Heinz researchers cook up new food items By DANIEL LOVERING, AP Business Writer
Sun Jan 13, 2:22 PM ET
At a sleek office building outside Pittsburgh, garlic and vegetable aromas mingle in the air. Chefs handle frying pans behind industrial stoves and lab-coated technicians scoop morsels of food into their mouths.
It's a clinical staging area for what H.J. Heinz Co. hopes will become household favorites — packaged foods and condiments designed to please palates and entice shoppers across the United States and around the globe.
The Heinz Global Innovation and Quality Center, which opened about two years ago, has significantly bolstered the research and development capabilities of Heinz, one of the world's largest food companies.
Like other big food industry players, Heinz has invested heavily in product and packaging research in recent years. Companies such as Switzerland-based Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drink company, have operated sophisticated research facilities for years. But more companies are now shifting their focus to product innovation, experts say.
And with commodity prices soaring, Heinz executives say their facility gives them new flexibility to adjust ingredients, lower costs and quickly adapt to consumer trends, such as a demand for healthier foods.
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