MINNEAPOLIS – Cargill has turned its commitment to innovation in food, nutrition and food safety into brick-and-mortar reality with the opening of two major R&D facilities.
About 200 scientists are working at the Minneapolis Research and Development Center in Plymouth, Minnesota. The $25 million, 100,000-sq.-ft. facility features molecular biology labs, advanced analytical and materials research laboratories, test kitchens and a pilot production plant.
Projects under way at the center focus on improving food safety to developing new food ingredients. Cargill said the project builds on the company’s 2014 investment toward a Food Innovation Center, which also is in Plymouth. There, food science teams develop innovative edible oils products and solutions for bakery, snacks, cereals and foodservice customers.
The second innovation center is in Shanghai. The Cargill ONE Innovation Center features a 22,000-sq.-ft. facility with a sensory lab, demonstration kitchen and capabilities for dairy, beverage, bakery, convenience food and culinary applications. The 25-plus scientists working on site are tasked with developing innovative menu solutions that combine consumer insights, trend forecasts and culinary expertise that will serve as the incubator for future tastes. Shanghai center also will be used as a platform to educate the public on nutrition and food safety.
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| Ruth Kimmelshue, corporate senior vice-president for business operations and supply chian at Cargill |
“Consumers are voting with their values on a wide range of quickly emerging food issues,” Ruth Kimmelshue, corporate senior vice president for Business Operations and Supply Chain at Cargill, said in a statement. “We have to anticipate what the world wants to eat and what the future of nutrition is going to look like to help our customers succeed and meet consumer demand. These new R&D facilities will help us do just that.”
Kimmelshue added that the facilities harness the company’s expertise in animal protein, refined oils, sweeteners, starches, cocoa, texture solutions and unique flavors
“They will serve not only as innovation centers for China and North America, but will help our global community meet ever changing demands of modern consumers for taste, nutrition and safety,” Kimmelshue said.
