SINGAPORE: A new S$7-million facility will be unveiled on Wednesday at the Singapore Polytechnic (SP) to test local food products on a smaller scale before they are produced commercially.

The new facility of the Food Innovation and Resource Centre comes with state-of-the-art processing and packaging equipment.

It has four main sections including a cooking studio and a consumer suite for work in meats, ready-to-eat meals, sauces and beverages.

There is also a section for Asian specialty sweets and bakery products.

Launched in 2007 to cater to the needs of local food enterprises, the centre is a joint initiative between SPRING Singapore and SP.

SP said it has engaged over 260 companies and overseen more than 250 consultancy projects to date.

The new facility is expected to enable the centre to help more small and medium enterprises grow their businesses to create value-added products and services to compete in the global market.

Mr Tan Hang Cheong, SP Principal, said: "The increasing sophistication and competitive pressures in the food and beverage market means that the centre needs to evolve in order to continue its support for the industry."

Companies interested in creating and developing innovative food products can apply for support through SPRING's Innovation Voucher Scheme and Technology Innovation Programme.