KRAFT FOODS OPENS DOORS TO NEW GUM AND CANDY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN EUROPE

ZURICH, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraft Foods held today an "opening ceremony" to inaugurate the recently-completed European Kraft Foods Gum and Candy Research & Development (R&D) Center in Eysins, Switzerland.  The state-of-the-art facility will focus on innovation and new product development for many of Europe's — and the world's — most beloved confectionery brands, including the world's leading gum brand TRIDENT and the world's leading candy brand Halls, as well as other beloved brands like Bassetts, Carambar, The Natural Confectionary Co. , Trebor and V6.  The opening event is the culmination of a two-year project, with a total investment of more than $14 million (euro 10.4 million) in the Center.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090420/KRAFTLOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090420/KRAFTLOGO)

Worth $23 billion annually, the global gum market has grown by almost a quarter since 2005, and is one of the fastest-growing categories within confectionery.  Kraft Foods, has a number of gum brands with leading positions in markets across Europe, such as Hollywood in France, Trident in Spain, Greece and Portugal, and Stimorol in Denmark and Switzerland.

"Over recent years, gum has been growing in popularity in Europe as consumers look for new ways to indulge and refresh themselves through great flavors, fresh breath and even for oral care.  At Kraft Foods, we see this as a great growth opportunity, both for our European business and globally," said Chuck Davis, Vice President of Research, Development and Quality for Kraft Foods Europe. "Consumers in Europe and around the world have long enjoyed our iconic confectionery brands such as Trident and Halls.  The investment in this new R&D Center in Eysins makes good business sense, allowing us to further our position as the #1 snacking company in Europe, driving innovation and growth while delighting consumers with delicious products for them to enjoy and share."

The Center will be home to a team of talented, product and package developers and quality experts who are responsible for breakthrough gum and candy innovation, such as the new Fresh & Clean gum product which is currently launching in markets across Europe.  Many of those based in Eysins have played leading roles in the creation of delicious, exciting new products and packaging innovations that have driven our European gum and candy business into the market-leading positions we hold today.  

As the European Center for innovation and technology for gum and candy, the team based in Eysins will collaborate closely with the Kraft Foods Global Gum & Candy Center of Excellence, based in Whippany, New Jersey, to drive innovation and new technologies that support the company's European gum and candy business and global category growth platforms.

The Center in Eysins joins 14 other Kraft Foods R&D Centers supporting the company's global businesses including Beverages, Biscuits, Cheese, Chocolate, Coffee and Gum & Candy.

About Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods is building a global snacks powerhouse and an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. With annual revenues of approximately $48 billion, the company is the world's second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in approximately 170 countries. The portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Approximately 70 brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

- make today delicious -

SOURCE Kraft Foods

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