Arla Foods Ingredients targets Chinese organic market with infant nutrition launches

11 Mar 2022 --- Arla Foods Ingredients is continuing to hone its organic focus with the launch of two products for infant formula, as well as a host of food concepts positioned for the lucrative Chinese market.

The company has also received recognition from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for its protein hydrolysate ingredient, Peptigen IF-3080, as safe and appropriate for use in infant formula and follow-on formula products in the EU.

Considering the Chinese market, the dairy giant notes that six in ten Chinese parents say organic is very important to them when purchasing for their children, and organic formula products are expected to grow by 10% in the next five years.

Ahead of Food Ingredients China, the dairy giant is unveiling Lacprodan IF-7390 Organic – a whey protein concentrate – and Premium Lactose Organic.

Peptigen IF-3080 from Arla Foods Ingredients will now be approved for use in infant and follow-on formulas supplied in the EU. Until then, Arla Foods Ingredients can provide Peptigen IF-3080 to its European customers to develop infant formula products that are ready to market.

Organic associated with health
Demand for organic is high across the world, but interpretations of what it means can vary significantly, according to Barbara Jensen, sales development manager at Arla Foods Ingredients.

In China, for example, organic has powerful associations with health and food safety. In other markets, it’s more about values like sustainability.

“As these concepts demonstrate, our ingredients can help manufacturers to create organic products that appeal to consumers in their target regions, while at the same time delivering functional benefits,” she explains.

Last year, industry experts highlighted that growth in China’s infant nutrition industry is currently being driven by value and premiumization rather than volume.Despite global GDP decline, organic food sales grew in 2020, notes Arla Foods Ingredients.

Safety in the spotlight
Arla Foods Ingredients has been active in the organic space since 2020 when it launched MicelPure. Within the organic infant nutrition arena, it recently rolled out its Origin fractionation technology. 

“As we expand our range, our vision is to become the most trusted supplier of organic ingredients for early life nutrition,” says Niels Joakim Karlsen, pediatric sales development manager at Arla Foods Ingredients.

He observes that having a child is often the trigger for interest in organic, and parents are particularly focused on safety and high standards. 

“It’s therefore especially important for formula manufacturers to use high-quality ingredients,” he emphasizes. 

RTD with global appeal
Arla Foods Ingredients has also developed an organic ready-to-drink (RTD) offering, promoted as being convenient and nutritious. 

It has been designed to appeal to health-conscious consumers and is expected to be attractive for different regions, such as the European and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets. 

The key attributes of this RTD are its high protein and calcium content, together with a mild and milky taste and pleasant drinkable viscosity. 

Functional proteins for cheese
Arla Foods Ingredients is also revealing a variety of concepts demonstrating the versatility of its Nutrilac range of functional protein solutions. 

Among them is Cast cheese, a natural and simple way of cheese making aimed at the growing Chinese cheese market.

The process, which can be used to simulate cheese types such as cheddar and gouda, enables the production of both finished and semi-finished products. 

Other concepts include an organic white cheese with a milky taste and optimal reaction to rennet. It offers an organic alternative to popular white cheeses in a region such as MENA. 

In addition, the concept includes an organic cooking-stable cheese, which targets the growing number of consumers who are reducing their meat consumption.

Edited by Katherine Durrell