International ingredients distributor Univar has announced that its subsidiary Univar B.V. has reached an agreement with Kerry Ingredients & Flavours to distribute its taste portfolio in the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal.

Univar said that since commissioning its first dairy and ingredients plant in Ireland in 1972, Kerry has grown to become “the industry’s leading provider of technology-based ingredients and solutions for all sectors of the food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets”.

“Working with Kerry marks the first time Univar has aligned our highly functional taste portfolio to be provided by a European manufacturer,” said Simon Atkins, Univar’s food ingredients industry director EMEA.

“With Kerry’s brand recognition in a number of product markets, their portfolio enables us to further enhance our taste solutions offering for all food manufacturing sectors.”

Bruce Clague, general manager of Kerry taste and nutrition UK and Ireland, said: “Our products are used to provide signature taste and improved nutrition in some of the world’s favourite consumer foods, across all food and beverage categories.

“Working with Univar will enable us to access a larger marketplace than we currently cater to and we are confident that Univar’s reach and know-how will be an important asset for us in this regard.”

Earlier this year Univar signed a deal with Cargill to allow Cargill’s ingredients arm to expand the distribution of its range of starches, sweeteners, cocoa, texturizers and oils to new consumers through Univar’s global distribution network.