Global food company Danish Crown is set to invest more than £100 million in a new processing facility in Rochdale, Manchester.

The 30,500-square-metre facility will use automated production equipment and processing technology to slice and pack bacon and gammon.

Danish Crown says the site will be 100% powered by renewable energy and built to environmental standards, supporting its “wider ambition” to deliver climate-neutral meat production by 2050.

Heat recovery from the plant’s utility systems will replac conventional heating sources. The company plans to reduce food waste through “the use of bacon offcuts in other products such as sausages, while a circular packaging system for deliveries of pork to the site will minimise packaging waste”.

Jais Valeur, CEO at Danish Crown, said: “Danish Crown has a long heritage in the UK, bringing British consumers high-quality bacon and pork products for over 135 years. This investment forms the next step in our commitment to the UK market, bringing our customers a reliable, transparent supply of high-quality bacon to help meet demand, produced to high sustainability and welfare standards.”

He continued: “The future of meat will be based on high-quality products that are as sustainable as possible. We know this is an ambition shared by many of our customers in the UK, and with this new factory, we look forward to working more closely with them towards a more sustainable future for food production.”

Danish Crown says the investment will create around 300 specialised jobs in the local area.