Manchester-headquartered Kellogg’s has opened a new food innovation centre based at its Trafford Park factory.
The Culinary and Sensory Centre has taken over 18 months to develop and consists of a packaging design lab, a culinary kitchen, a sensory hub and a small-scale cereal factory. The business has invested more than half a million pounds into the hub, which will be home to Kellogg’s team of food developers, culinary experts, chefs and packaging designers.
Manchester is already home to many of the company’s cereal creations, including Crunchy Nut which was developed at Trafford Park back in 1980.
The launch of the new centre is part of Kellogg’s decade-long plan to improve its foods so that they are “better for people, the community and the planet”. One of the first projects to come out of trials at the hub was the recent reduction of salt in Special K – reducing it by an average of 20% across the cereal range.
As well as reformulation, the space will also be a centre of innovation where Kellogg’s will trial new cereals, test new ingredients, experiment with recipes and invent the foods of the future.
The inclusion of the packaging design lab will allow the business to trial new sustainable packaging options as it moves towards its commitment towards fully reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by the end of 2025.
Chris Silcock, Kellogg’s UK Vice President, said: “As Kellogg’s this year celebrates its 100th anniversary since launching in the UK, it’s incredibly exciting to be opening a hub of food innovation as we look to what’s to come for us in the next 100 years.
“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.”
Jason Billingham, Kellogg’s senior director R&D, added: “This new centre in Manchester will allow us to innovate and create in ways we’ve never done before. It’s something we’ve been working towards for a long time, so it’s great to now see it come to life.”
