Townsend Specialty Foods, the Atlanta food-service business unit of Delaware-based Townsends, Inc., announced the opening of its Innovation Center north of Atlanta.

The new facility provides Townsend Specialty Foods the flexibility to create distinctive products and adapt quickly to consumer trends while working hand-in-hand with key food-service customers to achieve their specific poultry product objectives.

Townsend CEO, Tom Weisser, said: "We are bringing innovation to the table. In today's fast-changing market, savvy new product development is more important than ever. The emphasis of our new Innovation Center is on customer-driven product development and solutions that will help Townsend's food-service customers stay ahead of the trends."

The Innovation Center will draw from expertise both inside and outside the company, combining the knowledge of the research and development team, technical sales and consulting chefs with collaborative input from suppliers and customers. The objective of this team is to offer a blend of personal attention, culinary insight, practical processing experience and relevant menu solutions to top national and chain food-service operators in the market-place.

The location of the Innovation Center further enables Townsend to cultivate key alliances with long-term ingredient suppliers, who will provide benefits such as pilot plant partnerships, sensory evaluation testing and on-the-spot ingredient adjustments that will greatly enhance Townsend's success in satisfying the food-service industry's speed-to-market demands.

Townsend will continue to carry out existing research and development functions at its processing facilities in North Carolina and Arkansas, such as addressing processing efficiencies, adjusting product formulations and maintaining product quality.

More information about the new Innovation Center and Townsend Specialty Foods will be available during the 2010 International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, from 27 to 29 January. Townsend Specialty Foods will host a hospitality suite, room number 223 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St. All customers, suppliers and industry friends are invited to visit with the Atlanta Townsend team to learn more about their new endeavours.