KUALA LUMPUR: Nestlé is committed to deepening investments in Malaysia, the company’s executive vice president Jose Lopez said at the launch of a new facility in Shah Alam earlier this week.

The discussion with International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed was also attended by Nestlé Malaysia Bhd chairman Tan Sri Syed Zainol Anwar Jamalullail and Nestlé Malaysia/Singapore regional head Alois Hofbauer.

Mustapa and Lopez in a handshake at the opening ceremony of the company’s plant in Shah Alam earlier this week. Photo by The Star Online

In his speech at the World Halal Forum in April, Mustapa paid due recognition to the 100-year-old company’s contribution to the country, particularly in the area of halal development. “With more than 600 halal products for both the domestic and export markets, and now that global demand for halal products is expected to grow significantly, Nestlé’s investments in its manufacturing facilities in Malaysia have proven to be well-founded,” he said.

Further increasing its manufacturing capacity would not only see large investments coming in, but also result in increasing the potential for growth in the export of halal products and cement Malaysia as a global halal hub, he added.

The minister also said that the new factory, which represented RM150mil in investments by Nestlé Malaysia, was testament to Nestle’s commitment to continue investing in the country and support the Government in its vision of attaining developed-nation status by 2020.

Nestlé has invested close to RM1bil in the last five years.

**This article by Cheryl Poo was published in The Star Online. Read the original article here.