Innovation in nutrition – challenges for the food sector

Food safety and nutrition are major global public health challenges. By 2050 the world’s population will reach nearly 9.2 billion, needing access to healthy and nutritious food. An ageing population will have customised nutritional needs with increased life expectancy. What is also changing rapidly is the understanding that good nutrition is key to building and sustaining health and well-being.

By 2015, the World Health Organization projects that approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million people will be obese. Human suffering and health care costs will increase as diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and 30 percent of cancers are directly linked to obesity.

A number of countries now include food quality in their public health policies, and are mobilising their regulatory authorities and agri-food sector to address this important issue. In recent years, the agri-food industry has been investing in research and development in order to bring consumers new generations of foods that are beneficial to their health. The food industry has been inspired by the pharmaceutical sector to develop "health" products with companies such as Danone, Coca Cola and Barilla increasing investment in research to develop nutrition related products. Recently, Nestlé announced they would invest $USD500 M to develop their medical nutrition activities. 

Scientific advances are also playing a role. Recent work on the human metagenome is paving the way for new avenues of exploration in research and medicine. For example, by sequencing the intestinal metagenome, it may be possible to identify biomarkers indicating a person's state of health. In the near future, functional foods may allow altering microbiota in order to prevent disease, improve medical treatment and offer health benefits. 

Furthermore, firms at all stages of the food supply chain are adapting to the challenges of globalisation and the increasing complexity of their activities within a constantly evolving regulatory framework. 

But developing the next generation of healthier foods poses unique challenges for the food industry: consumer insight, research and development, new ingredients, regulatory expertise, validation of health allegations, testing and trials, product development, product testing before market launch - these complex steps are required to bring the product to the global marketplace in a timely matter.

Market leading brands in food processing, food service and food distribution put their trust in Mérieux NutriSciences and its three complementary services - Silliker, Biofortis and Bioagri - to help them address these challenges.

Silliker is a global market leader for food safety and quality, offering an international network of accredited laboratories, audits on the quality of manufacturing processes, consulting, training, scientific, regulatory and technical expertise. Biofortis offers contract research services in support of innovation in nutrition including clinical studies in the field of nutrition, R+D of new food products and processes, molecular biology analyses and expert analyses of products' health benefits. Bioagri is also the leading laboratory in Latin America for environment, pharmaceutical analysis and chemical safety. 

Compelling strengths for Mérieux NutriSciences come from numerous sources: 4,000 employees; a reference shareholder - Institut Mérieux with over 100 years of experience and 10 000 employees, all dedicated to public health; specialisation in the food sector; 50 people dedicated to R+D; an international presence in 16 countries with 62 accredited laboratories; standardised quality services worldwide; benefits from synergies with multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams at Silliker, Biofortis and Bioagri.

Innovation in food safety and nutrition are helping to build a healthier tomorrow. Firms with expertise in nutrition, scientific innovation and regulatory affairs will win in the global marketplace.

Dr Michel du Peloux

Michel du Peloux is an innovative nutrition and consumer healthcare specialist, who has held senior executive roles within major pharma companies over the past 20 years. Michel is currently Senior Vice President of Mérieux NutriSciences, part of Institut Mérieux.