Kellogg’s opens new innovation center in UK to ‘invent the foods of the future’
UK – American multinational food manufacturing company Kellogg’s has opened a new food innovation center in northern England in an effort to bolster its capability to ‘invent the foods of the future’.
The opening of the center comes as the Battle Creek, Michigan-based cereals and snacks major celebrates 100 years since first launching in the UK.
The company says the Kellogg’s Culinary and Sensory Centre at its Trafford Park factory near Manchester will allow the company to ‘innovate’ and ‘create’ in ways it’s never done before.
“The space will be the source of new products, innovative packaging solutions and reformulation – that will not only be rolled out across the UK but will be seen by consumers across Europe,” added Chris Silcock, Kellogg’s UK vice president.
Upwards of £500,000 has been invested in the hub, which will be home to Kellogg’s team of food developers, chefs, and packaging designers.
Reformulation will be a key focus of the new center, especially after the company lost its battle against a new national health policy that bans the promotion of sugary cereals, such as through “buy one, get one free” deals.
Indeed, the center is proving its resourcefulness to the company, with one of the first projects to come out of trials at the hub being a recent reduction of salt in Special K.
Upwards of £500,000 has been invested in the hub, which will be home to Kellogg’s team of food developers, chefs, and packaging designers.
Overall, the renovation has seen an average salt reduction of 19.8% across the Special K cereal range. As a result, five out of Kellogg’s seven varieties of Special K cereals are now HFSS-compliant.
In addition to reformulation, the Culinary and Sensory Centre is also where the company will trial new cereals, test new ingredients, experiment with recipes, and ‘invent the foods of the future’.
Packaging design will also be central to the facility, which has a dedicated packaging design lab that will enable Kellogg to trial new sustainable packaging options.
The company has pledged to use 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by the end of 2025.
Already, significant reductions in carton board, case weight, plastic liner, and plastic wrap have been made across its Bran Flakes, Special K, and Frosties brands.
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