Ajinomoto Co. is reinforcing its business infrastructure for frozen rice products to expand its frozen food business in North America.

"The company will build a new production line for frozen rice products at the Oakland Plant of Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc to expand production capacity and create an efficient supply system throughout North America," Food Ingredients First reported. "Through this measure, Ajinomoto Co. will increase sales of high-quality, specialty frozen rice products and accelerate the expansion of its frozen foods business in North America."

The company will invest approximately $20 million to build a new frozen food plant for high-quality frozen rice products at its Oakland Plant in the eastern United State, Food News informed. This new line is expected to expand production capacity by 1.5 times, together with the existing Portland Plant. The plant in Oakland is a USDA-inspected meat processing plant which can produce high-quality specialty frozen rice products.

Ajinomoto Co. intends to speedily expand its entire frozen foods business and upturn sales of the Asian/Ethnic frozen products through the powerful sales network of AWI, which covers the whole North America.

There is roughly $40 billion frozen foods market in North America; about @120 million for frozen rice products in the Asian/Ethnic food category and continues to grow annually. In fact, Ajinomoto Co. has been progressively intensifying the business by rolling out high-quality frozen rice products as one of its core lines since commencing frozen foods operation in North America in 2000.

North America, where the company targets to cultivate product quality and institute a sales network centered on the frozen foods business, is considered as a priority area in the Ajinomoto Group's FY 2014-2016 Medium-Term Management Plan.

Furthermore, Ajinomoto Co. is set to develop the Asian/Ethnic food category of the frozen foods market ahead of other companies to promote the penetration of the Ajinomoto brand and establish the clear number one position.