Minnesota-based Cargill has expanded its Food Innovation Center to develop future foods working side-by-side with customers.

The fully remodeled R&D facility doubled in size to 40,000 square feet in a $5.5 million expansion.

“We wanted to find the best way to satisfy the product research and development needs of our customers in food and beverage manufacturing and the food service industry,” said Kerr Dow, Cargill vice president of global food technology. “So, we designed a facility we believe will promote collaboration, accelerate innovation and help our customers reduce product development cycles.”

According to Cargill, the facility offers retail and food service customers full access to research equipment and the company’s food scientists.

Cargill hopes the facility will help its customers thrive by providing ingredient expertise in the areas of snacks, cereal, bakery, confectionary, convenience, and frying applications.

The Food Innovation Center is the company’s primary R&D facility serving food and beverage manufacturers and food service customers in North America. Similar innovation centers have opened up in Brazil, Kansas, India and Belgium.