Comax Flavors has opened Shanghai Comax Flavors, a new facility in the Jiading section of the city. The facility will manufacture a full line of flavors for the Chinese domestic market and the Pacific Rim.

P.L. Thomas & Co., Morristown, N.J., will represent Isreal’s LycoRed Natural Products Industries’ LycoMato and LycoPen products in the eastern third of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Nutrinova announced it has achieved a higher level rating with the British Retail Consortium Global Food Standard. It also has re-certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001: 2004 for Sunett and Nutrinova’s sorbic acid and potassium sorbate.

Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., Chilton, Wis., has changed its organic certifying agency to Oregon Tilth, a third-party certifying agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organics Program.

DuPont and 10 of its business units, including Solae, recently won the 2005 Black Pearl Award from the International Association for Food Protection.

Taiyo International Inc., Minneapolis, announced its SunActive manufacturing facility has received a superior rating from the American Institute of Baking, the highest classification assigned by the group.

Cargill, Minneapolis, says it has completed engineering for a planned expansion of OptaFlex natural chondroitin sulfate manufacturing capabilities in its Denver facility. The company expects the facility to be completed within the next few months.

Bobby Buford Marketing, Glenview, Ill., has launched marketing and market research consulting services for the food ingredients industry. The company’s services focus on marketing communications planning and execution, customer interviews, competitive intelligence, secondary market research, and sales and marketing plans.

California Custom Fruits and Flavors Inc., Irwindale, Calif., has named Molly Baker director of research and development.

Chr. Hansen, Milwaukee, Wis., has appointed Fernando Calleja sales director in Mexico. Max Clausen has been named engineering manager for North America.

Vicky Kennedy Berkman has joined The Wright Group in Crowley, La., as northwest regional sales manager. Kennedy Berkman most recently served as a food technologist with Nellson Nutraceutical.

Gurusimran Khalsa has been named vice president of sales and marketing at Ron Teeguarden’s Dragon Herbs in Santa Monica, Calif.