Mondelēz Cements Snacks Industry Position With Biscuit Lab
US multinational food and confectionery company Mondelēz International, is consolidating its position as the snacking industry's main player, with a ground-breaking initiative to stay ahead of healthier consumer snacking habits.
The company has launched a Regional Biscuit and Baked Snacks Lab and Innovation Kitchen in Singapore, as a way to drive growth and foster innovation in the snacking industry, while also meeting consumer demands for healthier, tastier, and more sustainable products.
Mondelēz operates in the confectionery, food, beverage and snack-food markets, and operates with major global brands, such as: Oreo, Ritz, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka, Toblerone, LU, Clif Bar and Tate's Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks.
The new Singapore facility has been designed to serve as a strategic centre and regional hub for development and innovation in the biscuits and baked snacks sector. It is an extension of the company’s existing Singapore Technical Centre, which focuses on innovation and product development in the gum and sugar confectionery category.
Mondelēz hopes the new lab will open up possibilities around creativity and collaboration across the industry, and will help support the company's commitment to innovation and product development across Southeast Asia and Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Mondelēz's snacks-products goal
The company also plans for the biscuit lab to help accelerate the development of tailored snacking products that cater to the diverse preferences and evolving tastes of consumers worldwide, across brands like Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, and Ritz.
It hopes, too, that the lab will not only upskill its leading snacks executives, and help them drive consumer-driven innovation, but also that it will advance operational effectiveness.
Mondelēz has a particular focus on exploring the evolving tastes and preferences of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, and aims to accelerate product development and foster collaborative efforts with local suppliers, academia, and research institutions too.
The company will also utilise its partnerships with renowned firms like Microsoft and EpiSensor, to capitalise technology at the new facility.
Deepak Iyer, EVP & President AMEA, Mondelēz International, says: "We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of food innovation and product development. Through collaborative efforts, we aim to create a dynamic space where creative ideas can flourish and contribute to the development of new innovative products for our consumers”.
He continues: “This expansion further enhances the capabilities of our Singapore Technical Centre and reaffirms our commitment and contribution to the country, which serves as the headquarters for our Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa business.”
The lab is just the latest example of Mondelez using technology to improve its operations. It already uses AI and biosensor technologies to revolutionise the snacking experience, and in the lab will leverage cutting-edge technologies, including 3D printing and virtual reality, to enable rapid prototyping and virtual product testing by fostering collaboration and leveraging local insights.
The new facility was opened by Singapore Economic Development Board EVP Chan Ih-Ming, who said: “The expansion will capitalise on opportunities presented by the rising Asian middle class, and a growing appetite for premium and responsible snacking experiences”.
With Mondelēz a world snack-industry leader, its new lab is sure to catch the eye of other major players, such as Nestle, Mars and Ferrero Group. The snacking industry is big business. worth around $230 billion annually.
In terms of biscuit consumption, the UK leads the way with a total estimated consumption of 2.5 million metric ton in 2020, according to Statista. Switzerland, meanwhile, is number-one for chocolate, and in 2020, exported around 114,000 tons of chocolate, which is approximately $1.1 billion USD.
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