FDBusiness.com

New Zealand-based global dairy co-operative Fonterra has announced that commercial samples of NZMP Galacto-Oligosaccharides (GOS) will be available early in the New Year. Fonterra’s new partnership with leading UK dairy company, Dairy Crest, means it can now offer the specialty paediatric ingredient to food manufacturers globally.

NZMP GOS will give infant formula manufacturers the ability to offer additional consumer benefits. GOS is known to support digestive comfort and improve mineral absorption.

It is anticipated that European and Chinese infant formula manufactures will be among the first to start using NZMP GOS.

The innovative ingredient is an extension of the NZMP specialty ingredients portfolio for infant nutrition.

“Combined with Fonterra’s expertise in paediatric nutrition, the ever growing portfolio of NZMP ingredients gives manufacturers even more flexibility to fine tune their products,” says Han Huistra, Fonterra Regional Director Ingredients Europe Middle East/Africa.

Adding GOS to the NZMP portfolio means customers can benefit from Fonterra’s size, scale and ability to supply globally.

“We are delighted to add this important ingredient to our portfolio of specialised NZMP ingredient offerings. A new facility brings the very real advantages of being able to capitalise on latest control systems and equipment to consistently produce high quality products. What makes this exciting is that traceability and supply versatility have also been designed as key traits for this business launch,” Han Huistra adds.

Richard Jones, Managing Director Functional Ingredients at Dairy Crest, comments: “By leveraging our expertise in the manufacture of dairy products, and Fonterra’s global reach and supply capabilities, we are delighted to successfully deliver high quality nutritional products to meet growing market demands. It is a testament to the strong Fonterra-Dairy Crest partnership and our ability to meet the desire globally for quality nutrition.”

NZMP GOS will be produced at Dairy Crest’s Davidstow facility at Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Dairy Crest has invested £20 million to set up a purpose-built, state-of-the-art ingredients facility to produce GOS. Dairy Crest has entered into a joint venture to produce GOS with UK-based Fayrefield Foods, which will provide access to the necessary enzyme and other intellectual property. Fonterra will supply lactose and will also take responsibility for marketing and selling the product.

Once production is running at full scale, Dairy Crest will manufacture 10,000 MT of GOS annually and the product will be marketed and sold under the NZMP brand utilising Fonterra’s global distribution network.

CAPTION:

Pictured at the signing of the joint venture to produce GOS were (from left to right): John Beech, financial director of Fayrefield Foods; Theo Spierings, chief executive of Fonterra; and Mark Allen, chief executive of Dairy Crest.