Innovation news

To further increase the understanding of the microbiome's impact on human health and to accelerate the development of innovative nutritional solutions promoting health and wellbeing, Nestlé has entered into a partnership with the University of California San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI).

The partnership builds on the CMI's world-class microbiome expertise which complements Nestlé’s research capabilities on the connection between nutrition and the gut microbiome.

The microbiome is the vast community of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live on and inside the body. An important part of the microbiome is located in the gut where it is essential to digesting the food we eat, the immune system, and other aspects of health.

Over many years, Nestlé has studied the gut microbiome and its evolving composition throughout different life stages, from birth to aging, in humans and pets. This research has been translated into products that help maintain healthy digestion and wellbeing for different populations. The current portfolio includes products containing probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics to improve digestion.

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Nestlé has entered into a partnership with Corbion to develop the next generation of microalgae-based ingredients, enabling the company to deliver sustainable, tasty and nutritious plant-based products.

Microalgae ingredients have several advantages, as they are a vegan source of protein, healthy lipids and various micronutrients. In addition, the production of microalgae has a low carbon, land and water footprint.

Stefan Palzer, Nestlé Chief Technology Officer says, "We are actively exploring the use of microalgae as an alternative protein and micronutrient source for exciting plant-based products. Through the partnership with Corbion, we will be able to use great-tasting, nutritious microalgae-based ingredients to innovate across our different product categories."

By combining Corbion's microalgae and fermentation capabilities with Nestlé's expertise in the development of plant-based products, the two companies aim to produce and commercialize microalgae-based ingredients rich in protein and micronutrients. They will collaborate to improve the functionality, taste and nutritional profile for usage in different types of products.

Nestlé's plant-based portfolio currently includes various beverages such as almond-, coconut- and oat-based creamers and coffee mixes, non-dairy ice cream, as well as a range of pea and soy-based meat alternatives and prepared dishes.

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The Swiss Canton of Vaud, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the Swiss Hospitality Management School in Lausanne (EHL Group) and Nestlé have joined forces to develop and promote a global innovation ecosystem on food and nutrition. The initiative will be launched in 2020 as the “Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley”, with the aim to further attract talent, start-ups and investment to the region.

Switzerland is home to a unique ecosystem in the area of food and nutrition. This is due to its deeply rooted agricultural tradition, an unmatched density of world leading companies and scientific institutions as well as a large number of start-ups in areas such as food, nutrition, life sciences or robotics.

As a result of the intensive collaboration among local players, leading innovation platforms have emerged in Switzerland, including in the areas of nutrition, nutrigenomics, alternative proteins, packaging sciences and sustainable agriculture. With the creation of the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, the founding partners aim to strengthen the existing innovation ecosystem further and attract talent, start-ups and investment to the region. The Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley addresses major challenges of the future of food and nutri-tion using cutting-edge science and technology - from agriculture to waste, from innovative products to healthy, sustainable diets.

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The worldwide overweight and obesity epidemic, and weight-related health complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, have become critical healthcare issues in both developed and developing economies.

Much of the research focus to date has been on strategies to help people lose weight. However, very little is known about why certain people are resistant to weight gain in the first place. Understanding the biological mechanisms that underlie this resistance to weight gain can help in providing solutions that work on long-term weight and health maintenance.

Indeed, novel insights on metabolic differences in humans might come from studying very lean people, a state called Constitutional Thinness (CT). CT individuals eat normally but exhibit a natural resistance to weight gain.

Nestlé Research scientists, along with clinical researchers from the Clinical Hospital at the University of St-Etienne, in France, identified the molecular aspects underlying the low body weight and fat of CT individuals.

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Nestlé today officially inaugurated the Institute of Packaging Sciences, the first-of-its-kind in the food industry. The new Institute enables Nestlé to accelerate its efforts to bring functional, safe and environmentally friendly packaging solutions to the market and to address the global challenge of plastic packaging waste.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO, said, "Our vision is a world in which none of our packaging ends up in landfill or as litter. To achieve this we introduce reusable packaging solutions and pioneer environmentally friendly packaging materials. Furthermore, we support the development of local recycling infrastructure and deposit schemes to help shape a waste-free world. The Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences enables us to create a strong pipeline of sustainable packaging solutions for Nestlé products across businesses and markets."

The Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences focuses on a number of science and technology areas, such as refillable or reusable packaging, simplified packaging materials, recycled packaging materials, high-performance barrier papers as well as bio-based, compostable and biodegradable materials.

Stefan Palzer, Nestlé CTO said, "Reducing plastic waste and mitigating climate change effects through cutting-edge technology and product design are a priority for us. Nestlé experts are co-developing and testing new environmentally friendly packaging materials and systems together with our development centers, suppliers, research institutions and start-ups. Located at our Nestlé Research facilities in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Institute also leverages our existing research capabilities in food safety, analytics and food science."

Read the full press release

Our CTO Stefan Palzer on how we've taken open innovation to a new level through a multi-faceted approach, in an effort to meet consumer needs and challenges while also having a positive impact on the environment and society

Read Stefan's blog in full

Nestlé today launched a range of Nescafé Gold lattes crafted with plant-based ingredients. These are the first-ever non-dairy soluble coffee lattes and certified by the Vegan Society as suitable for people following a vegan diet.

The new premium Nescafé Gold non-dairy lattes are made with almond, oat and coconut perfectly blended with 100% Arabica coffee beans to create smooth and creamy coffees.

Products are initially launched in the UK and Ireland before being rolled out in several markets across Asia, Europe, Latin America and Oceania.

David Rennie, Head of Beverages Strategic Business Unit, Nestlé SA, said “We are delighted to bring new coffee experiences with the launch of our premium Nescafé Gold non-dairy lattes. Our iconic Nescafé brand continues to lead and embrace new coffee trends with this innovation”.

Nescafé is the world’s favorite coffee brand. These new premium non-dairy lattes complement the existing Nescafé Gold portfolio.

Read the full press release

A new study has found that the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED), a novel whole-food based dietary approach, combined with Modulen IBD, a Nestlé Health Science nutritional supplement for partial enteral nutrition (PEN), is effective for the management of Crohn’s disease.

There is no cure for Crohn’s disease- a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system or gut. Most patients typically rely on anti-inflammatory drugs and surgical interventions to manage their symptoms, which can be expensive, for both the patient and health care providers. However, a randomized control trial, has shown that a nutrition-based approach, combining CDED and Modulen IBD is effective for the management and remission of Crohn’s disease.

Nestlé Health Science leveraged the results of the study to create ModuLife, a platform to support dietary management for patients with Crohn’s disease. Through ModuLife, patients benefit from the essential nutrients of Modulen IBD, while also enjoying whole foods and using an online platform to personalize and manage their diet through access to recipes and meals plans, diet tracking adherence, as well as guidance from CDED specialists.

Because ModuLife is physician-supervised, patients and their healthcare providers can easily collaborate to ensure that patients receive ongoing support and maintain habits that prolong the remission of their disease.

"ModuLife is a paradigm change for how Crohn’s disease patients and healthcare providers manage the disease," said Greg Behar, CEO of Nestlé Health Science. "It provides healthcare professionals with a dietary approach backed by science and it provides patients with support programs as they make the changes to their diet. It is an excellent example of Nestlé Health Science’s dedication to advancing the role of nutrition through science-based innovation."

Read the full press release

Nestlé has announced it has created a unique chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit, using the beans and pulp as the only ingredients and therefore not adding any refined sugar.

Nestlé plans to introduce the first product in Japan in the autumn of this year through its KitKat Chocolatory. Further products in other countries will follow next year, through some of Nestlé’s most popular confectionery brands.

Nestlé has developed a natural approach, which allows it to extract the pulp and use it in chocolate with no compromise on taste, texture and quality.

Until now chocolate has been made with the addition of refined sugars. This patented innovation delivers a great tasting chocolate using only one ingredient – the cocoa fruit.

Patrice Bula, Head of Strategic Business Units, Marketing and Sales at Nestlé, said: "We’re proud to bring chocolate lovers a new chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit without adding refined sugar. This is a real innovation which uses the natural sweetness of the cocoa pulp to provide a pure, novel chocolate experience."

The cocoa fruit contains cocoa beans and cocoa pulp. The pulp surrounds the beans, it is soft, sweet and white in colour. Some of the pulp is used in the fermentation of the cocoa beans after they are harvested, but a significant proportion is usually removed and the value is lost. Until now it has not been used as an ingredient to naturally sweeten chocolate.

With the announcement today, Nestlé reaffirms its leadership in the confectionery category by driving innovation and creating new, natural and exciting products. Nestlé was the first to bring Ruby chocolate to market in 2018 with KitKat, first in Japan and then across Europe.

For more details on the launch in Japan, read the press release (pdf, 100 Kb)

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Nestlé has announced today the launch of its YES! snack bars in a new recyclable paper wrapper. In a breakthrough innovation, for the first time a confectionery bar has been packaged in paper using a high-speed flow wrap technology.

This launch has unlocked the potential for recyclable paper packaging to be widely used in the confectionery industry. Up until now, high-speed production of shelf-stable snacks was only achieved using plastic films and laminates. Now paper can be used at large scale while guaranteeing product quality and freshness over the entire shelf life.

This paper wrapper is a further step in Nestlé’s commitment to make all its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. The wrapper is widely recycled in the countries where it will be available. The paper is from sustainable sources, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.

Patrice Bula, Head of Strategic Business Units, Marketing and Sales at Nestlé, said: "Consumers are looking for more natural and sustainable options when they choose a snack, both in terms of ingredients and packaging. Our YES! bars are made with wholesome ingredients that celebrate and care for Nature's diversity. We are now relaunching them carefully wrapped in paper, making the packaging easy to recycle and avoiding plastic waste."

YES! snack bars are 'tasty by nature' with wholesome ingredients such as fruit, vegetables and nuts. Among others, flavors include Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt & Almond; Dark Chocolate, Banana & Pecan; and Raspberry & Chia Seeds.

Each YES! nut bar is vegetarian, high in fiber, and a source of protein. The fruit and vegetable bars are vegan, gluten free, lactose free, high in fiber, have no added sugar and contribute to one of your five a day.

With the new paper wrapper and a wider range of flavours, YES! is now being launched in more countries. It will now be available in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. More countries in Europe and beyond will follow soon.

Read more on Nestlé’s commitment to tackling plastic pollution

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Nestlé and Tsinghua x-lab launch joint innovation challenge for packaging sustainability.

Nestlé Research and Development in China announced today an open innovation challenge in collaboration with Tsinghua x-lab. The challenge is expected to drive impact by leveraging China’s extensive capacity for innovation, while providing a platform for the development of potential solutions to address packaging sustainability locally.

Read more about the open innovation challenge in collaboration with Tsinghua x-lab.

Nestlé Purina scientists have demonstrated a proactive way to significantly reduce the active levels of the major cat allergen, Fel d1, at its source in cats’ saliva.

Fel d1 is an allergen produced by all cats – regardless of breed, age, hair length, hair color, sex, or body weight. Produced primarily in cats’ salivary and sebaceous glands, Fel d1 is transferred to a cat’s hair and skin during grooming, then dispersed in the environment via hair and dried skin flakes.

As many as one in five adults worldwide are sensitized to cat allergens, with up to 95 percent of reactions caused by Fel d1. People often manage the allergens by limiting or avoiding exposure to cats.

In research published in Immunity, Inflammation and Disease, Nestlé Purina scientists discovered how to safely neutralize Fel d1 in hair and dander by incorporating an egg product ingredient containing anti-Fel d1 antibodies into a cat’s diet. This ultimately will reduce active Fel d1 levels in the environment while also maintaining normal allergen production by the cat, without affecting the cat’s overall physiology.

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Nestlé announced today the launch of MATERNA Opti-Lac, a probiotic solution for lactating mothers, to help them reduce the risk of breast pain and mastitis – a painful inflammatory condition of the breast – during breastfeeding.

MATERNA Opti-Lac is a food supplement that contains a patented unique probiotic strain L. fermentum LC40, naturally found in breastmilk of healthy mums to support breast health.

MATERNA Opti-Lac is being launched first in Hong Kong with several markets to follow in the coming months globally. The hard gel capsules should be taken daily from the start of breastfeeding. Products will be available in pharmacies, drugstores, baby stores, retail shops and hospitals.

Thierry Philardeau, Head of Nutrition Strategic Business Unit, said: ‘’Maternal and infant nutrition are equally important in the first 1000 days of life. We offer high-quality, nutritionally balanced and science-based products to mothers and babies during this period. With MATERNA Opti-Lac, we are helping mothers to continue breastfeeding and offer their babies a solid foundation for life. It is a privilege to accompany many millions of mothers on this journey.’’

Breastmilk is the ideal nutrition for babies. This is why Nestlé promotes, protects and supports World Health Organization’s recommendation of six months exclusive breastfeeding, followed by the introduction of adequate nutritious complementary foods along with sustained breastfeeding up to two years of age and beyond.

During breastfeeding, problems such as breast pain or mastitis can leave mums feeling so unwell that they often stop breastfeeding. Mastitis affects up to 1 in 3 mums especially in the first 3 months of breastfeeding.

Research has shown that L. fermentum LC40 may be an effective way to help mums reduce the risk of breast pain and mastitis while allowing them to continue breastfeeding.

Nestlé has been active in developing science-based products and services that support pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and their infants. Through cutting-edge research initiatives such as LIFE (Lactation for Infant Feeding Expertise), the company is better equipped to understand human milk composition and its association with maternal nutritional status and infant health.

Last year the company launched MATERNA G-Balance, a new nutritional solution for pregnant women to help prevent gestational diabetes. With the introduction of MATERNA Opti-Lac, Nestlé is strengthening its portfolio, underlining its commitment to support optimal nutrition for mothers and babies during the first 1000 days of life.

Learn more about Mastitis.

Today, Nestlé kicked off a Research and Development (R&D) innovation challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa as part of the company’s efforts to contribute to the local innovation ecosystem. The challenge will help boost local entrepreneurship, as well as provide a platform for start-ups and universities to contribute to local sustainable growth by bringing breakthrough ideas to the market.

The R&D innovation challenge, which started today in Ghana, will also take place in Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. The goal is to work collaboratively with start-ups and universities to identify sustainable and scalable science and technology solutions that help to accelerate the innovation of products that meet local consumer needs. The R&D innovation challenge calls for novel solutions across four areas: environmentally-friendly packaging solutions, sustainable cocoa plantlets, affordable nutrition and new routes to market.

Stefan Palzer, Nestlé Chief Technology Officer said: "There is a growing number of Africa-based entrepreneurs and local researchers with creative ideas to address issues facing their communities. This R&D innovation challenge presents for our company an exceptional opportunity to leverage the outstanding creativity, while helping to turn the most promising ideas into reality."

To engage with local start-ups, Nestlé partnered with Kinaya Ventures as part of the Spring Fellowship Program, which is designed to accelerate corporate start-up partnerships and catalyze digital entrepreneurship. The challenge also calls upon universities in Central and West African countries to submit solutions.

The R&D innovation challenge is part of Nestlé’s Global Youth Initiative, which has an ambition to help 10 million young people around the world have access to economic opportunities by 2030.

Read more about the R&D innovation challenge

Nestlé today announced the creation of the Nestlé R&D Accelerator based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The accelerator brings together Nestlé scientists, students and start-ups to advance science and technology with the objective to accelerate the development of innovative products and systems. Internal, external or mixed teams are eligible to use dedicated hot desks at the accelerator over a defined period of time. They have access to Nestlé’s R&D expertise and infrastructure, including shared labs, kitchens, bench-scale and pilot-scale equipment. The first teams have been selected and the accelerator will be operational by the end of 2019.

The accelerator is part of Nestlé’s global R&D network and located at the company’s fundamental research entity Nestlé Research, which employs around 800 people in Lausanne. It is at the heart of a unique innovation ecosystem with a high density of expertise in food and nutrition. This ecosystem includes several units of Nestlé’s R&D organization, leading academic institutions such as the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and Zurich (ETHZ) and the Swiss Hospitality Management School in Lausanne (EHL) as well as a wide range of innovation partners, suppliers and start-ups.

Stefan Palzer, CTO of Nestlé S.A. said: “We have taken a number of steps to accelerate innovation, including our enhanced prototyping capabilities and the funding of fast-track projects. With the Nestlé R&D Accelerator and its proximity to our R&D and business teams, we will bring open innovation to a new level. Combining our internal expertise and the deep knowledge of our academic and industrial partners with the external entrepreneurial creativity is a unique approach and will create an innovation power-house. It will accelerate the translation of innovative ideas and concepts into tangible prototypes and products.”

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Nestlé today announced the inauguration of a new Research & Development center (R&D) in Beijing and a System Technology hub in Shenzhen. The new R&D center will enable Nestlé to accelerate trend-based innovation in China to meet fast-changing consumer demand. The systems hub will strengthen collaboration with Chinese partners and suppliers in the area of systems.

Over the years, Nestlé has pioneered research on how probiotics can be beneficial to health, leading to many products that help humans achieve a healthy digestion, such as nutritional drinks and yogurts. Nestlé Purina scientists leveraged this research expertise to create products with probiotics that are beneficial for pet health.

Recent findings from studies conducted by Nestlé Research scientists in partnership with academics from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, suggest that a flexitarian or semi-vegetarian diet could be most beneficial to health, as it can combine all of the nutritional benefits offered from vegan, vegetarian or animal-based diets.

Nestlé today announced together with partners the launch of the Future Food Initiative, a joint research program between Swiss universities and industrial partners.

Nestlé has acquired a novel technology developed by New Zealand scientists that will enable it to address one of the world’s most widespread nutritional deficiencies.