The company, called Tate & Lyle Food Systems, has had a presence in South East Queensland for 19 years. It supplies stabiliser systems to food firms in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, South East Asia and the Middle East.
The new centre, which has cost AU$7m (around €4.1m at today’s exchange rates), will function as the headquarters for Asia Pacific, and will be used to help customers in their quest to develop healthier foods.
In Asia Pacific, just as in Europe and the US, consumers are seeking good tasting products that also have less macronutrients that are understood to have an impact on their health, such as saturated fat or sugar. There is also interest in boosting fibre intake, with foods that have fibre added.
Consumers are also watching their pennies closely, especially in the current economic climate, and foods that have a longer shelf-life – another attribute with which systems can help – are attractive as it helps reduce wastage.
However the new site will not just benefit the region in which it is located. Tate & Lyle has an global network of R&D centres and it draws on knowledge from all of these in the solutions it offers.
In 2007 the company acquired a 70 per cent share of GC Hahn, a German company specialising in stabiliser systems, which boosted its global competencies in this area.
Brian Walker, regional sales director of Tate & Lyle Food Systems, said: “Our facility in Queensland incorporates the latest in innovative design and technology in food hygiene and allergen control. Everything has been designed to have minimal impact on the environment with extensive waste management regimes in place and the best in occupational health and safety for our staff.”
The kinds of products into which stabiliser systems make their way include yoghurts, salads, ready meals and desserts.