Fonterra shortlisted for global award that recognises game-changing innovations

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Fonterra’s breakthrough milk lipid ingredient has been selected as a finalist in the ‘Ingredient of the Year – Infant Nutrition’ at the NutraIngredients Awards 2017 in Geneva. 

The NZMP SureStartTM Lipid 100 ingredient developed for maternal and infant formula using New Zealand milk may help to support brain development during pregnancy and infancy. 

The global awards recognise and celebrate “game-changing” innovations that improve people’s lives, optimise health and performance and reduce disease.  In identifying the finalists in each award category, the judges commented on the exceptionally high quality entries in this year’s awards.  The judging process assesses factors such as scientific merit, efficacy, innovation and commercialised product formulation.

Fonterra General Manager Nutrition Angela Rowan said Fonterra was delighted to receive international recognition for the innovation, particularly as it acknowledges the great team effort to develop a credible new offering in the challenging infant nutrition category.

“It is well known that breastfeeding gives an infant the best start to life.  Scientists at Fonterra have been focusing their research on the structure of lipids found in human breast milk and the associated benefits for the developing infant.  The NZMP ingredient has been developed from cows’ milk to help deliver complex milk lipids in infant formula.”

Fonterra’s extensive research programme of pre-clinical and clinical studies has supported the development of this new ingredient positioned for cognitive development.

Angela said, “Our achievement in making the Awards’ final shortlist highlights Fonterra’s deep dairy expertise, strength in R&D and innovation and its ability to make the goodness of dairy nutrition readily accessible to more consumers. We are extremely proud of the hard work and the long journey we undertook to develop an advanced nutrition ingredient that we can share with the world.”

Fonterra also received an Innovation in Food and Beverage Award at the New Zealand Innovation Awards 2016 for its research into this area of infant nutrition.

Patents for the ingredient technology and for developmental benefits through maternal and infant applications, and for use in infant formulations have been granted in a number of countries.

NZMP, Fonterra’s dairy ingredients business, offers a range of science-based ingredients under the SureStartTM brand to help support optimal nutrition and development in infants.