Naylor said.

Increasingly unpredictable weather and the upcoming introduction of post-Brexit import controls could make cabbage protein even more price-competitive, he added.

Mr Naylor reckoned cabbage protein stacked up well against other sources like pea-derived products.

“Pea protein, which is used in plant-based foods such as burgers, is currently under threat, with droughts and wet harvests impacting on both the global price and availability of the ingredient,” he said.

Benefits

There were environmental benefits from home-grown protein, too.

The factory would be sited next to the growing crop, all but eliminating the thousands of food miles associated with imports, Mr Naylor explained.

The firm is now awaiting a decision on planning permission for the 2,500sq m building.

To minimise the impact on the environment, the building will be heated by the cabbage processing system and sit within a specially created woodland and meadow.

It will also support electric charging points for vehicles and staff will be encouraged to take part in a cycle-to-work scheme from nearby Spalding.