Kerry acquires Ayurvedic extract company Natreon, expanding ProActive Health portfolio

01 Apr 2022 --- Nutrition giant Kerry has completed its acquisition of Natreon, a global supplier of Ayurvedic plant-derived ingredients to the F&B industry. The move will diversify Kerry’s ProActive Health portfolio of ingredients and fuel technological growth in the botanical extracts field.

Natreon’s ingredients will benefit from a large R&D network and continued investment in generating scientific and clinical evidence to support its brands.

“The acquisition of Natreon is directly aligned to Kerry’s Health & Bio-Pharma growth platform, and our ProActive Health portfolio strategy to expand our offering of science-backed functional ingredients. Our acquisition of Natreon will enable us to address a wider range of health need-states and enhances our position as a leader in science-backed branded actives,” John Quilter, global ProActive Health Technology vice president at Kerry tells NutritionInsight.

He continues that Kerry’s business model, unique taste and nutrition positioning and integrated solutions capabilities differentiate Kerry within the food, beverage and pharma industry. “By leveraging Kerry’s business model and capabilities, we will support the application and scaling up of Natreon’s portfolio across these sectors globally.”

Quilter hopes the acquisition will further solidify Kerry’s prominent position in the health ingredients space.

Ayurvedic solutions getting increasing focus 
Gerry Behan, president and CEO of Taste & Nutrition at Kerry, highlights the growing focus on Ayurvedic and botanical ingredients: “Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest holistic and alternative wellness practices with historical roots in India.”

“Today, we see growing use of ayurvedic and botanical ingredients which are trending in functional foods and beverages for their ability to deliver stress, cognitive and energy benefits, for example.”

Natural, plant-based ingredients are hugely popular within the F&B market.The acquisee’s Ayurvedic botanicals are already protected by a range of US and foreign patents, and are backed by a total of 52 clinical studies at present that support their health benefit claims.

Natreon’s Ayurvedic solutions

Natreon is a US-based company with a R&D facility in India and production site in Nepal. 

Natreon’s range includes Sensoril, an ashwagandha extract for anxiety and stress; PrimaVie, a shilajit extract with healthy aging potential; Capros, an amla extract for heart health; Crominex, a chromium supplement targeted at diabetics; Ayuflex, a terminalia chebula extract for bone and joint health; and Ayuric, a terminalia bellerica extract for uric acid health.

The company’s ingredients are seen to hold much potential in a space where the line between functional F&B and supplements is becoming increasingly blurred amid changing consumer demands.

Kerry’s pipeline of nutritional solutions
Kerry has been intent on further building the credibility of its nutritional solutions by promoting science-backed functional ingredients. The company has demonstrated this ambition with its recent acquisition of Biosearch Life in 2021.

On this, Behan notes: “Consumers are increasingly looking for nutritional benefits when purchasing food and drink, with recent proprietary consumer research from Kerry stating that 42% of US consumers are more likely to purchase a product which is backed by research or scientific data.”

He adds that the acquisition will allow Kerry to deliver health benefits substantiated by clinical research to a greater number of consumers. This will ultimately support Kerry’s ambition of reaching over two billion people with the company’s sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030.

Edited by Olivia Nelson