LESTREM, FRANCE — Roquette on June 8 celebrated the grand opening of its new €4.5 million ($4.8 million) food innovation center in Lestrem, France.  The innovation center will provide formulators with a range of capabilities, including technical and R&D support, cutting-edge equipment, laboratories and scale-up testing, Roquette said.

Roquette said the ultimate goal of the center is to “foster innovation and accelerate the go-to-market of new products.”

The center includes a demonstration kitchen, a sensory analysis laboratory, various collaborative spaces and laboratories. All aspects of Roquette’s business — dairy, savory, confectionery, bakery, beverage and specialized nutrition — are expected to benefit from the center’s capabilities, the company said.

“The ultimate goal of the food innovation center is to partner with food industry players to speed up innovation, from the earliest stage of product development,” said Isabelle Routier, head of food customer technical services. “To ensure this is possible, the teams can rely upon a worldwide network, as well as in-house expertise, co-development sessions, and technical training. The site was also designed to facilitate knowledge and know-how development, capture and sharing.”