Magazines Archives - 2007 October

Tate & Lyle opens Shanghai factory to better serve Asian consumers
Story 12

UK-BASED ingredients manufacturer Tate & Lyle has opened its satellite R&D facility in China this month. The company built its portfolio on manufacturing “value-added ingredients”, such as sweeteners, texturants and wellness ingredients such as proteins, prebiotics and its Promitor line of fibres.

The Shanghai factory will kick off its production by specialising in ingredients for dairy, beverage and bakery applications. Basing the R&D team in Shanghai helps the group to better target their products and services at local customers’ needs, rationalised Mun Hay Tang, manager of technical service and applications at Tate & Lyle.

“We will learn more about Asian consumer preferences and trends, and how our ingredients can help to solve the challenges our customers face in this market,” he added.

The Tate & Lyle team will work on developments that demonstrate how its products can be adapted for use in Asian and western food and beverages to suit specific tastes.

The company’s focus on Asia is said to be due in part to International Monetary Fund estimates indicating a growth in Asian consumers’ spending averaging 6.3% over the past two years and shift in their consumption towards wellness and health products. Highlighting some of the region’s key trends, a company spokesperson added: “In China, we are seeing a strong impact of western culture [on] traditional Chinese culture and food. The economic growth, especially in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, also leads to a faster-paced lifestyle and a great role for convenience foods.”

Meanwhile, Japan is seeing the development of innovative “functional beverages”, whereas India shows a trend towards products with fibre and digestive benefits, smaller packaged items, and a growing appeal for carbonated drinks containing less sugar.