Cargill has pulled together its resources and expertise across broad areas in food, including animal protein, edible oils, sweeteners, starches, cocoa, and texturizing solutions, to start Cargill ONE, an innovation center designed to create innovative food products and new flavors for its customers in China. Situated in Shanghai, Cargill ONE employs nearly 50 researchers, scientists, nutritionists and chefs who will work with customers to develop nutritious and safe food that meet the changing tastes of consumers.

Cargill ONE is Cargill’s first innovation center in Asia that brings together so many of its different product lines. It will focus on three main areas of innovation: taste and flavors, food ingredients and menus that appeal to changing consumer demand.

Todd Hall, senior vice president of Cargill said: “Product innovation is one of the cornerstones of our evolution from a grain warehouse to a global leader in food and agriculture over the past 151 years. We have multiple innovation centers around the world specializing in distinct food groups, such as animal protein, sweeteners, food texturizers, feed and such. Cargill ONE is our first innovation center in Asia that pulls together all this knowledge from our many businesses to offer a one-stop consultancy to our customers in China.

The rapid socio-economic development in China is quickly changing the diet of the Chinese consumer and the way they view their food. At the most basic level, people need to know their food is 100 per cent safe. Cargill takes an uncompromising approach to food safety and has in place the strictest standards to ensure that all its food products are absolutely safe. Cargill ONE will deliver the food and flavors that the Chinese consumers want in their diet in a safe, healthy and nutritious way. The center will also be a platform for public education on food safety and nutrition.

Hall added: "Cargill ONE builds upon our vision to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. It also demonstrates the value that we place on China and our commitment to our customers here. I believe that in time, we will extend our service at Cargill ONE to other markets across Asia Pacific.

Chris Mallett, Vice President of R&D at Cargill, said: "Cargill ONE is the future of food. It a window for us to better understand what consumers want today and tomorrow, and help our customers be ready with the food their consumers want in the future.

These new facilities represent another major step in a series of recent investments that Cargill has made in R&D and innovation around the world and demonstrates our continuous commitment to our customers and a realization of our vision to be the most trusted partner in agriculture, food and nutrition.

Cargill ONE officially opened on December 1, 2016. In attendance were partners, customers, the China Cuisine Association and the China Association of Bakery & Confectionery Industry.