At 'What’s Cooking?' everything runs smoothly

What's for dinner today? What's happening? Or in other words: 'What's Cooking?' It's a commonly asked question in everyday language, and also the name of a major European producer of hams, pâté, and meals. The company is at the forefront of making its sector more sustainable, working alongside customers, suppliers, and consumers.

'Sustainability also means taking care of your belongings so they last longer.'

In spring of 2023, the Belgian food company Ter Beke boldly began a new chapter with its strategy, adopting the name 'What’s Cooking?' What remains consistent are the fine cold cuts (charcuterie), savory snacks, and prepared dishes, consciously choosing the term "savory." The focus isn't solely on meat, but also on meat products, spreads, and snacks. Over the coming years, there will be a strong push towards innovation and the rapid introduction of new plant-based products. By 2030, a staggering 15% of the portfolio will be plant-based. The headquarters are located in Belgium, with one of its production sites in Wommelgem.

Safety

Dirk Steurs, Technical Service Purchaser at 'What’s Cooking?', has been with the company for over 11 years at the Wommelgem location. After some detours through various technical roles at other companies, he feels most at home here, enjoying the variety in his work and the combination of intellectual and hands-on tasks. "Safety comes first, both for my colleagues on the production floor and for consumers ensuring food safety," he says. The Last Minute Risk Analysis (LMRA), also called start-work analysis, helps in this respect. He explains, "Before a technician gets started on a workorder, they need to answer a safety checklist. If you can't answer 'yes' to all the questions, you can't begin the task. This approach continually reminds employees of safety regulations during all operations. The forms are thus a constant wake-up call." Another safety measure at What’s Cooking? is the ‘Loto lockout-tagout’. Dirk explains, "An employee doing maintenance work on a machine first turns it off. The lock secures this switch-off, ensuring the machine doesn't start unexpectedly during maintenance."

Werner Sanfrinnon, account manager at FenS (left) with Dirk Steurs.

Sustainability

Ensuring quality and food safety requires a lot of cleaning in the factory, which in turn requires water. "We're reducing our water consumption thanks to our water purification system. And the roof here in Wommelgem is lined with solar panels. We generate our own electricity with solar energy," the technician proudly states. "But sustainability also means: taking care of your belongings so they last longer. We actively work to optimize the lifespan of machines by creating specific work orders for each machine, noting its function and quality. This way, the performance of the machines is visualized over time, allowing us to more precisely perform preventative maintenance."

Service

'What’s Cooking?' prefers working with local suppliers, ensuring they know where their ingredients come from and supporting the local economy. Dirk says, "We aim for honest, long-term partnerships because we want to be sure that our suppliers value sustainability as much as we do. For as long as I've been here, we've used lubricants from FenS, suppliers for lubrication, heat transfer, metalworking, and cleaning. Their lubricants are of high quality; I've never had complaints. Importantly, they provide up-to-date product and safety information, and all food certificates."

Ambitious

"Quality, along with safety, is paramount for us, both in the products we sell and those we buy," Dirk continues. "Additionally, we place great emphasis on reliable suppliers. This aspect outweighs 'price' for us. A partner that thinks alongside us pays off in the long run. If we have an issue with the lubricants, the only thing I need to do is call, and FenS resolves it." He mentions that they regularly take samples of the oils to test for contamination and deterioration. "The test results have always been positive. Thanks to the extended lifespan and multifunctional properties of the lubricants, we also operate more efficiently and save costs."

All of this aligns with the ambitious sustainability strategy of 'What’s Cooking?', aiming to join forces with partners across the entire value chain – farmers, suppliers, customers, and consumers – to prepare the food sector for the future.

www.whatscooking.group
www.fens.nl