Laying a Model of Sustainability for Food Processing
Vital Farms hatched a plan to create a model of sustainability for Egg Central Station, which is why it’s FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2023 Sustainable Plant of the Year.
It only takes a few seconds after stepping into Vital Farms’ Egg Central Station (ECS) to realize that the company truly loves its egg-related puns. If there’s writing nearby, be it on a wall, memo or bulletin board, there’s a pun not far behind. They’re part of an ethos that starts from the top and flows down the company’s ranks to put a smile on someone’s face, even if just for a second. That idea of doing good extends beyond the facility walls to its other locations, the farmers who supply the eggs, the consumers who buy the product and, finally, to the planet itself. That visible commitment to the environment is why the addition at ECS was chosen as FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2023 Sustainable Plant of the Year.
Located in Springfield, Mo., the original 85,000-sq.-ft. ECS opened in 2017, comprising a 65,000-sq.-ft. production floor and 20,000-sq.-ft. administrative space. The addition completed in May 2022 added another 65,000-sq.-ft. production space, mirroring the original in its design. Doubling the production space with an identical floor plan benefitted the company by allowing it to double throughput—going from processing three million eggs per day to six million.