FDBusiness.com

Starch Europe, the trade association representing the European starch industry, has announced the addition of two new members, taking its total membership to 27 starch producers across Europe. The new members are Lantmännen-Reppe of Sweden and Viresol of Hungary.

“We are delighted to welcome two new members to Starch Europe,” says Jamie Fortescue, Managing Director of Starch Europe. “It has always been Starch Europe’s ambition to be truly representative of the full breadth of EU Starch Producers. With the arrival of these two new members, Starch Europe represents over 95% of EU starch production, solidifying our role as the unique and legitimate voice of the EU Starch Industry to both EU and International stakeholders.”

“We’ve been in the business since 1876 and joining the Starch Europe family feels good and we look forward to a fruitful membership,” says Mattias Gustafsson of Lantmännen-Reppe. “We hope that we have much to gain and much to contribute.” Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative owned by 25.000 farmers, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and active in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy, starch and food products.”

Viresol is a new wheat processing company of Central Europe founded in 2015 in Hungary, starting operations in the last quarter of 2018, with more than 250 employees, processing 250,000 tons of wheat to produce starch, modified starches, vital gluten, maltodextrin, alcohol and feed. “We are delighted to join the Starch Europe family,” says Dr Anett Toth of Viresol.

2019 marks the 60-year anniversary of Starch Europe. Throughout the year, Starch Europe will organise multiple activities, including an events campaign launching at their annual conference on 15 October, which will see its members host events across Europe to celebrate the importance and dynamism of the industry, and its many ingredients, all under the banner Beyond Starch.