By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — Ketchup-maker H.J. Heinz Company visited the N.C. Research Campus on Tuesday and might partner with the biotechnology complex in downtown Kannapolis.

Heinz sent a team to the Research Campus, the company confirmed today.

N.C. State University, one of eight schools at the campus, is in “very preliminary talks” with Heinz, said Dr. Mary Ann Lila, director of the NCSU Plants for Human Health Institute in Kannapolis.
“It was basically a show-and-tell kind of visit,” Lila said.

Heinz is looking for research partnerships “and we certainly have a lot to offer and state-of-the-art instrumentation,” Lila said.

The Research Campus’ focus on health and nutrition and its arsenal of cutting-edge equipment appeal to corporations interested in boosting the nutritional value of their products.

Dole Food Co. and PepsiCo will have research labs at the campus and plan to partner with the universities. Dole Food owner David Murdock founded the campus.

Heinz is evaluating how a partnership with the campus could fit with the company’s long-term product research and development initiatives, specifically relating to nutrition and wellness, a company spokesperson said.

“The Heinz research and development department is impressed and intrigued by the capabilities emerging at the North Carolina Research Campus,” Jessica Jackson said.

Heinz, a $10 billion global company headquartered in Pittsburgh, owns brands including Classico, Ore-Ida and Weight Watcher’s Smart Ones.

Outside the United States, Heinz is also the leader in several countries in baby food and infant formula.

Companies like Dole Food, Heinz and PepsiCo, which owns Quaker Oats and Frito-Lay, are interested in not only healthier products but also better seeds, higher yields and drought- and disease-resistant crops, all possible developments at the Research Campus.