Arla Foods Ingredients’ MFGM greenlit in Australia

Arla Foods Ingredients has gained exclusive commercialization rights to use milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) in infant formula products in Australia. The company notes this is its first early life nutrition product approved by Australian authorities.

Lacprodan MFGM-10 is also the only MFGM ingredient approved for use in infant products for at least 15 months in the country. This ingredient is said to be the first global MFGM ingredient in the market. 

“We’re proud to have pioneered the use of MFGM in infant nutrition, which has allowed significant improvements in the creation of scientifically backed formula products,” says Jakob Madsen Pedersen, senior director of Specialised Nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients.

MFGM is naturally found in human milk and includes phospholipids, sphingolipids, and gangliosides. Lacprodan MFGM-10 is backed by clinical studies proving benefits for infant nutrition and immune health. 

EU to Australia approval

Food Standards Australia New Zealand greenlit MFGM for use as a nutritive substance in infant formula products at the end of April. This was followed by a formal acceptance at the Australia and New Zealand Food Ministers meeting.

Lacprodan MFGM-10 can be labeled “milk fat globule membrane-enriched whey protein concentrate” across Australia, but not in New Zealand, as it opted out of the Australia-New Zealand joint infant formula products standard, says Arla Foods Ingredients.

“Following the recent positive decision about Lacprodan MFGM-10 in the EU, this is another highly welcome regulatory development. We’re delighted that its many clinically supported benefits for infants are now also available in Australia,” comments Pedersen.

In the EU, Lacprodan MFGM-10 can be used in infant and adult products as it is not considered a novel food.

In other Arla Foods Ingredients developments, the company struck a distribution deal to serve the performance nutrition market in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands with Alchemy Agencies. It also extended its distribution partnership with Brenntag to include Southeast Asia’s three largest food and nutrition markets.

In May, the company’s new “maximum yield, no acid whey” concept showed how acid whey can be eliminated from the strained dairy production process to enhance efficiency and maximize yield.