FDBusiness.com

Nestlé has opened a SFr48 million (US$ 50 million) research and development centre in Solon, Ohio in the US that will focus on new product development for its frozen and chilled food businesses worldwide

The Solon R&D centre will also work on reformulating Nestlé’s frozen and chilled food products, exploring ways to reduce sodium and saturated fat, eliminate partially hydrogenated oils, incorporate more vegetables, and offer gluten free and high-protein alternatives for existing products in the market.

The R&D centre in Solon will be Nestlé’s ‘centre of excellence’ for frozen and chilled foods and is part of 12 ‘centres of excellence’ for the company around the world that are dedicated to product and process development.

While the centre’s mission is to sustain global needs, its location in Ohio reflects the growth in size and complexity of Nestlé’s frozen and chilled foods businesses in the United States, where well-known Nestlé brands lead in their various categories. That growth made an expanded and collaborative research and development effort necessary.

In addition to developing R&D strategy for Nestlé’s worldwide frozen and chilled foods businesses, the experts at Nestlé R&D Solon will focus on product innovation and renovation that both meet Nestlé’s Nutrition Foundation requirements and balance taste with nutrition, by exploring ways to reduce sodium and saturated fat, eliminate partially hydrogenated oils, incorporate more vegetables, and create gluten free and high-protein options. The team will also provide expert technical assistance to Nestlé production facilities around the world, as well as guidance in the important areas of nutrition, food processing, food quality, and food safety. Incorporated into the design is a pilot plant where the latest technology advancements and new recipes can be evaluated and refined for introduction into the marketplace.

“We’re experiencing one of the most profound shifts in how people eat right now. To address the ever-changing landscape, we’re striving to make our products healthier and tastier using unmatched R&D capability, nutrition science and passion for quality in everything we do,” says Paul Grimwood, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA. “I’m pleased that Nestlé R&D Solon will enable us to better anticipate and provide consumers with the food choices they deserve and the quality they have come to expect from Nestlé.”