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Tate & Lyle has opened a new innovation and collaboration centre in Jakarta, Indonesia, as the company looks to expand its presence in the Asia Pacific region. The new Customer Innovation and Collaboration Centre has a combined office and laboratory, which Tate & Lyle expects to support healthy living in Indonesia through food science and ingredient solution innovation. The centre will enable customers to create new or reformulated on-trend food and beverage products that meet local needs and preferences. Tate & Lyle’s local technical, commercial and sales experts based at the new centre – and the customers they partner with – will continue to be supported by the company’s global network of nutrition, regulation and application experts. Nick Hampton, Tate & Lyle CEO, said: “We’re excited to open our Customer Innovation and Collaboration Centre in Indonesia, one of a 17-strong global network of labs. From our new base in Central Jakarta, our local team will help food and drink producers to tap into our leading ingredient portfolio and unmatched ability to formulate across the intersection of sweetening, mouthfeel and fortification, co-creating food and drink products with less sugar, fat and calories and with the added nutritional benefits of fibre and plant protein.” The company says that 13% of the Indonesian population suffers from diabetes and that its commitment to enabling healthy eating is aligned with the efforts of the Indonesian Ministry of Health in preventing diabetes. Head of nutrition, regulatory and scientific affairs at Tate & Lyle, Kavita Karnik, commented: “We use our portfolio of dietary fibres to not only reduce sugar, which they can do very effectively, but to provide additional health benefits such as help with maintaining blood glucose and keeping us feeling fuller for longer, which can help with weight management. Emerging science, including the multi-national research collaborations we establish and drive, shows dietary fibre can provide wider benefits, from brain health to metabolic health and reduced risk of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, which is why we predict it will be a growing local trend in Indonesia.” This is the company's latest investment in Asia Pacific, following its acquisition of stevia producer Sweet Green Fields in China in 2020, a tapioca-modified food starch manufacturer in Thailand in 2021 and its $237m purchase of China-based prebiotic fibre manufacturer Quantum Hi-Tech (Guangdong) Biological in 2022.