THE owner of Quorn manufacturer Marlow Foods is to invest £2m in the company.

Premier Foods, the company behind Hartley's jam and Typhoo Tea, said much of the money would be invested in creating meat-alternative products at Marlow's base in Stokesley, North Yorkshire.

The group also plans to spend more on marketing the products to support its growth plans.

A Quorn TV campaign is already under way and a company spokesman said further advertising was planned.

Marlow, which makes a range of Quorn foods, including burgers, sausages, cottage pies and lasagnes, and employs 360 people in the Tees Valley, was bought by Premier in June for £172m.

Yesterday, Premier announced interim results for the six months to July 2, which revealed that in the first three weeks of its ownership of Marlow, sales were £5.3m with a trading profit of £500,000.

In total, the group posted pre-tax profits of £18.3m on a turnover of £409m and a 5.4 per cent rise in operating profits to £41.1m

Robert Schofield, Premier Foods chief executive, said: "The results demonstrate the strength of our branded grocery business, which saw good performances from our principal brands and continued progress on reducing costs."

Earlier this year, the Food Standards Agency recalled 474 products from supermarket shelves containing a condiment made by Premier.

The recall came after tests showed a batch of the company's Crosse and Blackwell Worcester Sauce had been contaminated with a carcinogenic dye not permitted in food products.