Peterborough's Meadow Foods gets go ahead to build own bottle washing facility

A Peterborough-based milk supplier whose products are stocked in most major supermarkets is to build a new warehouse unit so it can wash its own bottles.

At the moment, Meadow Foods, in Whitehead Drive, Fengate, has to transport the hundreds of bottles to a washer three miles away.

Now the company, which employs about 100 staff and which turns out about 44 million litres of milk each year, has been given the go ahead to construct a purpose-built bottle washer facility on its site at Third Drove.

Permission for the new 340 square metre structure has just been granted by Peterborough City Council.

A document submitted with the company’s planning application states: “The driving force behind this proposal by Meadow Foods is to enable them, during manufacturing to wash their equipment on site.

"Currently this process takes place off-site, increasing waste in regard of time, energy as well as pollution.”

Established in 2009, the site is home to Meadow Fresh division and is the largest fresh dairy ingredients facility in the UK.

It specialises in the production of milks, cream, cultured products and custard with the state-of-the-art facilities benefit from the closeness of any of the UK’s leading food manufacturers.

Seven years ago, the company invested £7 million to fund a range of new packaging equipment and various efficiency improvements.

It acquired an extra 2.5 acre site, which doubled the company’s footprint, with the expansion enabling the creation of 50 jobs at the company.

It also turns out 85,000 tonnes, of cream, creme fraiche and yogurt each year.