Nutritious and sustainable diets
Good nutrition and balanced diets are essential for promoting health, well-being and overall quality of life at every stage.
With the world's largest R&D organization in the food and beverage industry, we are constantly innovating our products and services, utilizing our scientific, technology and nutrition expertise for individuals and pets.
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Rethinking nutrition
Ensuring a strong scientific foundation for our innovations is vital as we relentlessly strive to enhance the nutritional value of our products. The fundamental research of our scientists backs up our R&D capabilities, proven by frequent publications in well-known journals such as Nature.
We also continuously assess our existing product range when it comes to indulgent foods such as ice cream and confectioneries. For these categories, we acknowledge that improving nutritional value has limitations like consumer taste preferences. That’s why we focus on proper portion size and providing clear guidance. Our scientists have developed an algorithm that considers regulated serving size, food-based guidelines and typical consumption patterns from over 90 countries. With this tool, we can calculate appropriate portion sizes to make credible and transparent communication on pack.
Another example is the launch of our science-based service My Menu IQ, a tool that helps to plan well-balanced meals, including using more seasonal, local and plant-based ingredients.
By offering clear guidance, we aim to empower consumers to make informed choices about portion control while still enjoying our entire product range.
Nutrition across life stages
We research and develop tailored nutritional solutions to promote good health from pre-conception to old age. With innovations from our Nestlé Health Science business, we empower healthier lives through nutrition. Our R&D programs cover gastrointestinal, metabolic and brain health, nutrition and dietary recommendations, healthy aging and personalized nutrition.
Recent launches include Materna Pre, which builds on results from the first-of-its-kind NiPPeR study. It is a patented nutritional blend that has been shown to reduce time-to-conception as well as to improve the nutritional status in women when taken during pre-conception.
To support age-adapted infant development by unlocking specific health benefits, we have developed Sinergity, a proprietary blend that combines a specific probiotic with six human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs).
Our Yiyang milk powder is a clinically proven bioactive blend to support sleep quality - a key driver of healthy aging.
Novel technologies to improve nutrient density
Over the past few years, we have launched a range of impactful and proprietary technologies to enhance the nutritional value of our products.
With N3 milk, we were able to reduce sugar while creating prebiotics fibers. This product is derived from cow's milk and contains all the essential nutrients found in it, including proteins, vitamins and minerals. In addition, it is low on lactose and 15% lower in calories.
Utilizing proprietary technology, we can reduce intrinsic sugar in key ingredients such as malt or milk by up to 30%, while keeping the taste our consumers love. This allowed us to achieve significant sugar reduction in our Milo beverages across Southeast Asia.
Additionally, our scientists developed a method to reduce the fat present in milk powder by up to 60%, without compromising on quality, taste and creamy texture. Key to this breakthrough innovation is the controlled aggregation of milk proteins, where the size and texture of milk fat is mimicked by protein.
Alternative proteins and plant-based foods
By transforming our portfolio in line with trends, we develop tasty and healthy products with a lower environmental footprint, such as plant-based alternatives. Moreover, we focus on bringing people more exciting and delicious meals made with vegetables.
Leveraging the expertise of Nestlé’s nutritionists, product developers and chefs leads to a balance between creativity and science that delivers nutritious recipes, prototypes and products.
One example is Maggi Rindecarne, a tasty, soy-based affordable meat alternative that enables consumers to reduce meat consumption without compromising on nutrition. By combining minced meat and plant-based proteins with spices, the dish offers the same meaty taste while doubling the meat yield. This innovation illustrates our approach to developing solutions that combine animal and plant-based ingredients to maximize nutrition, affordability and sustainability.
Other examples are a powdered shelf-stable plant-based protein blend to complement egg dishes in a nutritious, and affordable way in Latin America, as well as plant-based seafood alternatives like tuna and white fish. Both solutions can help to reduce overfishing and protect ocean biodiversity.
Affordable Nutrition
Expanding access to nutritious and sustainable food for all is more important than ever. Today, many people do not have access to an adequate and diverse diet that provides enough protein and micronutrients. Our team adapts recipes and processes to bridge protein gaps and harness local ingredients to create affordable and nutritious innovations.
Through fortification with essential micronutrients such as iron, iodine, zinc and vitamins, our affordable nutrition offerings are helping to address nutritional deficiencies and promote overall health. In 2024, we provided 132 million servings of affordable nutrition with micronutrient fortification.
Recent launches include Maggi Soya Chunks, a tasty, affordable, plant-based meat alternative that enables consumers in Central and West Africa to add high-quality protein to their everyday food. With Nido Milk and Soy, we developed an affordable fortified blend that combines locally sourced soy with milk and provides essential nutrients like protein, fiber, iron and calcium.
Science-based pet nutrition
For people and pets, we translate our microbiome research into prebiotic, probiotic and symbiotic products that help maintain healthy digestion and wellbeing.
The Petivity Microbiome Analysis Kit allows us to translate the analysis of a pet's gut microbiome data into tailored nutrition and supplement recommendation.
Through our holistic scientific approach to nutrition, we strive to bring provide tasty and sustainable diets within reach to billions of people. We provide a wide range of foods, beverages and services for all life stages, all while protecting, renewing and restoring our environment and developing novel solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
