Cargill Launches Revamped Singapore Hub for Food Innovation

Attended by key customers, senior EDB and EnterpriseSG officials, and the media, the unveiling ceremony was marked by a celebratory cake cutting. This was followed by a walkthrough of the transformed facility and a unique culinary experience with tastings of the Center’s latest food innovations made with Cargill’s ingredients and solutions, such as chocolate frappés, reduced-sugar sparkling tea sodas, bake-stable brownie bars and pain au chocolate, creamy dark chocolate bon-bons, decorative donuts, and chicken nuggets served with Asian-flavored sauces.

“The transformation of Cargill's Innovation Centre will build deep capabilities across food science, culinary innovation, and consumer experience that advances the frontier of next-gen foods. This reinforces Singapore’s position as a hub for food innovation. We welcome more like-minded companies to tap on Singapore’s R&D ecosystem and our understanding of the Asian market to develop new solutions that meet the evolving consumer needs of the region,” said Michelle Tan, Vice President and Head of Environmental Sustainability and Agrifood, EDB.




Burgeoning foodservice and indulgence landscapes
The Asia Pacific foodservice market size reached a value of nearly USD 406.30 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.7% between 2025 and 2034 to reach a value of around USD 1,699.55 billion by 20341. Fueled by an expanding middle class who enjoy higher disposable incomes but lead busier lives, the popularity of online food shopping backed by internet penetration, and the rise of social commerce, the foodservice and HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, Café/Catering) sectors are experiencing strong growth as dining out, takeaways, and food deliveries become increasingly part of consumers’ everyday lives.

Meanwhile, Cargill’s recent Southeast Asia Indulgence consumer study revealed that flavor and elevated sensory experiences as the key purchase drivers for consumers when it comes to indulgent food categories of bakery, chocolate confectionery, ice-cream and café-style beverages. Almost 70% of consumers are willing to pay more for unique tastes and innovative flavors, while 82% of consumers value a ‘super-sensorial’ experience, and 79% consumers are likely to pay a premium for distinctive textural experiences. At the same time, the study also found that more consumers are willing to pay for quality and sustainability, where dark chocolate is positively perceived and highly favoured.

Full suite of innovation capabilities
Cargill’s newly transformed Innovation Center in Singapore is designed to offer its global innovation expertise and deep consumer insights to help customers stay close to Asian consumer needs and keep pace with the dynamic and diverse market requirements of the region.

Housing both experiential and lab-based facilities, the Center brings together customers, world-class scientists, technologists, start-ups and visionaries to push the boundaries of insights-driven food innovation.




Its upgraded facilities include:

In addition to these newly revamped spaces. the Center’s core capabilities comprise:

Joining Cargill’s three other Innovation Centers in Asia, the transformed Innovation Center in Singapore reflects Cargill’s commitment to creating a more food secure world by developing new food technologies, solutions and products with customers and industry partners that serves to anticipate and meet future food trends across the region.

www.cargill.com