Tate & Lyle profits dip

LONDON (Reuters) - Sugar refiner and sweetener maker Tate & Lyle (TATE.L) reported a 11 percent fall in annual profits on Thursday and added its new financial year had started in line with its plans and expects to make progress.

The group, which makes Splenda sweetener, posted adjusted pretax profits of 244 million pounds for the year to end-March compared with an analysts' consensus forecast of 239 million within a range of 236 to 242 million.

The London-based company, which issued three profit warnings in 2007, announced 5 percent rise in its full-year dividend to 22.6 pence a share.

(Reporting by David Jones)