Fresenius launches NutriChef enteral nutrition with more than 75% real food ingredients

Fresenius has unveiled NutriChef, a “meal-inspired” enteral nutrition option blending whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables. While maintaining the complete nutritional profile required for medical nutrition, it bridges the familiarity gap between conventional tube feeding formulas and home-prepared foods. 

NutriChef is now available in Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. It was introduced with ingredients sourced from 21 different plants and more than 75% real food ingredients, including water and oils.

According to the brand, the product offers high energy and protein as well as a blend of soluble and insoluble fibers for gut health.

“For many patients, the challenge is not only getting the nutrition they need. It is adapting to a new reality,” says Sebastien Guery, executive VP of the Medical Nutrition Business Unit at Fresenius.

“NutriChef responds to that need by combining familiar foods into enteral feeding with the safety, consistency, and nutritional standards required in medical care. It is also a testament to the innovation-led growth of Fresenius, reflecting our ability to translate evolving patient needs into differentiated innovations and meaningful portfolio expansion.”

Advancing medical nutrition

NutriChef is the fifth addition to Fresenius’ Medical Nutrition portfolio that rolled out earlier this year. It offers patients, caregivers, and health care professionals an additional option that brings familiar food concepts into nutritional care.

“As populations age and more care shifts beyond the hospital into outpatient and homecare settings, nutritional support is becoming increasingly important across health care systems,” states Fresenius.

NutriChef is made with ingredients sourced from 21 different plants and more than 75% real food ingredients, including water and oils.The company highlights strong long-term demand in medical nutrition, which it says is supported by demographic trends, growing awareness around disease-related malnutrition, and the need for solutions that better align with patients’ daily routines.

Putting nutrition first

Patient-centric dietary guidance has become more prominent in health care this year, with dsm-firmenich recently underscoring sensory experience as one of the most overlooked areas for medical nutrition products.

This month, Abbott and the National Association of Community Health Centers launched a multiyear, nationwide “Food is Medicine” initiative in the US to make healthy, nutritious food central to primary health care at Community Health Centers across the country.

Aside from improving patients’ recovery outcomes, the Rockefeller Foundation estimates that Food is Medicine programs could significantly boost the economy, creating over US$45 billion in economic activity and generating jobs in the US.

However, the foundation warned that successfully implementing these programs will depend on how well states prioritize local sourcing and food system infrastructures.