Unilever to build new global foods innovation centre in Netherlands

UK-based fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, Unilever is planning to build a new global Foods Innovation Centre in Wageningen, the Netherlands.

The company plans to co-locate its new centre with its other Foods R&D organisations, which are currently located in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands; Heilbronn, Germany;  and Poznan, Poland.

Unilever Europe president Jan Zijderveld said: “The Agri-Food Innovation climate in The Netherlands is very strong.

“The co-location of all elements of our Foods R&D organisation within the Foods Innovation ecosystem in Wageningen will enable Unilever to strengthen its ability to develop cutting edge Foods innovations in close collaboration with the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and a broad variety of other science institutes and startups”.

Unilever also intends to move all roles in R&D Foods that are currently based in Vlaardingen, Heilbronn and Poznan, to the new global Foods Innovation Centre in Wageningen.

The new Foods Innovation Centre will house nearly 550 roles, and the company anticipates that the new centre will be completely operational by April 2019.

Unilever Foods president Amanda Sourry said: “The Foods Innovation ecosystem in Wageningen will bring together a strong combination of in-house R&D and external science and technology, talent and facilities, increasing the impact of Unilever’s own resources and capabilities, and ultimately creating the innovative power that we need to provide leadership in Foods”.

The company further added that by co-locating R&D resources of their categories (Home Care, Personal Care, Foods and Refreshment) into its key R&D locations, would create critical mass in expertise areas for ensuing that the technologies would support breakthrough innovations.