Kraft Foods has announced GBP17m (US$26.9m) of investment into research and development in the UK.

The US food giant said it was “committed” to investing in R&D in the country after opening a new research centre at Bournville, the site synonymous with Cadbury, the UK confectioner it acquired in 2010.

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Kraft said the Bournville site would “support innovation” for its chocolate businesses around the world and pointed to the recent launch of a product developed there, Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly.

The facility, which now includes new innovation “labs” and a “collaboration kitchen” will develop products and packaging for brands including Dairy Milk and Green & Black’s, as well as Kraft chocolate brands like Milka and Cote d’Or.

Kraft said it had also expanded a second facility, the Reading Science Centre, which looks into areas including microbiology, chemistry and flavour.

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Kraft executive vice president for research, development and quality Jean Spence said: “Two of our global and one of our regional centres of excellence are based here in the UK – making it a centre for world class R&D and a significant part of our global R&D network. We are committed to continued investment in R&D in the UK and for the whole business across the globe, making us an increasingly nimble and dynamic organisation.”

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The GBP17m investment is on top of the GBP50m Kraft said in December it would spend on revamping chocolate and biscuit production in the UK.

The GBP50m programme, which included changes to three chocolate plants, led to around 200 Cadbury manufacturing jobs being lost. The introduction of biscuit production to Kraft’s Sheffield confectionery plant added 20 posts.

Kraft said yesterday that its investment in R&D had “boosted” jobs, with its research, development and quality workforce growing from 552 to 650 employees.