MPs tour Northamptonshire sites showcasing the value of British supply chains
Over half of UK households have bought plant-based products in the past five years
Mike Reader MP, Chair of the APPG for Food & Drink, and Josh Newbury MP, Chair of the APPG for Food Security, visited Danone's Alpro factory in Kettering and nearby Navara Oat Milling on August 20 to see first-hand the benefits of local sourcing.
During the visit, the MPs toured both facilities, met employees and learned how the sites contribute to local jobs, support regional supply chains and drive economic growth across Northamptonshire and beyond.
The visit comes as plant-based food and drink continues to move firmly into the mainstream.
Over half of UK households have bought plant-based products in the past five years, and more than a third purchase them regularly.
As a leading plant-based brand, Alpro's Kettering factory has been producing plant-based drinks for shoppers for more than 25 years.
Last year, Danone made the investment to make its most popular Alpro oat drink from 100% British Oats, with the Navara Oat Mill sources its oats mostly from within an 80-mile radius of the mill.
The move resulted in an estimated 6000 tonne reduction in Alpro’s carbon footprint in 2025.
Mike Reader, Labour MP for Northampton South, said: "You don't often see the whole production loop in a single visit. British oats, milled at Navara in Northamptonshire, going straight into a product millions of people buy, like Alpro, and now actually being exported.
"A global company like Danone choosing to invest in British sourcing and agriculture, and supporting more than 250 jobs locally, is exactly what we should be encouraging more companies to do.
"As Chair of the Food & Drink and International Trade and Investment APPGs, I can say with certainty that it's a model worth backing, and it was great to see it up close with Danone."
Josh Newbury, Labour MP for Cannock Chase, said: “It was fantastic to have the chance to see the state-of-the-art Alpro factory which produces a sustainable, healthy product whilst supporting hundreds of jobs in the Midlands, now including locally produced and processed oats.
“Completing the loop with the visit to Navara’s mill was incredibly useful for my role on Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
"We know that oats are a low impact, resilient crop which aligns with many of the priorities that British farmers have today, so the huge investment has been made into oat milling and good quality jobs in Northamptonshire is a great sign. I am looking forward to taking what I learned from this visit back to Westminster.”
Aimeric Mathey, site director at the Alpro Factory in Kettering, said: "It was a pleasure to welcome MPs Mike Reader and Josh Newbury to our Kettering site. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate our expertise, how we're investing in British supply chains and supporting local jobs.
"With more than 250 colleagues on site, we're proud to be part of the local community while providing millions of consumers with healthy, tasty plant-based drinks produced right here in Kettering."
Donna Smith, Managing Director at Navara Oat Milling, added: “We were delighted to host MPs Mike and Josh at Navara. We are proud of the investment we’ve made in our modern oat mill, enabling us to supply Danone with high-quality products made from British-grown oats, sustainably milled here in Northamptonshire.
"It was also a great opportunity to demonstrate how Navara supports British farming and the nation’s food security.”