Glanbia to establish €15m innovation centre in Kilkenny

Food group Glanbia plc is to develop a €15m group innovation centre in Kilkenny.

The centre will be part of a five-year investment plan and will create up to 30 new highly-skilled jobs, and will also work closely with Irish and international universities.

It will focus on the European market and will complement Glanbia's existing Research and Development centre at Twin Falls, Idaho in the United States, which services the American nutritional market.

Minister for Agriculture and Food, Joe Walsh said today : "The scale of this investment is a first for the Irish food industry and will significantly strengthen Glanbia’s competitive edge in the international marketplace.

"The Irish food industry in general needs greater investment in research and product development if it is to move rapidly towards higher value-added products and to respond effectively to market requirements," Walsh added.

The Enterprise Ireland-supported centre should be completed by September this year.

John Moloney, Group Managing Director, Glanbia said: "There is growing consumer awareness of the link between health and diet, and Glanbia as a food group is committed to achieving the highest standards of best practice in relation to science-based innovation.

"This new world-class research and product development facility is core to this strategy," Moloney added.