Chr. Hansen Secures €75 Million European Investment for Healthy Product Development

15 Dec 2015 --- The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided a EUR 75m loan to global bioscience company Chr. Hansen for the company’s research into and development of innovative solutions in the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union and makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

The EIB financing will boost the company’s efforts to develop food products with a reduced amount of sugar, salt and fat, as well as an extended shelf life.

The EIB loan will also be earmarked for Chr. Hansen’s development of natural solutions improving the stability of probiotic cultures, protecting agricultural crops and exploring bacterial applications to human health. The global bioscience company will develop new products for its historical businesses covering dairy ingredients for cheese and fermented milk, cultures for meat and wine, as well as probiotics for human and animal health. At the same time, Chr. Hansen is also increasingly focusing on human health applications, in particular gastrointestinal health, immune health and women’s health.

The project will be carried out at Chr. Hansen’s main research and development centre located in Hørsholm (Denmark) and in Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon (France). Over the project period until 2018, some 80 new research and development jobs are expected to be created.

Jan Vapaavuori, EIB Vice-President responsible for operations in Denmark, said: “Supporting research, development and innovation with an important health impact is a key priority for the European Investment Bank, so we are glad to be supporting Chr. Hansen’s development of high-value added food products. By enhancing Europe’s position as a major technology supplier and supporting skilled employment opportunities, this project is strengthening Europe`s global competitiveness in an area that makes a real difference in people’s daily life.”

Over last five years, the EIB has provided around EUR 10 billion for healthcare investment. Europe’s long-term lending institution is committed to promoting projects in this area both by supporting the modernisation and development of hospitals and medical centres and by boosting research, development and innovation in biotechnology, medical technology and the pharmaceutical industry. These projects improve health by increasing innovation and delivering better healthcare.

A spokesperson for EIB told NutritionInsight, “The 10 billion for healthcare investment provided by the EIB concern primarily the modernisation and development of hospitals and medical centres and research, development and innovation activities in biotechnology, medical technology and the pharmaceutical industry.”

“The EIB has financed various projects in the food and nutrition sector with loans totalling almost 700m Euros since 2009. These involved projects both in and outside the European Union.

Soeren Westh Lonning, CFO of Chr. Hansen, added: “We are pleased to have agreed on a loan from the EIB. The funding will help us to further develop Chr. Hansen by bringing new innovative solutions to our customers and the consumers”

Anders Mohr Christensen, Senior Director of Investor Relations at Chr Hansen says; “We are very pleased with our collaboration with the European Investment Bank. The loan with EIB is however just one of several funding opportunities Chr. Hansen uses and the loan will not change or expand our research and development program in excess of what has already been planned. Our R&D program covers innovation of new bacterial solutions for food, especially dairy and meat, dietary supplements, animal health, plant protection and the human microbiome, and natural color solutions for the food and beverage industry.”