On Monday, Ajinomoto announced that the two companies were to join forces to develop products that are low in sugar and salt and that meet consumer demand to manage weight.

Kellogg has insisted its tie-up with Ajinomoto will give the US cereal giant "some great opportunities" to combine its product portfolio with the Japanese group's range of ingredients.

Kellogg vice-president for research, quality and technology Margaret Bath told just-food yesterday that the company "shared common goals" on nutrition and health with Ajinomoto.

"Kellogg customers and consumers trust us to bring nutritious and enjoyable foods to people worldwide and Ajinomoto is dedicated to 'creating better lives globally by contributing to significant advances in food and health'," Bath said.

"Specifically, we believe there are some great opportunities to marry Ajinomoto’s extensive portfolio of ingredients with our product portfolio. Of course, for confidentiality reasons, we can’t offer more specifics at this time."

The Kellogg executive said the US group's "expertise" was in development and that the company regularly tapped into research from outside the business.

"Kellogg’s focus and expertise in R&D is primarily on the 'D' – development. Our open innovation programme is an enabler for giving us access to external research to supplement our internal development capabilities," Bath said.

"We are using open innovation as an enabler to source external research around the globe. We have set up a team of technology scouts and have been setting up the right strategic alliances with the right research partners whether it is with universities or with research organisations like Ajinomoto."

The partnership between the two companies was "global", Bath added, despite Ajinomoto's presence in the Asian region.

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