You’d be hard pressed to find a food manufacturing facility or foodservice outlet these days without the Ecolab brand on its sanitation equipment. That visibility is bound to grow now that the company has opened its new 200,000-square-foot Global Research and Development Center.

The world’s leading provider of food safety products and services, Ecolab opened the center late last year on its new Allan L. Schuman Campus in Eagan, Minn., near its St. Paul corporate headquarters. The center will accommodate Ecolab’s growing research and development operations that support its cleaning, sanitizing, pest elimination, maintenance and repair products and services for the hospitality, foodservice and industrial markets.

“I am proud to celebrate the new home for our research and development activities,” said Doug Baker, president and chief executive officer of the $4.2 billion company. “Ecolab has led the way in customer-focused solutions that make all of our lives easier, safer and more protected. With this expansion, we are well positioned to continue our leadership and innovation well into the future.”

As the world’s attention continues to turn toward issues of food safety and security, Ecolab is well poised to continue its work toward prevention of foodborne illnesses, pest infestations and other threats. For example, Ecolab has been proactive in its efforts to assist processors with their concerns over avian flu.

To that end, Ecolab has been awarded more than 4,000 patents worldwide for innovations in areas like packaging, dispensing and clean-in-place systems for food and beverage processing plants.

“It is inspiring to operate within a world-class facility that reflects the commitment that Ecolab has to research, development and engineering. We are dedicated to continue that track record of breakthrough innovations,” said Susan Nestegard, chief technical officer and senior vice president of R&D and engineering. “This facility also allows us to continue to attract and retain the world-class talent we require to further our efforts as the industry leader in product and systems development.”

For more information, visit www.ecolab.com. The site includes an extensive public health section featuring information on food safety and disease control issues.