Cargill, Unitec Foods, and Fuji Nihon Seito Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 11, 2022 to strengthen partnership in innovation and go-to-market for food ingredients solutions in Japan and Asia Pacific region.

Unitec Foods is an exclusively owned subsidiary of Fuji Nihon Seito Corporation. Cargill has been in partnership with Unitec Foods since 1972 to grow its pectin business in the Japanese market. The new memorandum of understanding will further enhance existing business relationships by leveraging the expertise and strength of the three parties. Cargill will bring rich experiences and global insights to this collaboration as a company with 157 years of history.

Under the memorandum of understanding, the three companies will collaborate on technical, operational, and commercial initiatives. This includes the co-development of new products/technology integrating expertise and technical know-how from the Cargill Innovation Center in Singapore as well as Unitec Foods' development facilities in Japan. Under operational initiatives, the partner companies will work together to offer more competitive solutions by leveraging the three parties’ production capabilities in Japan and the Asia Pacific. Meanwhile, in commercial initiatives, the companies agree to utilize each distribution channel to jointly address Japan and the Asian market.

Ming Peng, managing director, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners, and Texturizers Asia, said, “We are very pleased to expand our partnership with Unitec to jointly address broader markets in Asia Pacific, especially Southeast Asia. We are honored with the trust and solid partnership that has been built for the past 50 years. The renewed cooperation will allow us to exchange expertise and technical know-how in the area of food ingredients solutions to better serve customers both in Japan and the Asia Pacific.”

Shinichi Sekita, president director, Unitec Foods, said, “Our 50 years partnership started in 1972 when Cargill’s UniPECTINE products were introduced on the Japanese market.  The eating habit of consumers have undergone significant changes in the past 50 years, and pectin is now widely used in a large variety of desserts. Foods produced with pectin can be easily accessed by consumers in department stores and convenience stores. As we enter the new partnership, we will expand our collaboration with Cargill to pursue the further possibility of food ingredient solutions and expand our domestic competitive advantage across Asia.”