US-based food company General Mills has opened its new $15m technology and quality centre in China, as the company plans further investment and growth in the country.
The 75,000ft2 facility will focus on developing a wide range of food products including snacks, convenient meals, yogurt and ice cream.
The technology complex accommodates centres for product research and development, food safety, food nutrition research, and food sensory evaluation.
General Mills chairman and CEO Ken Powell said that the new technical centre in Shanghai provides General Mills a tremendous opportunity to accelerate innovation in the Greater China region and better support this rapidly expanding business.
"By bringing our world-class capabilities to the region, we will increase our agility to act on emerging consumer trends, enable bigger and better innovation pipelines, and establish a food safety centre of excellence for our business," added Powell.
In addition, General Mills is preparing to enter the $8 billion yogurt category and has started construction on a new manufacturing facility in the region.
Currently, General Mills has technical centres in France, India and Brazil.