Tate & Lyle boosts full-year expectations after strong first half

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - British ingredients supplier Tate & Lyle raised its full-year profit expectations on Thursday after a better-than-expected first half, helped by strong demand for soft drinks in the United States and a weak British pound.

The company reported sales rose 13 percent to 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) in the six months to Sept. 30. Excluding the impact of the weak sterling, sales rose 1 percent.

Adjusted profit was 140 million pounds, up 22 percent on a constant currency basis. That compared, for example, to Jefferies' analysts' expectations for 121 million pounds.

"We expect adjusted profit before tax in constant currency for the full year to be higher than we anticipated coming into the year, driven by the strong first half performance, with performance in the second half remaining in line with our expectations," said Tate's chief executive Javed Ahmed.

($1 = 0.8102 pounds) (Reporting by Martinne Geller in London; Editing by Susan Fenton)