CHICAGO — Tate & Lyle P.L.C. has re-opened its Splenda sucralose production facility in McIntosh, Ala., the company said April 10. The company had mothballed the facility in 2009 when it achieved significant manufacturing yields at its other Splenda sucralose manufacturing facility in Singapore.

“We are proud that more than 75% of our former operators and technicians, many with more than 10 years of experience working on sucralose production, have returned to McIntosh to continue delivering an excellent product,” said Olivier Rigaud, president of Specialty Food Ingredients for Tate & Lyle, which is based in London and has a U.S. office in Chicago.

Tate & Lyle previously reported volume for Splenda sucralose, a high-intensity sweetener, was up 17% for the six-month period ended Sept. 30, 2011, when compared to the same time period of the previous fiscal year.

“Demand for Splenda sucralose continues to be driven by three major factors: the underlying global consumer trend for healthier products, particularly to help address rising levels of diabetes and obesity in both the developed and developing markets, customers using Splenda sucralose to optimize taste and manufacturing costs in the face of high and volatile commodity prices, and the technical expertise and high quality of our product due to our 30 years of experience working with sucralose,” Mr. Rigaud said.