General Mills inaugurates $15m technical centre in China

General Mills has inaugurated its $15m technology and quality centre in Shanghai, China, in a move to channel more investment into one of its largest growth markets.

The 75,000ft² complex houses centres for product research and development, food safety, food nutrition research and food sensory evaluation.

The facility will develop products such as snacks, convenient meals, yogurt and super premium ice cream.

General Mills chairman and CEO Ken Powell said: "Our 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."

The company also operates technical centres in Minneapolis, France, India and Brazil, as well as a research centre in Switzerland in joint venture with Nestlé.

The packaged foods producer aims to see a double-digit growth in net sales from Greater China this fiscal year.

General Mills China executive vice president and president Gary Chu said: "Our continued success in China will require consistently meeting the needs and demands of our consumers.

"Over the last two decades, we have built a growing portfolio of brands and products that Chinese consumers have come to love and trust.

"With the tremendous economic growth in China, establishing greater technical capabilities in this market is critical for our continued success."

Minnesota-headquartered General Mills is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods. It reported worldwide sales of $17.9bn in fiscal 2014.

Operating in more than 100 countries, the company markets various brands, including Cheerios, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry and Yoki.