BATTLE CREEK, MICH. — Kellogg Co. has completed its expansion of the W.K. Kellogg Institute for Food and Nutrition Research, which is a center for product development, research and innovation.

The institute first opened in 1997. The company marked the expansion completion with a dedication ceremony. Since the institute first opened, the company has seen net sales double from $6 billion to nearly $13 billion.

"The W.K. Kellogg Institute is one of the premier product development centers in the industry," said Margaret Bath, vice-president of research, quality and technology for Kellogg. "In the past 12 years since we held the grand opening ceremony for this facility, we have built Special K into a global brand by introducing Special K protein meal bars, snack bars, waters and shakes, as well as crackers and hugely popular cereal varieties like Red Berries and Blueberry.

"We’ve also reduced sugar and sodium in many of our products, added fiber to our most popular children’s cereals and led the industry in front-of-pack nutrition labeling with our Guideline Daily Amounts. If we’ve achieved all these innovations while spread out in four locations across town, imagine what awaits us now that we can just walk across the hall."

The institute now has almost 400,000 square feet for product development, including innovation labs, research facilities, an experimental production area and an improved pilot plant. A total of 87,000 square feet were added to the pilot plant, and office spaced almost doubled with an additional 70,000 square feet.