In our product development practices, our focus is on four different themes: i) nutritious products, whereby we enrich milk powders with vitamins and minerals. ii) healthier products that contain less sugar and unsaturated fats. iii) affordable alternatives to existing products to make our products accessible to more people. iv) products for specific purposes, such as baby food, tube feeding, and sports nutrition.
While the emphasis in product development is often on one of these four themes, it is key to never lose sight of the other themes. There is, for example, great demand for affordable alternatives. Within this theme, it is still also important to, for example, guarantee the safety of a product from a health perspective, such as in terms of the amount of added sugars.
In 2021, seven new products were developed for our customers. The focus was mainly on affordability, while children’s food also received a lot of attention. Our objective for 2022 is to develop two new products that have been enriched or produced with more sustainable ingredients, such as vitamins, minerals, less sugar, or less unsaturated fats.
By enriching milk powders with the right vitamins and minerals, we contribute to the fight against hidden hunger. In 2021, approximately 15% of our own products in the African market consisted of enriched products, which is comparable to the percentage in 2020. Our objective for 2022 is to supply to two new customers who make ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and/or focus on combating malnutrition.